This week on The Shift, Shane Hewitt and I talked about how Call of Duty: Vanguard is being revealed in Call of Duty: Warzone, the plan for QuakeCon at Home, the new Mophie Snap+ wireless charging stand, and the three bills introduced by the Liberals that are now dead because the parliamentary session has ended and we’re in a federal election.

Listen in at 41:55.

This week, a new smartphone charging stand from Mophie and the Canadian federal election ends pending digital legislation. But first, we’re on the verge of learning more about Call of Duty: Vanguard and how you can enjoy QuakeCon at Home this week.

The next Call of Duty will be revealed in Warzone tomorrow

If you want to get a look at the next edition of Call of Duty, which is called Vanguard, you’d best set aside some time tomorrow [Thursday, August 19] to log in to Warzone, Call of Duty’s online, free-to-play battle royale experience.

The reveal is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. PT (11:30 a.m. MT, 1:30 p.m. ET), but players are being encouraged to sign in an hour earlier to take advantage of boosts to experience in any games played during that time.

Season Five of Warzone, which can support 150 players at a time in virtual battles, was released last week.

The special event happening on Thursday is called Battle of Verdansk, which references the fictional city that has been the setting for Warzone since its release in 2020.

The teaser trailer for Call of Duty: Vanguard includes scenes set in the four areas that saw conflict during the Second World War: Eastern and Western Fronts, North Africa, and the Pacific Theatre.

QuakeCon at Home starts tomorrow

The annual celebration of the gaming franchise, Quake, long ago became more of a celebration gaming (and Bethesda gaming properties, as Bethesda owns id Software, which created Quake).

This year’s three-day event is online and free, and is something special as it marks 25 years since the first-person shooter stunned players with its online multiplayer game modes.

In addition to Quake, games being discussed include Doom, Fallout 76, Deathloop, and the Elder Scrolls Online.

The various panels and interviews and behind-the-scenes looks are punctuated with fan giveaways and gameplay demonstrations. It’s all streaming on Twitch, and it culminates with the Quake World Championship grand finals on Saturday afternoon.

Here’s the schedule for QuakeCon 2021, which includes links to the streams for each of the events.

Here’s what Quake looked like back in 1996.

Mophie’s got a new upright stand that can wirelessly charge your smarthphone

I really like not having to muck around with a cable when I want to charge my iPhone, but not all wireless chargers are the same. I’ve had days where I thought my device was charging, only to find that I had three percent on my battery to get through a busy day.

The MagSafe ring that is built into my iPhone 12 makes this easier, because you can just get a charger that supports MagSafe and your handset will align itself. And my new favourite is the recently released Snap+ wireless stand from Mophie.

It’s an upright stand, so when your device is attached it’s off the surface of your desk or table which means it’s actually usable. You can even have your handset sideways which is great if you use your phone as a night table clock and alarm.

And when I move my iPhone 12 close to the stand, the handset snaps into place. It’s weirdly satisfying.

And if you don’t have a MagSafe-enabled smartphone, Mophie includes magnetic rings that you can attach to your smartphones to give it that functionality.

You’re going to love it.

Federal election call strands Liberal digital legislation

Michael Geist notes.

With yesterday’s election call, the government’s digital agenda starts from scratch:
1. Bill C-10 (broadcast and Internet) was pushed through the House knowing Senate approval was unlikely
2. Bill C-11 (privacy) was never a priority
3. Bill C-36 (hate speech) never had a chance

— Michael Geist (@mgeist) August 16, 2021

Geist also reviewed the digital policies that are part of the Conservative election platform.

He praises the CPC positions for affirming free speech – the Liberal policies that are now invalid were roundly criticized, with Cory Doctorow writing, Canada’s got the world’s worst internet ideas – but Geist is concerned about CPC plans to reform copyright and fair dealing (Canada’s term for “fair use”).

My tweet stream on Conservative election platform. Considerable emphasis on freedom of expression, but the failure to recognize negative expression implications of their copyright proposals (news linking right, restrict fair dealing) is very concerning. https://t.co/JI3bvi5hIG

— Michael Geist (@mgeist) August 16, 2021

I hope he does the same for the Greens, Liberals, and NDP platforms.

This week on The Shift, Shane Hewitt and I talked about the new flip and fold phones coming from Samsung, Google One VPN now in Canada, the Dead Space remake, newly announced game, Lost in Random, and Alto’s Odyssey on Apple Arcade.

Listen in at 26:07.

This week, Google is rolling out its VPN service to Canadians, EA Motive is remaking classic Dead Space, other announcements from EA Play Live 2021, and Alto’s Odyssey: The Lost City is an Apple Arcade game. But first, Samsung’s announcement of new folding, flipping handsets and updated watches.

Samsung shows off new folding, flipping handsets and updated watches and earbuds

Samsung was early to experiment with how to make modern-day smartphone handsets that could fold or flip, and the company has released a series of iterations in the past couple of years, from the Galaxy Fold, to the Galaxy Z Flip, to the Galaxy Z Fold2.

The latest version of these are the Galaxy Z Flip3 and the Galaxy Z Fold3. Both of the new devices are more durable than before, with IPX8 water resistance and a new protective film on the inner screens where the devices hinge.

The Galaxy Z Fold3 (starting at $2,270) has a 6.2-inch main screen that becomes a 7.6-inch screen when it’s unfolded (measured on the diagonal). It supports the S Pen and the new S Pen Fold Edition, a smaller version of Samsung’s stylus designed for the Z Fold3.

The Z Flip3 (starting at $1,260) is slimmer when folded, and when open has a 6.7-inch (diagonal) screen. It’s got a larger screen on the cover to make it easier to see notifications.

The Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3 are both available on August 27 but can be preordered now.

The Galaxy Watch4 (starting at $330) is described as being “modern, minimalist” and has a streamlined look while the Galaxy Watch4 Classic (starting at $460) has the rotating bezel that has characterized the wearable before now.

The new Galaxy Watch models will operate with “Wear OS Powered by Samsung”, the new operating system created by Google and Samsung in a partnership to merge their wearable software.

This brings some interesting and convenient functionality. The compass in the watches, for example, will integrate with Google Maps on your smartphone.

New wireless earbuds in Galaxy Buds2 ($190), which become part of a lineup that includes the ergonomic Galaxy Buds Live and the premium Galaxy Buds Pro. The smaller, lighter Buds2 have active noise cancelling and come in four colours, including lavender and olive.

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch4 and Watch4 Classic and Galaxy Buds2 will be available on August 27. They are available for preorder now.

Google One VPN now available in Canada

A virtual private network (VPN) is one way to protect your devices and your information when you’re online. It works to connect your device directly and privately and can support that connection with encryption.

For Android users in Canada, you can now get VPN by Google One as part of a 2 TB subscription ($14 a month or $140 a year).

Google One is the company’s subscription service that gives you access to cloud storage, discounts on purchases made in the Google Store, and now, VPN.

With only a tap you can turn on the VPN on your Android device, and you can configure things so your device will only connect to the internet when the VPN is active. You also have discrete control so you can have VPN active and still allow certain apps to access the internet normally.

And if you share your Google One with your family, up to five extra people can also enable VPN.

For now, VPN by Google One is only available using the Google One app on Android devices, but Google plans to expand this to iOS, macOS, and Windows.

Space horror shooter Dead Space being remade for next-gen experiences

Dead Space, from Electronic Arts, was something of a surprise when it was released in 2008. It capitalized on the survival horror genre that was popular at the time, but changed things up by setting the game in space.

The creative team also introduced an interesting mechanic in that the best way to defeat the horrors attacking you was by dismembering them.

All of these aspects will be maintained in the remake, announced at EA Play Life 2021.

The new Dead Space is being developed at Motive, EA’s studio in Montreal for PS5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S.

It’s not expected before the end of 2022 at the earliest, as the game is being rebuilt from scratch, according to creative director Roman Campos-Oriola in a post by Motive.

More from EA Play Live 2021

Other announcements that came out of EA Play Live 2021 include Grid Legends, the new story-based racing game from Codemasters, newly acquired by Electronic Arts, and Apex Legends: Emergence, the new season of the free-to-play shooter that introduces a new character, Seer.

There was also info about a new experience that will be part of Battlefield 2042: Portal. This mode lets players “write their own rules and shape their own battlefield” by mixing up soldiers, weapons, and environments from Battlefield 1942, Bad Company 2, Battlefield 3, and Battlefield 2042.

We also got a taste of the quirky, Lost in Random, in which you play a young girl, Even, trying to rescue her sister, Odd, from the strange world of Random.

Even is accompanied by Dicey, a personified die, which is more than just a sidekick. This game blends Alice in Wonderland and Tim Burton’s stop-motion animation with a twist on combat I’ve never seen before.

You can watch the EA Play Live 2021 event here.

Alto’s Odyssey: The Lost City has landed on Apple Arcade

The Alto games from Toronto game developer Snowman are my favourite endless runners. It all started with Alto’s Adventure in 2015, featuring snowboarding characters jumping over obstacles and performing tricks.

Next came 2018’s Alto’s Odyssey, which introduced different sandboarding environments like dunes and canyons.

Now Alto’s Odyssey is available to Apple Arcade subscribers in the form of The Lost City, an expansion which includes an additional biome with secret areas to discover.

Apple Arcade provides online and offline access to more than 180 games for the subscription price of $6 a month.

This week on The Shift, Shane Hewitt and I talked about Valve’s Steam Deck handheld computer game system, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, Nettie Wild’s Uninterrupted in virtual reality, and how to draw yourself as a Peanuts character with a Today at Apple tutorial. I come in at 45:16.