Canadian Reviewer Weekly Roundup 10/01-10/07

First impressions on the Google Pixel 2

Review: 2018 Toyota C-HR

Fitbit Ionic now available worldwide

Google preps users for Google Assistant-powered headphones with new videos

Review: Apple Watch Series 3 GPS + Cellular

Square launches new contactless chip reader in Canada for $59

Former Intel CEO Paul Otellini passes away

Microsoft shutters Groove streaming music service, sends customers to Spotify

Forza Motorsport 7 is the gold standard of realistic racing simulators

Here’s your first look at season 2 of ‘The Grand Tour’

Got a Yahoo account? Then you’ve been breached

Sonos One speaker to get Google Assistant support in 2018

See the Stranger Things AR stickers on the Pixel 2 in action

Google's Pixelbook redefines the Chromebook segment

Canadian Google Pixel owners have until January 2021 to take advantage of ‘original quality’ Google Photos uploads

Google Clips brings AI into cameras

Microsoft brings Edge browser to iOS and Android

Google Store now focuses on selling Google-made products

Hundreds of new emoji coming to iPhone and iPad

Time to say goodbye to AIM

Time to say goodbye to AIM

After 20 years of its existence, AOL’s long-running instant messenger service AIM is getting the boot. The app will be shutting down on December 15^th. Perhaps not a lot of people would even care at this point but AIM has been one of the first experiences we’ve had whit chatting online. It was back in March when AOL cut off access to AIM via third-party clients. And now the inevitable has happened.

Source: The Verge

Microsoft rebrands Arrow Launcher on Android as Microsoft Launcher

On top of unveiling Microsoft Edge for mobile, Microsoft has built on its Arrow Launcher on Android and relaunches this officially as Microsoft Launcher. Since customization is at the heart of Android, it lets companies like Microsoft explore making launchers that customize the home screen among other things. With The Feed, you get to see your most-used apps, important events, recent news, and others, all customized to your preferences and needs. Aside from that, this Fluent design-based launcher also brings “Continue on PC” feature, making it easy to transition between your Android and Windows machine. The counterpart for Continue on PC on Windows 10 is coming with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.

The launcher also offers gesture support and will let you put icons of your favorite people right on the home screen. It’s currently available for Preview and can be downloaded by all Android users. If you’re using Arrow Launcher, you’ll get the Microsoft Launcher update.

MagnusCards app helps people with autism navigate daily life

People with autism look and navigate through world differently and sometimes there needs to be special tools to help them. And that’s why Nadia Hamilton founded tech startup Magnusmode, which was inspired by her brother Troy who has autism and subsequently led to the development of the app MagnusCards. The app gamifies daily activities and helps break these down tasks into smaller, more actionable steps with visual “how-tos” or digital flash cards so the user can get through different activities.

In an interview with Betakit, Hamilton describes how having illustrated guide helped Troy get through daily activities. “Getting dressed can be an overwhelming task for someone like Troy because he’s afraid of making a mistake. He’s afraid of getting to the end of doing whatever he’s doing and finding out he did it wrong,” said Hamilton. “There’s a lot of anxiety surrounding everyday activities for people with cognitive special needs. This keeps them from going through the door and even doing it.” The app is available on both iOS and Android.