Canadian Reviewer Weekly Roundup 6/17-6/23

Power Trio: The Huawei P20 Pro Review

Ontario gives access to residents’ health data in hopes of building better healthcare-related tools

Leica introduces stylish long-zoom, compact C-Lux camera

Sound Control: The Apple HomePod Review

Apple's iPhone will send location for 911 emergency calls on iOS 12

Apple Camp programs for kids registration is now open

OPPO Find X: The era of pop-up cameras is here

BlackBerry KEY2 arrives in Canada on July 6 with pre-orders starting tomorrow

Google launches Podcasts app for Android

The OPPO Find X has a very expensive Lamborghini limited edition version

You can soon text on desktop with Android Messages

Stunning new Japanese arts & culture book releases from PIE International

Microsoft will not support VR on the Xbox

Facebook will soon autoplay video ads in Messenger

Report: Apple's AirPower charger delayed for a September release

Dyson's Supersonic hair dryer fits in with the latest men's hairstyle trends

Nissan seeking next Gran Turismo racers

Shopify Ping is a new one-stop work chat app for businesses

Facebook Messenger Kids app comes to Canada and Peru

Bethesda files suit against Warner Bros, says ‘Westworld’ game infringes its copyright

First impressions of the BlackBerry KEY2

Bethesda files suit against Warner Bros, says ‘Westworld’ game infringes its copyright

Bethesda Softworks is suing Warner Bros. and Fallout Shelter co-developer Behaviour Interactive over the recently released Westworld mobile game. Bethesda claims it’s a “blatant rip-off” of Fallout Shelter. The game developer is suing for copyright infringement, breach of contract, and misappropriating trade secrets and it’s seeking a jury trial and damages. As elaborated in a suit filed in a Maryland U.S. District Court, Bethesda claims the game based on the popular HBO TV series “has the same or highly similar game design, art style, animations, features and other gameplay elements” as Fallout Shelter. And that Behaviour used “the same copyrighted computer code created for Fallout Shelter in Westworld” down to a bug seen in an early version of Fallout Shelter.

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Facebook Messenger Kids app comes to Canada and Peru

Facebook’s controversial chat app Messenger Kids is making its way out of the US and into Canada and Peru. It’ll also now be available in French and Spanish. The app, which is designed for kids under 13, has been met by criticism from advocacy groups for being harmful to kids as they shouldn’t be exposed to social media accounts at such young ages. Facebook has said the app complies with the Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act but advocacy groups like the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood saying in an open letter that “young children are simply not ready to have social media accounts” and are “not old enough to navigate the complexities of online relationships.”

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Nintendo and Microsoft play nice in new ‘Minecraft’ cross-play trailer, leaves Sony out of it

The words “Survive Together” appear alongside the logos of Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo Switch in a new trailer promoting cross-platform play for Minecraft on the two consoles. It seems jarring at first but a rather fitting image of how playing nice works not just for the manufacturers and developers but for the gamers, too. The trailer shows two players using their respective consoles to play Minecraft. And Sony’s refusal to be part of this collaboration is highlighted even more. 

Sony continues to keep everything close to its own chest. According to Polygon, one former Sony executive said the company’s refusal to allow cross-platform gaming comes down to not wanting items bought on other platforms to be used on the PlayStation 4. And if they continue down this path, they run the risk of being left behind by competition. Here’s to hoping they change their minds in the future.