Google Home Mini is now available in Canada

Canadians can now preorder the Google Home Mini which is expected to start shipping on November 5. Google Home Mini is the smallest member of the Google Home Family which is a smart speaker with a built-in Google Assistant which is the only assistant that's specifically tuned for English and French Canadian users and handles local information and nuances. We reviewed Google Home Mini here. 

With a price of CAD $80 as well as three attractive colours, Google Home Mini is the ideal trojan horse for consumers to get started with Google Assistant as well as smart home control and all the advantages of AI.

Essential Phone gets permanently discounted by $200

Andy Rubin's Essential Phone has been an exciting product to watch but also a frustrating one to root for. There have been shipping delays, identity phishing fiascos, a lacklustre camera and reports that it isn't selling well at all.  

My own time with a Canadian unit was fraught with software glitches, poor camera experience and promised firmware updates that didn't come within the review period. Another key complain about the device is the high price. This is something Essential is in control of, and starting this weekend, the company is takingUS $200 off the price of the Essential Phone.

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YouTube brings zoom-to-fill mode to the Pixel 2 XL

With more smartphones coming out with 18:9 displays, developers have to work around the new display aspect to get the most out of their apps. Google is helping out Pixel 2 XL users with a new YouTube mode just for them. The streaming app now has a zoom-to-fill mode. By default, the video will fit inside the screen but you can do the zoom in gesture to fill the entire display. To revert to the default size, all you need to do is make the zoom out gesture. This feature comes to the Pixel 2 XL via version 12.40 of the YouTube app.

Source: Android Police

Delta to swap out Microsoft devices for Apple gadgets

If you’re taking a Delta flight in the near future, you’ll soon see the company’s employees using iPhones and iPads instead of Nokia phones and Surface tablets. The airline plans to switch to iOS devices in 2018. The news about this move came from an email that was obtained by MacOSKen from two different sources; however, Delta hasn’t publicly announced the news just yet. The iPhone 7 Plus will be taking the place of the Nokia phones they use, while the iPad Pro will be replacing the Microsoft Surface tablets. These mobile devices have been used for things like in-flight customer service and sales as well as electronic flight bag. The change will affect over 23,000 flight attendants and 14,000 pilots. Delta says it plans to maintain its partnership with Microsoft but the entire suit of tools used by the pilots and flight crew will be powered by iOS. Delta is joining other Joint Venture partners like Aeromexico, Air France, KLM, and Virgin Atlantic in adopting iOS as its platform of choice. 

Source: Cult of Mac