Syrupcast

Believe it or not, we here at MobileSyrup enjoy movies and television almost as much as we love tech. Whether the subject is Steven Spielberg or Steve Jobs, the iPhone or I, Robot, you can be sure that someone at the MobileSyrup office has an opinion or interesting fact to share. Keeping in line with our love for tech and pop culture, MobileSyrup presents Viewer Experience, a podcast where tech meets pop culture. Tune in every two weeks for a brand new episode built around a newly released movie or television show and the technology used in it or used to create it. Each episode will discuss a particular movie or television show, the technology involved with it, as well as interesting people doing fascinating things within that particular tech space. Listener’s note: Viewer Experience isn’t replacing the SyrupCast. For now, they’re just sharing the same space. Eventually you'll be able to subscribe to Viewer Experience separately.     See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on the SyrupCast, MobileSyrup telecom editor Rose Behar is joined by Globe and Mail telecom reporter Christine Dobby and Financial Post telecom reporter Emily Jackson, to discuss the current state of Canada's telecom environment. Last week the CRTC released an updated ruling on MVNOs in Canada. The team discusses how this decision impacts Canadians and if it will help drop the cost of phone plans. The team also predicts what the remainder of CRTC chairman Ian Scott's time with the regulatory body will look like and speaks about the new 600MHz auction framework. The podcast then turns to facilities-based investment. The Big Three feel that since they've put a lot of money into networks, they should solely benefit from them. The smaller providers, on the flip side, feel they should be able to piggy back off of existing infrastructure. With the new MVNO ruling, this discussion is again at the forefront of the telecom scene. Tune in to hear the SyrupCast team's thoughts on all things telecom. Do you h

This week on the SyrupCast MobileSyrup features editor Igor Bonifacic, telecom editor Rose Behar and managing editor Patrick O'Rourke, discuss Sidewalk Labs and the recent controversy surrounding Facebook's latest data breach. People have been voicing concerns related to privacy at Sidewalk Labs, Google's new smart city development project in downtown Toronto. Rose recently spoke with Rohit Aggarwala, Sidewalk Lab's head of urban systems, who discussed the company's intentions and plans behind Sidewalk Labs. This past week news broke that Cambridge Analytica, a major analytics firm in London, U.K., exploited the data of 50 million Facebook profiles through third-party applications. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has since come out and apologized for the breach, stating that Facebook plans do better in the future when it comes to privacy. The team digs into the story and debates if regulating tech companies like Facebook should be the norm. Tune in to hear the SyrupCast team's thoughts. Do you have questions, co

This week on the SyrupCast, MobileSyrup features editor Igor Bonifacic, telecom editor Rose Behar, and telecom reporter Sameer Chhabra, discuss everything CRTC related. The CRTC is in the process of putting together its program distribution report, of which streaming services will be an important part. Since foreign streaming platforms like Netflix aren't likely to divulge public information about subscribers and revenue, the regulatory body bent the rules and has decided to allow private companies to report confidentially, versus the usual public reporting. This means that even if Netflix does reveal numbers to the CRTC, Canadians still won't get to see that information. The crew talks about whether or not the CRTC made the right call, and gets into some Civics 101. Beyond Netflix, the CRTC has also been busy working on a decision regarding Wi-Fi-first MVNOs. If the decision goes through, the wireless market in Canada may be disrupted by low-budget providers. Tune in to hear the SyrupCast team's thoughts. Do

This week on the SyrupCast, features editor Igor Bonifacic, telecom editor Rose Behar, and managing editor Patrick O'Rourke talk about MWC and Samsung's Galaxy S9/S9+. Very sleep deprived Patrick and Rose are finally back on the ground in Canada after a whirlwind trip to Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The team discusses what MWC is, as well as what some of the biggest stories from this year's show are. Following up on last week's talk about the Samsung Galaxy keynote, the team dives into Patrick's recently published review of the Galaxy S9. The SyrupCast crew then switches gears and talks about the recently released developer-version of Android P. Tune in to hear the SyrupCast team's thoughts. Do you have questions, comments, thoughts, or anything you would like addressed on the podcast? Send us an email to podcast@mobilesyrup.com. If you're feeling extra adventurous, send us a voice recording of your question or comment and you may end up featured in a future episode! Total runtime: 30:27 MWC: 1:

This week on the SyrupCast, MobileSyrup head of editorial Igor Bonifacic and reporter Sameer Chhabra talk about MWC's various manufacturer keynotes. At MWC this year, Samsung's spotlight moment was overshadowed by the company's attempt to once again poke fun at Apple and the iPhone X notch. The joke not only fell flat, but also leaves us wondering how Samsung intends to brings its S Series design in to the future. Also at MWC were numerous discussions related to the feasibility of 5G. The discussions centred around the cost of equipment and how the spectrum will be deployed in different regions around the world. Tune in to hear the SyrupCast team's thoughts. Do you have questions, comments, thoughts, or anything you would like addressed on the podcast? Send us an email to podcast@mobilesyrup.com. If you're feeling extra adventurous, send us a voice recording of your question or comment and you may end up featured in a future episode! Total runtime: 28:20 Not about the Notch: 1:05 Samsung does ARmoji: 15:00 S

This week on the SyrupCast, features editor Igor Bonifacic, telecom report Sameer Chhabra and YouTube personalities Matt Moniz and Ash Tailor tee up predictions for this year's Mobile World Congress. After a week off, the SyrupCast is back with predictions for Mobile World Congress 2018 (MWC). Rose and Patrick will both be headed to cover MWC 2018 for MobileSyrup. Leading into this year's MWC, we've already seen leaks for the Samsung's Galaxy S9, but new phones are also expected from ZTE, Asus, Lenovo, Sony, and more. Tune in to hear the SyrupCast team's thoughts. Do you have questions, comments, thoughts, or anything you would like addressed on the podcast? Send us an email to podcast@mobilesyrup.com. If you're feeling extra adventurous, send us a voice recording of your question or comment and you may end up featured in a future episode! Total runtime: 22:49 Mobile World Congress predictions: 2:00 Shoutouts: 18:56 Sameer gives his shoutout to Rose and Patrick, who are headed to MWC. Ash throws a shoutout t

On this week's podcast, MobileSyrup managing editor Patrick O'Rourke, features editor Igor Bonifacic and freelance tech reporter Josh McConnell take a look back at the Nintendo Switch's first year on the market. The team discusses the great games that have made their way to the system, including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart Deluxe, and Splatoon 2. In the home console-portable hybrid system's second year on the market, the SyrupCast squad wants to see full-fledged online services, a solid line-up of first-party games -- we're hoping to learn more at this year's E3 -- and most importantly, a downloadable game blast from Nintendo's nostalgic past that spans systems ranging from the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) all the way up to the Wii. For more on the Nintendo Switch, check out my recently published editorial about the spectacular first year the system has had. Tune in to hear the SyrupCast team's thoughts. Do you have questions, comments, thoughts, or anything you would like a

This week on the SyrupCast, feature editor Igor Bonifacic, managing editor Patrick O'Rourke, telecom editor Rose Behar, and freelance tech reporter Simon Cohen, discuss recent layoffs at Shaw as well as FairPlay Canada A group, known as FairPlay Canada, is lobbying the CRTC to begin blocking specific websites known for facilitating piracy. The group is backed by some of Canada's largest carriers, such as Rogers and Bell, leaving some to wonder about the long-term net neutrality implications a shift like this could cause. This week news also came out that Shaw is attempting to buy out almost half of the company's employees. Nearly 6,500 employees are being offered severance packages, with Shaw claiming that the move is because the telecom giant is moving towards automating customer service. The jobs being bought out however, tell a different story -- it's still unclear what's really going on at Shaw. Tune in to hear the SyrupCast team's thoughts. Do you have questions, comments, thoughts, or anything you would

This week on the SyrupCast, senior editor Igor Bonifacic, senior editor Patrick O'Rourke, senior reporter Rose Behar, and freelance tech journalist Josh McConnell, sit down to talk about Rogers' sales tactics and Josh's recent interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook. Reports about Rogers' sales practices have resurfaced as multiple employees have come forward with stories about their managers and supervisors pressuring them to “hit sales targets or risk termination.” These reports went further to expose the expectations that employees must up-sell products to unsuspecting customers. Rogers has vehemently denied this portrayal of the company's sales strategies. Also this week, Josh McConnell -- friend of the podcast and freelance tech journalist -- had the opportunity to interview Apple's CEO Tim Cook during his short (but sweet) visit to Toronto. The team is curious about what the famed CEO is like in person and whether he lives up to the hype. Tune in to hear the SyrupCast team's thoughts. Do you have questions,

This week on the SyrupCast, Igor Bonifacic, Patrick O'Rourke, Ted Kritsonis, and Simon Cohen break the "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" rule and sit down to discuss this year's CES. This year's CES kicked off the voice-activated assistant war, as well as exciting new developments in the infotainment side of the automotive industry. When the weather was behaving, CES attendees got to see Samsung show off a 146-inch modular TV, Google Assistant made the jump to vehicles, and a wide range of other devices were shown off. Finally, the team talks also about LG recently discussing the possibility of rebranding G series of smartphones. Tune in to hear the SyrupCast team's thoughts. Do you have questions, comments, thoughts, or anything you would like addressed on the podcast? Send us an email to podcast@mobilesyrup.com. If you're feeling extra adventurous, send us a voice recording of your question or comment and you may end up featured in a future episode! Total runtime: 37:30 CES: 2:00 Shoutouts: 32:45 Ted g

This week on the SyrupCast, Igor Bonifacic, Patrick O'Rourke, Rose Behar, and now free agent, Josh McConnell, are back after a two week holiday break to bring you their opinions about Apple's recent battery fiasco. Just before the holidays, Apple confirmed that the company does indeed slow down older iPhone models in order to conserve battery quality. Apple fans are especially frustrated that they were not made aware of this feature and that the Cupertino, California based tech giant was forced to reveal that it throttles batteries only after it was uncovered. Apple has since apologized for its lack of transparency. As a result of the public outcry in response to the revelation, Apple has marked the price of replacement batteries down considerably. Tune in to hear the SyrupCast team's thoughts. Do you have questions, comments, thoughts, or anything you would like addressed on the podcast? Send us an email to podcast@mobilesyrup.com. If you're feeling extra adventurous, send us a voice recording of your questi

This week on the SyrupCast, Igor Bonifacic, Patrick O'Rourke, Sameer Chhabra, and Rose Behar bring you the SyrupCast's end-of-year episode, looking back at the team's favourite tech moments of 2017. Patrick goes first and talks about -- I'm sure you're surprised -- the Nintendo Switch; Rose's pick is the rise of Freedom Mobile;  Sameer's selection is the CRTC's precedent setting zero rating decision related to Vidéotron. Last, but not least, Igor's pick is the general ambivalence surrounding Samsung's Galaxy Note 8.  Tune in to hear the team ring in the New Year! Do you have questions, comments, thoughts, or anything you would like addressed on the podcast? Send us an email to podcast@mobilesyrup.com. If you're feeling extra adventurous, send us a voice recording of your question or comment and you may end up featured in a future episode! Total runtime: 25:37 Shoutouts: 20:25 Sameer gives his shoutout to MobileSyrup for giving him his first job as a journalist. Rose's shoutout goes to Nancy Drew and HeR Int

This week on the SyrupCast, Rose Behar and Igor Bonifacic are joined by Christine Dobby, telecom reporter at the Globe and Mail, and Daniel Bader, managing editor at Android Central, to take a look back the major Canadian telecom developments of 2017, with a focus on Freedom Mobile. A lot has changed over the course of 2017 in terms of Canada's telecom ecosystem. One of the most significant shifts in the space involves Canadian carrier unlocking fees being stopped by the CRTC. Freedom Mobile also underwent significant changes this year, with the carrier rebranding from Wind Mobile to Freedom Mobile, following Shaw's acquisition of the company back in 2015. With the CRTC unlocking fee ban recently going into effect, Freedom jumped at the opportunity to acquire new customers from the larger competitors in the Canadian telecom space. Freedom introduced a new, highly competitive plan that offered 10GB of data for $50, and in an unprecedented move, other major carriers and flanker brands responded with similar of

This week on the SyrupCast, Patrick O'Rourke, Rose Behar, and Sameer Chhabra sit down to discuss Rose's recent trip and answer a few listener questions. Rose, back at the MobileSyrup office fresh from her trip to the Snapdragon Technology Summit in Hawaii, gives the team a run down of all Qualcomm's major announcements from the event. The smartphone hardware manufacturer's new Snapdragon 845 mobile processor is set to include new features, including camera and AI improvements. The team also takes a look at some recently submitted listener questions. Will Freedom Mobile market the fact that all devices in Canada are unlocked? Is the Note 8 better than the iPhone X.? Listen to find out. Tune in to hear the SyrupCast team's thoughts. Hosts: Patrick O'Rourke, Rose Behar, and Sameer Chhabra Do you have questions, comments, thoughts, or anything you would like addressed on the podcast? Send us an email to podcast@mobilesyrup.com. If you're feeling extra adventurous, send us a voice recording of your question or com

This week on the SyrupCast, Igor Bonifacic, Patrick O'Rourke, Dean Daley, and Brad Shankar discuss their favourite games released over the course of 2017. As the year is winding down, the team felt it would be appropriate to reflect on their favourite games of 2017. Fair warning though dear listeners, this week's episode contains Spoilers.  Patrick goes first and selects The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, Destiny 2 and Splatoon 2. Dean picks Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Nioh. Brad's selections are Persona 5, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. Last, but not least, Igor picks Hollow Knight and Prey. The team also dives into their most surprising and most disappoint games of the year. Tune in to find out which games the SyrupCast team picked. Hosts: Igor Bonifacic, Rose Behar, Brad Shankar and Patrick O'Rourke  Do you have questions, comments, thoughts, or anything you would like addressed on the podcast? Send us an email to podcast@mobilesyrup.com. If y

This week on the SyrupCast, Igor Bonifacic, Rose Behar, Patrick O'Rourke, and Sameer Chhabra discuss the CRTC's recently officially mandated smartphone unlocking fee ban. It's now December 1st and this means that in Canada, carriers are no longer able to charge a fee to unlock customer's phones. The CRTC ruling to ban unlocking fees was initial revealed back in June, but the actual start date wasn't immediate. Now, however, carriers are required to assist customers when it comes to unlocking their phones, free of charge; regardless of whether the phone is newly purchased, or if it's a device you've had for years. Tune in to hear the SyrupCast team's thoughts. Hosts: Igor Bonifacic, Rose Behar, Sameer Chhabra and Patrick O'Rourke  Do you have questions, comments, thoughts, or anything you would like addressed on the podcast? Send us an email to podcast@mobilesyrup.com. If you're feeling extra adventurous, send us a voice recording of your question or comment and you may end up featured in a future episode! Tot

This week on the SyrupCast, Igor Bonifacic, Rose Behar, and Sameer Chhabra discuss the iPhone coming to Freedom and the latest Net Neutrality news from South of the border. Starting on November 24th, Freedom Mobile will begin taking preorders for the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone X, all of which are now compatible with their networks. The team breaks down what the plans look like and what that could mean for the Canadian carrier market. In the United States this week, Turkey was being served with a side of FCC proposals that would do away with net neutrality. Luckily, Canada is still steadfast in it's support of keeping the internet fair for all. Tune in to hear the SyrupCast team's thoughts. Do you have questions, comments, thoughts, or anything you would like addressed on the podcast? Send us an email to podcast@mobilesyrup.com. If you're feeling extra adventurous, send us a voice recording of your question or comment and you may end up featured in a future episode! Total runtime: 31:51 iPhone goes

This week on the SyrupCast, Igor Bonifacic, Rose Behar, Sameer Chhabra, and Patrick O'Rourke sit down to talk about the One Plus 5T and a recent interview with Ian Scott, the CRTC's recently appointed chair. The team is not exactly over-the-moon with the One Plus 5T, but they were even less enthused about the device's reveal presentation. Reflecting on the 5T's various features also brought the Pixel 2 back into the conversation. The team dives into the latest reports related to the smartphone's display issues. This week, Sameer conducted an interview with the CRTC's new chair Ian Scott following his first public speech. Among other things, the new chair said he is "neither pro-business nor pro-consumer." Tune in to hear the SyrupCast team's thoughts. Hosts: Sameer Chhabra, Igor Bonifacic, Rose Behar, and Patrick O'Rourke Do you have questions, comments, thoughts, or anything you would like addressed on the podcast? Send us an email to podcast@mobilesyrup.com. If you're feeling extra adventurous, send us a v

This week on the SyrupCast, Sameer Chhabra, Igor Bonifacic, and Patrick O'Rourke discuss how the Pixel 2 has behaved in the field since its release, specifically Japan, and the 2017 communications monitoring report for broadcast content. Igor spent the last two weeks in Japan and had the Pixel 2 along with him along for the ride. While he was traveling he had the chance to use the state of the art smartphone camera to take snap some photos. He was especially impressed with the Pixel 2's ability to take night photos. You can find some of those images  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.