Canadian Reviewer Weekly Roundup 3/11-3/17

Review: Spectre x360 13 2-in1

Staples Canada and Earth Day Canada team up to promote earth-friendly innovation in schools

Apple to buy digital magazine service Texture

Vancouver entrepreneurs launch Artificial Intelligence start-up

Fitbit releases Fitbit Versa, Female Health Tracking and Fitbit Ace for kids

Hands on with the new ecobee Switch+ Alexa powered smart light switch

New Switch update introduces tweaks to parental controls and ability to add social media friends

Apple's World Wide Developer's Conference returns to San Jose starting June 4

YouTube adds dark mode for mobile app

Kevin Feige confirms ‘Black Panther 2’

Perfect apps for the iPhone 8

Google Lens featuring visual search and assistance coming to iOS via Google Photos app

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ flagships now available in Canada

New ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ trailer drops

Intuit's app helps self-employed workers invoice, manage expenses, and file taxes

Drake breaks Twitch’s record for most-viewed, non-tournament stream while playing ‘Fortnite’

Google rebrands Android Wear to 'Wear OS by Google'

Animated Emoji wars heat up as Samsung partners with Disney on AR Emoji

Support for iPhone's HEIC image format coming soon to Windows 10

Apple Music on Android gets update to improve playback reliability

Ford releases Need for Green Mustang in time for St. Patrick's Day

Facebook Lite comes to Canada and other developed countries

It’s now easier to unlock phones when connected to Android Auto

It’s now easier to unlock phones when connected to Android Auto

Safety has been the main priority for Android Auto team right from the beginning. And while that’s all well and good, there are some features that don’t take into consideration common uses while on the road. One of them is that users are basically locked out of their devices when connected to Android Auto. But a common complaint about this is that a lot of drivers will hand their smartphones for passengers to use the phones. This method is definitely faster and safer than the driver having to use voice commands on the phone. Thankfully, Google has included a Swipe to unlock feature to make it easier to use these devices normally. It’s available for version 2.9 and 3.0 and is already confirmed to be working inside a connected car that’s in motion. Of course, we still advise you to drive safely and responsibly and don’t attempt to use your phone while driving. Pull over and then use your smartphone.

Source: Android Police

Sony brings Android Oreo to XA1 family

Sony has a pretty good track record of bring the latest version of Android to a lot of its devices. And it extends that to a few devices that were launched a year ago. The XA1, XA1 Plus, and XA1 Ultra are all being updated to Android 8.0 Oreo. And according to Xperia Blog, some XA1 users are already seeing the update and noticing improved performance already. But one downside to the update is that these phones will lose its blue light filter. The over-the-air update has a build number of 48.1.A.0.116 with February 5 security patch level. There is no word if it’s getting Project Treble.

Source: Android Police

Facebook Lite comes to Canada and other developed countries

Facebook recently brought its data-friendly app to markets where solid wireless networks already exist. Facebook Lite was first introduced in 2015 in territories where wireless carriers didn’t provide reliable or fast network connectivity. And that’s mainly the reason why Facebook decided to launch it even in developed countries. In a statement sent to Reuters, Facebook says that even in developed countries like Canada, there are some smartphone owners that experience lower connectivity in their areas. Some of the other countries that get access to the lite version of Facebook include the US, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, and New Zealand.

Facebook Lite’s file size is less than 1MB, making it easier to download even when using a slow mobile connection. But the app itself still has the main Facebook features like News Feed, status updates, photos, notifications, and other options.

Source: Android Authority