Fitbit releases Ionic smartwatch, Flyer headphones and new Aria scale

Fitbit is the leading fitness wearables maker and has toyed with the idea of creating a smartwatch. Today, the company, which bought Pebble earlier this year, comes through with the new Fitbit Ionic smartwatch which runs apps, offers various watchfaces, personalized guidance and also introduces Fitbit Pay as a mobile payments solution.

Fitbit has also launched the Fitbit Flyer, sweatproof and fitness-focused wireless headphones witha six hour playing time. A new version of their Aria smart scale and an updated premium guidance and coaching software.

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Samsung stresses improved battery safety during Galaxy Note8 launch event

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

In case you missed it, Samsung has launched a successor to the doomed Galaxy Note7 phablet. The Galaxy Note8, an enormous 6.3-inch smartphone featuring all the latest Samsung technologies, is coming on September 15 and will be sold in Canada through Bell, Eastlink, Freedom, MTS, Rogers, Sasktel, Telus and Videotron. Off contract price is a whopping $1,200.00! Making this the most expensive Samsung handset in recent memory.

The big question many consumers have is, how safe is the Note8 given its predecessor's battery defects and subsequent $5.3 billion dollar recall. Samsung seems to have addressed this during today's launch.

"Samsung continues to uphold its commitment to lead the industry in battery safety. The Galaxy Note8’s battery has undergone our Samsung 8-point battery check," Samsung explained.

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First Look at the Essential Phone

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Toronto-Media received a preview of the Essential Phone which is Android co-founder Andy Rubin's take on a modern premium handset. Revealed here at an event in Downtown Toronto, we got to check out this 5.7-inch smartphone and learn more about its construction and features.

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Samsung's Bixby smart assistant finally comes to Canadian Galaxy S8 phones

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

A long six monts after it was unveiled alongside the Samsung Galaxy S8, Gear 360' Camea and Gear VR, the Bixby smart assistant is finally coming to Canadian Galaxy S8 devices.

Bixby rollout was off to a shaky start. It was key differentiator for the Galaxy S8 (Samsung even built-in a proprietary button for the service) but didn't appear on devices until last month. While Samsung touts Bixby's capabilities and advanced assistant features. Bixby is expected to transcend mobile devices and be integrated into other appliances. Samsung likely got Bixby out of the gate today because it will be included in the Galaxy Note8, which is the phablet they are launching this week and is the successor to the faulty and exploding Note7.

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