4K HDTVs, streaming gadgets were the stars at Future Shop's home theatre showcase

Text and Photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

4K or Ultra HD is the big buzzword in home theatre and possibly the biggest leap in technology since we went from standard definition to high definition years ago. Future Shop's home theatre showcase, held yesterday in downtown Toronto, exhibited some of the latest technology and content coming in home entertainment.

Sony was first on the list, the company is heavily invested in 4K as a whole ecosystem and doesn't just have a new line of HDTVs but also makes the 4K cameras as well as a lot of the content that is shot on 4K cameras (including many feature films like Will Smith's After Earth).

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Gmail bids old full-screen compose window goodbye

Whether you like it or not, the new compose window for Gmail is here to stay. Google announced in a Google+ post that the compose window is finally rolling out to everyone and the old full-screen compose window is out the door (or should it be out the window?).

But you can still get the full-screen experience when writing your emails. You just need to click on the expand button at the top right of the new compose window and set that as default by clicking “Default to full-screen” in the More options menu at the bottom right corner of the window.

Microsoft wants you to gear up for Windows 8.1 release

The folks at Redmond want you to mark your calendars for the worldwide release of Windows 8.1. Windows 8 users will be receiving it as a free update through the Windows Store on October 17 and the retail release is set for the next day, October 18—just a few days shy of the one-year anniversary of the operating system (October 26).

Microsoft promises new features and the return of the Start button with the OS update. Supposedly, it’ll have better integration between the desktop and Start screen to minimize the jarring effect of the two interfaces. They have also improved Internet Explorer 11, cloud connectivity with SkyDrive, search capabilities, and Windows Store experience, among others.

3M Canada opens Instagram account

Want to know what life would be like without 3M? 3M Canada opened its Instagram channel with a series of Instagram videos that show what life without 3M innovations. 

“3M really is Canada’s problem solving company, developing innovative products every day inspired by the challenges faced by our customers. In fact, on average, Canadians encounter a 3M product every half hour each day—we’re inside so many of the things each of us rely on day in and day out—and we wanted to demonstrate this in a way that resonates with our target,” said Erin Craven-Patrick, who leads branding at 3M Canada.