2019 was an absolutely incredible year in tech, entertainment, video games and so much more. At MobileSyrup, we have the opportunity to step back, reflect and write about some of our favourite things from the past year. With such a full and incredible year, it’s hard to pick just a few things as favourites.
That said, I’ll certainly try my hardest to do so. Below you’ll find my favourite things from 2019.
Return of the Razr
I had the opportunity to go to Los Angeles this year for the unveiling of Motorola’s new Razr foldable smartphone. It was a memorable trip for several reasons, but namely, it was for the phone itself.
Folding smartphones have been a dominant topic in tech for some time now. From leaked patents to rumours, it felt like I wrote about some kind of foldable news almost every day. 2019 was the year of the foldable with the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Fold, unveiling of the Huawei Mate X and other devices. While those ones were certainly impressive, Motorola’s play at foldables felt like something consumers could actually use.
The Razr, while not yet available in Canada, is on its way (with Telus letting customers sign up for pre-order notifications now). It’s positioned to cost significantly less than the Galaxy Fold when it arrives, although official pricing hasn’t been announced.
Unfortunately, Motorola has delayed the Razr, so it likely won’t be available anywhere until next year. However, the company claims the delay is due to high demand — if true, it’s a testament to the Razr’s appeal.
In my brief time with the Razr in LA, it felt more practical than the Fold. The clamshell design evoked nostalgia for the old Razr flip phones while also maintaining the form factor of current smartphones when unfolded. When folded up, the Razr offers a small display to see incoming notifications or take selfies.
Getting to go hands-on with the Razr and try out the device before it comes to Canada was definitely one of my highlights of 2019.
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung releases a lot of phones every year, but 2019’s S10e was one of my favourites. I talked about it on a recent SyrupCast about our favourite phones of the year, but I really have to say it’s a great phone.
Ultimately, I like what Samsung, Apple and other manufacturers are doing with the different flagship phone tiers. Devices like the S10e and the iPhone 11 offer the same high-end experience expected from a flagship but without some of the fancy bells and whistles that make flagships so pricey. With the increasing cost of phones, having an option that offers a similar experience without the high cost is a major plus.
The S10e does this exceptionally well, sporting almost identical internals and comparable camera experience to the Galaxy S10 and S10+. Where it really lacks is in ‘bonus’ features like a curved display — I’m not a fan of these anyway, so I’m happy the S10e doesn’t have one — and an in-display fingerprint scanner.
None of these are deal-breaker omissions, which makes the S10e an easy choice for someone who wants the best on offer but doesn’t want to break the bank.
I also get the opportunity to review several laptops throughout the year, and this year, Lenovo surprised me with one of the best Windows laptops of 2019.
When I first received a ThinkBook 13s review unit from Lenovo, I didn’t think much of the unassuming business-facing laptop. However, it boasted better performance than most other Windows machines I’ve used this year in a lightweight, compact body with a stylish, MacBook-esque design.
The ThinkBook 13s continuously surprised, with its solid battery life and impressive thermal handling — in my time with it, it hardly heated up. It even had one of the fastest fingerprint scanners I’ve seen on a computer.
All that said, the laptop wasn’t perfect. It lacked some convenient features, like Windows Hello facial recognition. It also sported a less-than-stellar trackpad, as most Windows laptops do. But it was still a surprisingly well-built machine and I can’t wait to see how Lenovo improves on it going into 2020.
Gaming has been a hobby of mine ever since I was a kid and while I never really got into Halo, I liked what Bungie did with the series. When Destiny 2 launched on PC in 2017, I hesitantly picked the game up. I’d heard about some of what happened with the console-exclusive first game, but several friends were planning to play Destiny 2 on PC and assured me Bungie had turned things around and the next game would be great.
After a tumultuous launch and a disastrous first DLC drop, we all knew that wasn’t the case. As much as I enjoyed playing Destiny 2 — Bungie really nailed the feel of the game — I was among many who abandoned the title entirely.
Fast forward to 2019 — Bungie broke up with Activision, the game publisher behind gaming industry titans like the Call of Duty franchise. It marked a turning point for the developer, which was no longer bound by a strict contract. The company made several pro-consumer changes to the game, moved Destiny 2 to Steam and transitioned it to a free-to-play model.
The changes were enough to get me, and several other people, reinvested in Destiny 2. In many ways, Bungie fixed the biggest flaws with the game and made it something enjoyable to play again. It isn’t perfect, but I think Destiny 2 is in a much better place than what it was. It also became one of my most-played games of the year and new content drops have breathed fresh life into a nearly-dead game.
Ultimately, it was nice to see Bungie get out from under Activision and set things right for Destiny 2 players, and I’m excited to see where the company goes next with the franchise and other new games.
Battle royale games that pit players against each other in large, open maps have become increasingly popular, but one really stole the show in 2019. Apex Legends, a free-to-play battle royale set in the Titanfall universe and developed by Respawn Entertainment, came out of nowhere in February and quickly became a favourite.
It offered a nice balance between the silly but massively popular Fortnite and the realistic PlayerUnkown’s BattleGrounds, or PUBG. And when I say it came out of nowhere, it really did. Respawn surprised everyone with Apex, launching with virtually no announcement after working on it in secret.
While I haven’t played Apex much since Bungie fixed up Destiny 2, I did play it religiously after its launch. Apex launched in an incredibly polished state and I found it much more enjoyable than either PUBG or Fortnite.
If you haven’t tried out Apex Legends yet, now’s a good time to do it. It’s free, which makes the barrier to entry quite low, and the game is in the midst of its holiday bash with special game modes and other festivities ongoing.
All in all, 2019 was a solid year. These are just a few of my favourite things, and I can’t wait to see what 2020 brings.
The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.
“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.
The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.
However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”
Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.
“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.
“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”
The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.
At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.
A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”
Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.
Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.
Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.
Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.
While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.
Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.
The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.
— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?
It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.
Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:
Apple
The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.
For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.
You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.
Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.
Google
Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.
When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.
You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.
There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.
Facebook and Instagram
Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.
When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.
The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.
You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.
TikTok
The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.
Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.
X
It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.
Passwords
Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?
Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.
But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.
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LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.
The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.
“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”
San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.
Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”
“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.
The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.
