iPhone 8 and Apple Watch Series 3 now available for pre-order in Canada

Pre-orders for the new iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plis as well as the Apple Watch Series 3 and the Apple TV 4K start today in Canada for a September 22 delivery date. These devices will also be available in Apple Retail Stores or Town Squares on the 22nd.

iPhone 8 brings an all new glass design, improved cameras, Apple A11 Bionic processor and, for the first time on a phone, the True Tone display which ensures improved viewing on all lighting conditions. iPhone 8 adopters will also be able to try the Portrait Mode and Portrait Lighting feature which improve on the iPhone's already prodigious arsenal of photographic and post-processing tools.

iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will be available in space grey, silver and an all-new gold finish in increased 64GB and 256GB capacity models starting at $929 (CAD) from Apple.com/ca and Apple Stores and is also available through Apple Authorized Resellers and select carriers (prices may vary)
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Facebook compiles best emergency tools into new Crisis Response hub

Facebook is bringing together all its emergency features into one place, which should definitely come in handy in times of need. The Crisis Response hub will house Safety Check, which will surface to the top of the hub if you’re in an area affected by a calamity or tragedy; links to helpful crisis-related articles, photos, and videos; a community help feature that will let you ask for and give crisis-related advice; and access to fundraisers and non-profits that will let you donate or help out during relief efforts. The hub is accessible both on desktop and mobile. It’s rolling out in the coming weeks so watch for it.

Source: The Next Web

Google will automatically delete your Android backups without notice after two months of inactivity

This bit of news isn’t actually new information but it might be something you aren’t aware of. Your Android backups of a specific unused device will be deleted from Google's servers after two months of inactivity. The worst part is you won’t get a notification that this is happening and your data and settings can’t be restored. These backups will only be retained “as long as you use your device.” For those unused devices, Google Drive will show an expiration date below the file after two weeks of the device going unused. We assume that will reset once you use the device.

This isn’t an abnormal practice for storage companies but Google must work on warning its users about this. A Reddit user learned this the hard way and he laments how he wasn’t given a warning by Google or even given the option to use the Drive storage he pays for as a backup option. 

Source: The Verge

Essential Phone will get Android Oreo update within two months

The Essential Phone just recently launched (you’ve probably seen photos on our Instagram) and the company has great news for those who got the phone, it’ll be getting Android Oreo pretty soon. According to Rebecca Zavin, vice president for software at Essential, the update is coming “in the next month or two.” She made the announcement on a Reddit AMA she had with Essential’s founder Andy Rubin and three other execs from the company.

Aside from that, they announced that, they are working on a high-end audio accessory that comes with a 3.5mm headset jack. Just like its other accessories, this will connect through the two magnetic pins at the back of the device. Now, you might question why didn’t Essential just put the headset jack on the phone in the first place? Dave Evans, the VP of design for Essential, said that would’ve resulted in putting a bigger bottom bezel under the screen, reducing the battery capacity by 10 percent, or having a big bump to accommodate the jack. They weren’t comfortable with the tradeoffs so they didn’t put it in.

Source: GSMArena