Starting in the summer of 2017, Microsoft made a major bet on a new style of game service: For $10 a month, Xbox Game Pass provides access to a library of over 100 games.
The library includes every game that Microsoft publishes, major third-party games like “NBA 2K20” and “Red Dead Redemption 2,” and a variety of high-profile independent games.
In the years since its launch, Xbox Game Pass has become one of the best deals in gaming, costing just $10 a month for a curated library of over 100 games — a coup from Microsoft’s Xbox division in a console cycle dominated by Sony’s PlayStation 4. Moreover, every major Xbox game published by Microsoft — from “Halo” to “Gears of War” to “Forza Motorsport” — is published to the service’s library. While it sounds a lot like Netflix, games in the library must be downloaded, not streamed, to play.
Microsoft’s success with Game Pass has been a notable exception across the last seven years, as Sony’s PlayStation 4 regularly outsells Microsoft’s Xbox One.
Sony’s success is largely attributed to its portfolio of highly-acclaimed first-party games — including “God of War,” “Marvel’s Spider-Man,” “The Last of Us: Part II,” and “Bloodborne” — that can only be played on the PlayStation 4. While Microsoft’s Xbox One has a handful of such games (“Gears 5,” “Sea of Thieves,” and “Halo: The Master Chief Collection”), the company has instead focused on its Xbox Game Pass service.
Game Pass offers up a Netflix-like library of games that can be downloaded to your Xbox/PC or played remotely via the cloud on Android smartphones. A monthly subscription to the service starts at $10, and includes all of Microsoft’s first-party games at launch.
It is, in short, a tremendously good deal for consumers — and with over 15 million paid users, Game Pass has been the most successful of Microsoft’s recent major pushes for Xbox against the dominance of the PlayStation.
It’s this service in particular that Microsoft is bolstering with the purchase of Bethesda Softworks.
“We will be adding Bethesda’s iconic franchises to Xbox Game Pass for console and PC,” Xbox leader Phil Spencer said in the acquisition announcement post. Moreover, those games will arrive on the Game Pass service on the same day they launch otherwise for the next-gen Xbox consoles and PC.
When Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox consoles arrive this November, Xbox Game Pass is expected to launch alongside them.
Close icon
Two crossed lines that form an ‘X’. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.
U of T Engineering PhD student is working to improve the sustainable treatment of Ontario's drinking water – U of T Engineering News – U of T Engineering News
Growing up in a small neighbourhood in Cameroon, Maeva Che (CivMin PhD student) was aware of challenges of accessing clean drinking water.
“Experiencing that exposure to water issues and challenges with sustainable access to safe drinking water ignited my interest in water treatment,” Che says.
Che’s drive to improve water quality around the globe brought her to the Drinking Water Research Group (DWRG) at University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, where she is researching innovative solutions to address local water issues.
Che is working under the supervision of Professor Ron Hofmann (CivMin), who is a member of the DWRG. Her research focuses on removing unpleasant taste and odour compounds in Ontario’s drinking water by promoting the biodegradation of these compounds through granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration.
The project is supported by a five-year Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Alliance grant called Advanced and Emerging Issues in Drinking Water Treatment.
GAC filtration is a water treatment process that uses granular activated carbon, which is made from organic materials that are high in carbon, such as wood, coal or coconut shells. These materials are heated in the absence of oxygen through a process known as pyrolysis and prompted chemically or physically to produce the activated carbon. The activation enhances the material’s adsorption properties, making it productive to remove contaminants from water.
While GAC filtration is an effective treatment process, its adsorptive capacity is limited. The adsorptive capacity of GAC is expected to become exhausted after about three years in service and drinking water treatment utilities must replace the GAC. Aside from the inconvenience, replacing GAC is costly.
Che is working on alternative ways to remove contaminants using GAC filtration, specifically through biodegradation. When the filtration has been in service for a while, there is the growth of micro-organisms on the GAC, which can be useful for removing contaminants.
PhD student Maeva Che works with filtration systems research at the Drinking Water Lab in the Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering. (photo by Galina Nikitina)
“Think of biodegradation as the useful bacteria on the GAC feeding on the contaminants in the water, thereby removing them,” says Che.
“If the GAC has enough good bacteria that is biodegrading the compounds, the GAC may not need to be replaced when its adsorptive capacity becomes exhausted. This can extend the filter’s lifetime, resulting in cost benefits for treatment utilities.”
In other words, biodegradation can potentially enhance the performance of GAC filters.
Che and the DWRG will collaborate with water treatment plants to determine methods that can enhance the biodegradation of taste and odour compounds within their GAC filters.
Currently in its initial phase, the project is taking place alongside the Peterborough Utilities Group’s drinking water treatment plant, where Che is conducting pilot-scale filtration studies with support from the Peterborough Utilities Commission. They plan to extend this research to other partner treatment plants in the future.
Working with various water treatment plants across Ontario, Che will also assess the effectiveness of GAC filters in removing non-traditional taste and odour compounds, which are not commonly monitored.
To achieve this, she’ll evaluate filter performance for two common taste and odour compounds — 2-methylisoborneal and geosmin — and eight additional non-traditional compounds that can cause taste and odour events. This involves collecting GAC and water samples from the plants and conducting lab-scale filtration tests, called minicolumn tests. This test, developed by the DWRG, allows to differentiate between adsorption and biodegradation in GAC filters.
Minicolumn tests provide crucial insights into the performance of the GAC filters in terms of the adsorption and biodegradation of contaminants. To distinguish between these mechanisms, researchers use parallel minicolumns. One minicolumn operates under conditions where the biological activity of micro-organisms is suppressed, which isolates the adsorption process. The second minicolumn operates without biological suppression, allowing both adsorption and biodegradation to occur.
“Many plants are unaware of their filters’ performance for other compounds, aside from the two common ones, that also contribute to taste and odour events in water. Our project, therefore, plays a crucial role in expanding the understanding of this,” Che says.
Project partners include the Ajax Water Supply Plant and the Barrie Surface Water Treatment Plant.
The DWRG is made of approximately 30 graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, research managers and associates who collaborate with local, national and international industry and government organizations to address a wide range of projects related to municipal drinking water.
Che credits her experience as a master’s student with the research group as a major factor in her decision to pursue a PhD at the University of Toronto.
“During my master’s degree with the DWRG, I worked on projects that improved drinking water quality, gaining hands-on experience at treatment plants. Seeing the results of my research reinforced my decision to pursue my PhD here,” Che says.
Ultimately, Che hopes to make a significant impact in the field — and the DWRG provides opportunities to achieve this, with a supportive community of researchers and supervisors.
“My goal is to continue researching and developing sustainable solutions for drinking water treatment that benefit communities in need,” she says.
When Huawei debuted its Mate 60 smartphone in mid-2023, it turned heads around the world after teardown artists found it contained a system-on-chip manufactured by Chinese chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) using a 7nm process.
SMIC was thought not to be able to build that sort of thing. So while the Mate 60 didn’t differ markedly from every other modern smartphone, its very existence called into question the effectiveness of US-led efforts to prevent advanced chipmaking tech reach the Middle Kingdom.
Much speculation has therefore concerned what Huawei would deliver next, and this week the world got its answer – in the form of the Pura 70.
Chinese media report that early users of the device have posted details of its innards, naming the SoC as Kirin 9010 with four efficient cores running at 1.55GHz, half a dozen performance cores at 2.18GHz, and a couple of high-performance cores zipping along at 2.30GHz. All cores are Arm v8. A third-party spec sheet suggests it’s a 7nm chip – meaning Chinese chipmakers appear not to have made another unexpected advance.
Early tests suggest it outperforms the Kirin 9000 found in the Mate 60, but independent assessments are yet to emerge. The crowdsourced evaluations currently available are sometimes dubious.
What we can say with confidence is that the Pura 70 has a 6.6-inch OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and resolution of 2,760 x 1,256. It has 12GB RAM aboard, and buyers can choose from 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage.
The three rear-facing cameras on the base models can capture 50, 12, and 13 megapixels apiece.
The Pura range derives from Huawei’s P-Series handsets that stretched from the midrange to the low-end of premium, but are now focussed – pardon the pun – on photography enthusiasts. The device comes on four variants, each priced to match the four editions of Apple’s iPhone 15.
The screen on the high-end “Ultra” model grows to 6.8 inches and 2,844 × 1,260 pixels, with two rear cameras that shoot at 50 megapixels and one at 40. One of the 50MP snappers is retractable, to enhance its zooming powers.
Importantly, all models of the Pura 70 run HarmonyOS 4.2 – Huawei’s not-Android operating system.
China is all-in on HarmonyOS as the nation pursues indigenous alternatives to Western tech. In recent weeks Chinese media and government agencies have noted the growing proliferation of native HarmonyOS apps, trumpeting that developer enthusiasm for the platform means local buyers now have a more patriotic alternative.
That alternative appears to be welcome: after the debut of the Mate 60, analyst firm IDC saw Huawei’s smartphone market share improve by 36.2 percent. ®
Hot tubs are amazing things—they can help you relax, help you warm up, and help your muscles recover from injury or intense activity. And if you’re a hot tub lover already, you probably know all of these things for yourself already. But maybe you’re not ready for the permanence (or high price tag) that comes along with a standard hot tub.
Inflatable hot tubs are the next best thing! They’re more affordable than traditional hot tubs, easy to set up and take down as the seasons change, and you can bring them with you easily when you move or go up to the cottage.
If you think an inflatable hot tub is the next stop on your home improvement journey, we’re totally on board. And we’d love to help you choose the right one. Inflatable hot tubs aren’t all created equal, and it can be tough to know what to look for. Things like price, shape, overall size, seating capacity, number of jets, and included accessories will all differ.
This comprehensive guide will investigate the best inflatable hot tubs in Canada right now and outline the criteria you should consider while making your purchase decision. Let’s dive right into our top five products.
The Best Inflatable Hot Tubs Right Now
Our Top Pick for The Best Inflatable Hot Tub
Bestway 54295 SaluSpa AirJet Honolulu 6-Person Inflatable Hot Tub Review
What We Think of the Bestway 54295 SaluSpa AirJet Honolulu 6-Person Inflatable Hot Tub
The Bestway 54295 SaluSpa AirJet Honolulu 6-Person Inflatable Hot Tub is our top overall pick for a variety of reasons. For one thing, it’s one of the only inflatable hot tubs out there that actually seats the number of people it’s supposed to—that’s right, you can put six people in this tub and everyone will be comfortable. This is a rare thing.
Like most Bestway tubs, this option has both the ChemConnect system for maintaining chlorine levels and the FreezeShield tech to protect all of the inner workings from cold weather. You’ll appreciate these things a lot. We’re also big fans of the cup holders that are right next to the control panel and the fact that you can program this tub 40 days in advance. That’s just plain cool.
There’s only one change we’d make to this option if we could, and that’s rounding out the accessories. You only get a handful of items with this one, and we’d prefer that you get extras like testing strips, a thermal ground cloth, maybe a filter cartridge or two… you get the idea. But in the grand scheme of things, you’re still getting a lot of value.
What Reviewers Are Saying About the Bestway 54295 SaluSpa AirJet Honolulu 6-Person Inflatable Hot Tub
Reviewers have a really high opinion of the Bestway 54295 SaluSpa AirJet Honolulu 6-Person Inflatable Hot Tub. It comfortably seats six people, the jets are great at giving a noticeable massage, the temperature stays steady for a long time, and it’s the perfect height to be used without headrests.
Bestway 54295 SaluSpa AirJet Honolulu 6-Person Inflatable Hot Tub Specifications
Bestway 54295 SaluSpa AirJet Honolulu 6-Person Inflatable Hot Tub Pros and Cons
Pros:
ChemConnect system (maintains chlorine balance without a floating dispenser) and FreezeShield tech
Digital control panel has built-in cup holders
Comes with a cover, a repair kit, and a filter cartridge
Can be programmed up to 40 days in advance
Cons:
Limited accessories
Our Final Thoughts on the Bestway 54295 SaluSpa AirJet Honolulu 6-Person Inflatable Hot Tub
Performance: 5/5
Usability: 4.5/5
Price: 4.5/5
Quality: 4.5/5
Overall, the Bestway 54295 SaluSpa AirJet Honolulu 6-Person Inflatable Hot Tub is incredibly well-rounded and well-priced. You won’t get a full kit of accessories, but you’ve got the essentials, and it has a bunch of helpful features that make up for those missing pieces.
Our Premium Pick
Intex 28431E PureSpa Plus Inflatable Hot Tub Review
What We Think of the Intex 28431E PureSpa Plus Inflatable Hot Tub
Where do we even start with the Intex 28431E PureSpa Plus Inflatable Hot Tub? There are so many things to share. This thing comes fully loaded, which is a treat. You’ll get two headrests, a multi-coloured LED light, an insulated cover, a thermal ground cloth, two filter cartridges, testing strips, a carry bag, a floating chlorine dispenser, and an inflation hose. Talk about value!
Its built-in hard water treatment system is another thing we love about this one. It protects your hot tub and your bathing suit and your skin… super important, right? The control panel is also great. It tilts up and down to give you a great view at all times, and it’s really straightforward. No guessing which buttons do what. The heat loss with the bubbles on is also minimal, which makes this one even more special.
We’re super happy to report that we have nothing to throw in the negatives column with this one. How awesome is that? Just a heads up, though, you will have to fork over some extra cash to make this option yours. It might be a bit of a deterrent at first, but we promise you, it’s worth it.
What Reviewers Are Saying About the Intex 28431E PureSpa Plus Inflatable Hot Tub
Reviewers are very impressed by the Intex 28431E PureSpa Plus Inflatable Hot Tub. The setup was really easy (takes less than an hour to get the tub inflated and the water in), they love the colour-changing LED, and the jets do a really great job of producing massaging bubbles without reducing the water temperature by much. They have no complaints about this one at all.
Intex 28431E PureSpa Plus Inflatable Hot Tub Specifications
Intex 28431E PureSpa Plus Inflatable Hot Tub Pros and Cons
Pros:
Has a built-in hard water treatment system
Comes with two headrests, an insulated cover, a multi-coloured LED light, two filter cartridges, a thermal ground cloth, a carry bag, testing strips, a floating chlorine dispenser, and an inflation hose
Control panel is well laid out and easy to use
Doesn’t lose heat very quickly even with bubbles on
Cons:
Our Final Thoughts on the Intex 28431E PureSpa Plus Inflatable Hot Tub
Performance: 5/5
Usability: 5/5
Price: 3.5/5
Quality: 4.5/5
Overall, the Intex 28431E PureSpa Plus Inflatable Hot Tub is a pretty flawless option. Whether you want a hot tub to share with your family, your friends, (or to keep it all to yourself), you’ll love everything about this one. Our favourite things? The colour-changing light and the headrests, of course.
Our Budget Pick
Intex SimpleSpa 4-Person Inflatable Hot Tub Review
What We Think of the Intex SimpleSpa 4-Person Inflatable Hot Tub
The Intex SimpleSpa 4-Person Inflatable Hot Tub has more to offer than just a super affordable price tag. It’s one of the fastest tubs to set up—inflation only takes 20 minutes, and once it’s full of water, you’ll be able to enjoy it at max temp in less than a day. Some tubs take more than 48 hours to heat up!
This tub also comes with all of the accessories you’ll need to start enjoying it right away—an insulated cover, a thermal ground cloth, a floating chlorine dispenser, two filter cartridges, a test strip, an inflation hose, and a carry bag are all included! Our favourite feature, though, is the control panel. It’s simple and easy to use, it has a protective cover, and it tilts!
Unfortunately, no hot tub can be perfect, and this one does have a couple of features that fall short. Although it generally does a great job heating the water, it isn’t so effective in temperatures below 10ºC. You’ll need an insulated space for that. Also, although it’s advertised as a four-person tub, it’s really better suited to two. Unless you don’t mind squishing.
What Reviewers Are Saying About the Intex SimpleSpa 4-Person Inflatable Hot Tub
Reviewers are pretty happy with the Intex SimpleSpa 4-Person Inflatable Hot Tub for the price. Most people find that even three people is pushing the capacity a bit, and it has trouble reaching the higher temperatures in the colder months unless it’s in an insulated space. The setup is really easy, though, and they love the control panel. The relaxing bubbles are a big hit, too.
Intex SimpleSpa 4-Person Inflatable Hot Tub Specifications
Intex SimpleSpa 4-Person Inflatable Hot Tub Pros and Cons
Pros:
Has a very simple, tilt-adjustable, and user-friendly control panel
Comes with an insulated cover, two filter cartridges, thermal ground cloth, floating chlorine dispenser, inflation hose, test strip, and carry bag
Ready for water in only 20 minutes
Heats up faster than many other inflatable hot tubs
Cons:
Our Final Thoughts on the Intex SimpleSpa 4-Person Inflatable Hot Tub
Performance: 4.5/5
Usability: 4/5
Price: 5/5
Quality: 4/5
All in all, the Intex SimpleSpa 4-Person Inflatable Hot Tub is our favourite budget-friendly option right now. It might not actually fit four people comfortably, but it’s still got a lot going for it. The highlights? The super user-friendly control panel and one of the fastest heat-up times.
Also Great
Bestway 54155E Hawaii Air Jet Inflatable Outdoor Spa Review
What We Think of the Bestway 54155E Hawaii Air Jet Inflatable Outdoor Spa
The Bestway 54155E Hawaii Air Jet Inflatable Outdoor Spa is one of the easiest options to maintain, and that’s one of the reasons we like it so much. Instead of a floating chlorine dispenser, this one has a ChemConnect system that looks like a little nozzle inside the tub—it maintains the chlorine levels for you. It has an integrated water filtration system too. How awesome is that?
We really like the FreezeShield technology too. It protects all of the interior components in cold weather—not only does this keep them in proper working order for longer, but it also means you can enjoy your hot tub safely in all weather conditions. This tub also has some of the best jets out there—they actually massage you (instead of just pretending like they do).
There are a few things we’d change about this hot tub if we could. It claims to seat four people, but that’s a bit of an exaggeration. It can fit four adults, but you won’t be comfortable—it’s really much better suited to life as a two-person hot tub. The control panel design also leaves something to be desired, as do the assembly instructions. They definitely could have been done better.
What Reviewers Are Saying About the Bestway 54155E Hawaii Air Jet Inflatable Outdoor Spa
Reviewers have mostly good things to say about the Bestway 54155E Hawaii Air Jet Inflatable Outdoor Spa. Almost all of them had a hard time with assembly because the instructions were entirely unhelpful, but once it was set up, things got better. It took just over a day to be ready, and they’re all happy with how well it maintains the temperature and how powerful the jets are.
Bestway 54155E Hawaii Air Jet Inflatable Outdoor Spa Specifications
Bestway 54155E Hawaii Air Jet Inflatable Outdoor Spa Pros and Cons
Pros:
Has an integrated water filtration system
FreezeShield tech helps protect the inner components from freezing in cold weather
Shoulder/neck jets do a great job of massaging effectively
ChemConnect system maintains a safe chlorine level without a floating dispenser
Cons:
Control panel is a bit busy and can be hard to read in certain light
Four-person seating capacity can be a bit tight—better suited to two people
Assembly instructions are awful
Our Final Thoughts on the Bestway 54155E Hawaii Air Jet Inflatable Outdoor Spa
Performance: 5/5
Usability: 4/5
Price: 5/5
Quality: 4/5
Overall, the Bestway 54155E Hawaii Air Jet Inflatable Outdoor Spa has a lot to offer. It’s designed for minimal effort and maximum enjoyment, so you’ll be able to get to the relaxation part really fast. It’s better suited to two people rather than four, but you can squish in the extra bodies if needed.
Intex 28427E PureSpa Bubble Massage Inflatable Spa Set Review
What We Think of the Intex 28427E PureSpa Bubble Massage Inflatable Spa Set
There are a lot of reasons why we like the Intex 28427E PureSpa Bubble Massage Inflatable Spa Set. The control panel is one of the main ones—it’s rechargeable, tilt adjustable, protected by a plastic cover, and incredibly straightforward to use. How does it get better than that? We’re also really happy with how durable it is, and it’s sturdy enough for year-round use. Plus, you can sit on the edges without dipping.
You get a lot of accessories included with the purchase price with this one, folks. Your inflation hose, insulated cover, test strips, chlorine dispenser, filter cartridges, thermal ground cloth, and even a carry bag are all included. This hot tub has a built-in hard water filtration system too, so you won’t be soaking in hard water or worrying about complicated maintenance. Thank goodness.
We only have two minor concerns to share with you before we wrap up. You should be prepared for more heat loss when the bubble jets are running—this isn’t ideal, we know, but there’s nothing to be done about it. Also, there are no seats included with the kit, so you’ll need to purchase them separately if you want that extra level of comfort.
What Reviewers Are Saying About the Intex 28427E PureSpa Bubble Massage Inflatable Spa Set
Reviewers are very happy with the Intex 28427E PureSpa Bubble Massage Inflatable Spa Set. It seats four people very comfortably and can fit an extra two people without too much squishing. It only takes a couple of days after setup to reach its maximum temperature, and it stays warm for a while. It does lose heat faster with the bubbles on, but most people don’t mind too much.
Intex 28427E PureSpa Bubble Massage Inflatable Spa Set Specifications
Intex 28427E PureSpa Bubble Massage Inflatable Spa Set Pros and Cons
Pros:
Has a built-in hard-water treatment system
Comes with three-way test strips, a carry bag, two filter cartridges, a floating chlorine dispenser, a thermal ground cloth cover, and an inflation hose
Control panel is very user-friendly, rechargeable, tilt-adjustable, and has a plastic cover to protect it
Incredibly durable and safe for use in all seasons
Cons:
Our Final Thoughts on the Intex 28427E PureSpa Bubble Massage Inflatable Spa Set
Performance: 4.5/5
Usability: 5/5
Price: 4/5
Quality: 4/5
Overall, the Intex 28427E PureSpa Bubble Massage Inflatable Spa Set is a pretty great choice if you don’t mind spending a little extra on the tub and purchasing seats separately. You can use this one all year round, and it’s got one of the best control panels around.
How to Properly Choose Your Inflatable Hot Tub
Price
Many inflatable hot tubs can be purchased for less than $1,200, and most of these will be perfectly suited to the average homeowner. At their cheapest, they can approach $700, and at their most expensive, they can cost nearly $2,000. In general, more expensive models will be larger, will come with more accessories, and will be more durable.
Seating Capacity
Most inflatable hot tubs will seat either four or six people. This should be considered a general guideline instead of a hard and fast rule, though, because sometimes meeting that seating capacity means squishing all your friends/family members together.
Water Capacity
The water capacity should be considered along with the seating capacity. Not all six-seaters are created equal, and the same goes for every other size. For example, one six-seater might have a water capacity of 1100 litres, another might be less than 900 litres. Obviously, this makes a big difference in how much space there actually is to go around.
Number of Jets
Every inflatable hot tub will have bubble jets, but the number and power of those jets will vary. You’ll want to check reviews to make sure the jets are as strong or as soft as you’d prefer them to be.
Disclaimer: The prices displayed are accurate at the time of publication. We’ll do our best to keep them as up-to-date as possible, but you may see slight changes. The products in this list are ranked by independent third parties. Rankings are based on both reviews and independent testing.
