Technology & Business
Best URL shorteners
URL shorteners are something you either use a lot or never. Google launched it's own URL shortening service in 2009 with unique (at the time) features like third-party API access, QR code generation, ability to use easily on mobile. But Google is retiring this public facing service and replacing it with Firebase Dynamic Links (FDL) accessible by developers only. This is not surprising since Twitter retired Deck.ly when it acquired TweetDeck. As part of the process of making TweetDeck more consistent with Twitter.
Quebec to change tax collection rules for foreign tech companies
Montreal's La Presse newspaper is reporting that "two high-level government sources" have confirmed that the upcoming Quebec budget (March 27, 2018) will include new sales taxes levied on foreign tech companies like Netflix, Amazon, Google, and Apple, that do not have a Quebec presence. As it currently stands, these non-resident foreign companies are not expected to collect sales taxes from consumers. Under current regulations, the government expects consumers to auto-report these purchases and submit the necessary taxes. Based on a November report, the Quebec government believes it lost 270M$ during the previous fiscal year because of this collection model.
Samsung Note 8 review from an iPhone user
You should take the time to read my article about why I am switching from an iPhone to an Android device. A summary of the situation is that I have had every iPhone since the very first one ten years ago and the spark isn't there anymore. I have been dual carrying Android phones for the last 5 years but my main personal daily driver has been an iPhone. Looking at messages from readers, many of you are in the same boat and I will be reviewing a handful of phones for switchers with the requirements of an iPhone users looking to geek out.
Bell Mobility to unlock all devices
Bell is now offering to unlock all carrier locked devices, even second had devices for users that have never been Bell customers. Prior to this policy, Bell Mobility only unlocked devices for current and former customers in good standing (you had to be the original buyer of the phone). Telus and Rogers already have similar policies (unlocking all devices even second hand for non-customers).
Run a speed test from Google Search
There are dozens of sites and services that promise to test your internet speed. The most popular are: Ookla Speed Test testmy.net Netflix Fast.com Speed of Me Now you can also add Google to the list. 1 - Go to the Google Search Page (on a PC or Android device) 2 - Enter Speed Test <img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/0f77a668bd.jpg" alt=""> 3 - Choose the Run Speed Test option and ignore the search results <img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/d264129f3d.jpg" alt=""> 4 - Wait until Google delivers your speed test results
The best way to share your location with friends or family
Let's say you are meeting friends at a large outdoor concert, how do you provide your location? A street address may get them to the entrance gate, then what? What3words has proposed a solution that solves the issue of finding exact locations on a map? What3words has divided the entire planet into 57 trillion 3mx3m grids and assigned each grid a unique three-word "address". If I want to meet friends at the entrance of Union Station in Toronto, I can search for "
Google Chrome to block "bad" ads in February
The Sultan of Search, Google, announced in June that it would introduce ad blocking tech in an upcoming version of the Google Chrome browser (and Chromebook). We can now confirm that this feature will make it into our browser on February 15 (2018). Chrome 64 will be delivered on January 23 and Chrome 65 on March 6. Either this feature will be part of Chrome 64 and turned on with a remote trigger, or it will be a server-side function.
Google Home forced me to switch to Spotify
Tech titans Google and Amazon chose Christmas 2017 to battle it out for your love and money. These smart speakers are designed to quickly provide access to each company's ecosystem and make your life easier. At least that is the promise. I am heavily invested in the Google ecosystem and have been for over ten years. In addition to using their free services, I pay for Google Music, storage, have an android phone (so I buy apps), etc. I signed up for the free Google Apps service in 2007 (predecessor to GSuite) when each domain was given 100 free user accounts.
Do you need a dual-SIM smartphone?
Do I need a dual-sim phone? The answer is probably not. Most people sign a carrier contract and live with that service for two years. There is a small niche group that could benefit from a dual-SIM phone, and this is an article for them. Who are these mythical "special" people: users with a personal and professional mobile phone line that want to carry one phone users that travel often and want to use a low-cost SIM in their destination users that live in regions were carriers aren't national providers, and "
Amazon Music Unlimited expands to 28 more countries. So what?
Amazon Music Unlimited is (in my opinion) just another streaming music service, but since it's Amazon, it's worth mentioning. It is expanding to 28 additional countries, so the world a little more inclusive today. Similar to another (nameless) streaming service, Amazon Music Unlimited stresses the fact that its playlists are "human curated". The requisite PR created launch statement can be found here. “Customers can choose from content hand-curated by Amazon Music experts, build their own playlists, or find new favorites through Amazon’s personalized recommendations either on the Amazon Music app or Web Player.