Tuesday
Sep182018

There might be a black variant of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 & Surface Pro

It might be back to black for Microsoft, at least this is what the rumour mill suggests. German site Windows United and Thurrott report that a new black variant will be launched for both the Surface Laptop 2 and refreshed Surface Pro. These two devices are expected to make an appearance at Microsoft’s event in New York City on October 2nd. If rumours are correct, this will be the first modern Surface Pro with a new color across the entire device and not just the Type Cover. Microsoft has coloured the entire Surface Laptop but the latest Surface Pro has kept a silver body. Other features expected to show up in the new devices include these machines running on the latest Intel processors and a switch to USB-C. 

Source: The Verge 

Monday
Sep172018

Review: Bissell CrossWave PetPro Multi-Surface Cleaner streamlines everyday cleaning for pet owners

By Sonya Davidson

If you asked me anytime before this spring about all the pet gadgets and household items out in the market, I would have completely laughed and thought “boy, these pet owners are suckers and will buy anything.” I would question every product and ask “really, is that even necessary?” But then it happened. We caved. Our family decided to add a little furry friend into our home. Visions of snuggling up to a 10-week old corgi was going to be a reality. We fell in love with a litter of pups and tossed every logical notion aside. Corgis are not too common in our neighbourhood full of designer non-shedding, hypo-allergenic dogs. But we like to be a little different and we all agreed that it's just dog hair. How bad could it be? We could deal with it. Plus we chose one that had black with some white fur that, in my mind, wouldn't be so terrible given that I wear a lot of black. The blonde corgi hair would be more noticeable. I had convinced myself that we would be totally fine. 

Then little Harley settled into our family and yes, he's a shedder.  I found myself vacuuming twice a day. Then I had the urge to wash the floors pretty much every day thanks to puppy teething/drooling and him just being a puppy and slobbering. It was also spring when he came which meant bringing in his wet puppy paws often. I was very aware of "that" wet puppy dog smell. I'm not even sure I'm completely use to that smell yet and he's now seven months old.

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Monday
Sep172018

Apple closes chapter on headphone jacks, kills off 4 models from its site

We say goodbye to the iPhone SE and this classic Apple designIt’s typical for Apple, or any other tech company, to discontinue old models as they introduce new devices. This time around the company kills off four devices from its lineup: the iPhone X, the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, and the iPhone SE. These four phones are no longer available on Apple’s site. It seems surprising that Apple killed off the iPhone X less than a year since it was introduced, but it also seems logical with the new iPhone Xs carrying the same base model price but with better specs. Perhaps Apple didn’t want to make the iPhone X redundant.

As for the other three devices, having them taken out of Apple’s lineup means we’ve seen the last of headphone jacks on iPhones. The 6S models and the SE were the last iPhones to carry the audio port. The SE is also the last device to carry the style of the iPhone 5 and it was popular with consumers who wanted a relatively inexpensive and smaller iPhone. Right now the smallest and least expensive iPhone option is the iPhone 7 but this has a 4.7-inmch screen compared to the 4-inch one on the SE and is US$100 pricier than the SE at US$450.

Source: Insider

Monday
Sep172018

Samsung Galaxy Note9 reportedly catches fire in a woman’s purse, lawsuit against company asks to cease sale of the phone

Review: Samsung Galaxy Note 9We’re two Note devices in since the whole Samsung Galaxy Note7 debacle and just last month at the Galaxy Note9 launch, the company assured that Note users “do not have to worry about the batteries anymore.” Samsung says the Note9’s battery is “safer than ever.” However, the company is now facing a lawsuit just barely a month since the launch.

The New York Post reports on NYC-based realtor Diane Chung’s case of her Note9 bursting into flames inside her purse earlier this September. The phone felt unusually hot when she was using it and when she placed it in her purse a few minutes later, it started “whistling” and let out thick smoke. The incident happened inside an elevator, leaving her panicked and the elevator filled with smoke. The phone burned her fingers as she tried to remove it from her purse. When she was able to kick the phone out of the elevator, a passerby was able to grab the device with a cloth and dumped it in a bucket of water.

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