Google collaborates with En Masse art collective for new Pixel cases and wallpapers

Customization is one of the key aspects of Google's Pixel smartphones with a variety of customizeable Live Cases and corresponding wallpapers available to make each Pixel look unique. Google has extended their customization to include orginial works from the Montreal-based En Masse art collective.

The new Artworks Live Case designed by EN MASSE, a multi-artist collaborative drawing project that explores the creation of highly spontaneous, large-scale collaborative black and white drawings and public installations.

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Some Pixel users experiencing voice and data network disconnection issues

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Google's Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones have been in the market for a number of weeks now but some users are encountering a serious issue where the device disconnects from the LTE network. I have first-hand experience with this issue as my Pixel XL started intermittently disconnecting from the TELUS network in Canada. I noticed this when messages would not be sent and when streaming podcasts or news from the NPR One app would cease to play.

Various attempts to fix this on my part, including restarting the device, removing and re-inserting the SIM card, and even restoring the device after a hard reset, failed to fix the issue which has affected various users who are chiming in on a Reddit post.

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Google set to open first pop-up stores inside Best Buy locations in Canada

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Google has released a lot of new hardware, including the impressive Pixel smartphone with the new Assistant software, Google Home, Google Wi-Fi, Daydream View VR headset as well as a bevy of Chromecast devices plus Chromebooks which have become the darling of the educational market.

The best way to get these products into the hands of customers is to properly demonstrate them in a retail store environment. While Google isn't opening its own stores (yet), it's made some moves to have a retail presence to show off all this neat stuff. They had a pop-up store in NYC and coming this month, they will invite Canadian customers to sample first-hand the new products and services that they just launched.

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Google opens the door to J.K. Rowling's "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."

Harry Potter fans can now invoke various spells from their Google devices. Taking place decades before Harry Potter first arrives at Hogwarts, “Fantastic Beasts” follows the adventures of magizoologist Newt Scamander in a whole new era of the wizarding world — New York in 1926.

If you want to try being a wizard, try casting spells on your Android phone: Just say “Ok Google” followed by “Lumos” or “Nox” to turn your flashlight on and off. Try “Silencio” to silence the ringer and notifications. 

You can also explore the world of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” with Google Street View. Visit New York in 1926 as brought to life in the film, as well as the real locations today. Fans can visit MACUSA (Magical Congress of the USA); Steen National Bank, where Newt first meets Jacob Kowalski; the underground speakeasy The Blind Pig; and the magical apartment of Tina and Queenie Goldstein, two of the film’s key characters.

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