Key Operator: The BlackBerry Key 2 review

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

BlackBerry Mobile, which is owned by TCL Communications, has proven that there's a niche of smartphone users who want keyboards. More importantly, it shows that there is still innovation and evolution in keyboard-focused devices.

The BlackBerry KEY2, takes the ideas and design of the BlackBerry KEYOne and pushes them forward in a sleeker, more powerful and upgraded QWERTY keyboard smartphone.

Tapping into its heritage, BlackBerry has used the Bold 9600’s keyboard as the inspiration for the KEY2. Which now has a larger and even more responsive QWERTY keyboard. All the tricks and features are present, including the ability to use the keyboard as a trackpad and the flick-typing functionality for predictive text completion.

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Spot all things Canadian on Netflix

Lost in Space

As we head into the Canada Day long weekend, Netflix Canada unveiled a fun list of content and behind-the-scenes that's home grown. In case it's too hot and humid outdoors, grab your tub of ice cream and celebrate our Canadian talent on screen, behind the screen as well as the storytellers. Put these on your Canadiana bucket list, eh? 

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Triple Beam: The Sonos Beam review

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

We live in a time where smart speakers are as common as TVs and smartphones. Powering these smart speakers are intelligent assistants which can respond to queries, set timers, run searches and play back an incredible range of streaming music, news and online content.

Behind each intelligent assistant is a tech company and its ecosystem of products. Amazon has millions of items for sale, Google has a massive advertising model, and Apple wants to shoehorn users into its Neverland of apps, services and devices.

Many of the existing $500 smart speaker releases of late seem to be solutions in search of problems. Apple’s HomePod is a circular single speaker that claims to be able to generate stereo sound. The Google Home Max is a heavy and oversized boombox for the streaming age. Both are expensive and serve one purpose, to play back streaming music and serve as the link for expanded smart home functionality.

The Sonos Beam, now that’s a different story. The second smart speaker from Sonos is also their third soundbar product and it is the hat trick of smart speakers capable of solving many problems at once.

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First impressions of the BlackBerry KEY2

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

We now know that the BlackBerry is aiming for the KEY series of smartphone to be a line. The KEYOne was well received by keyboard fans and was an outstanding opening salvo for TCL's BlackBerry Mobile which resulted in various variants and some spec upgrades.

The BlackBerry KEY2 looks and feels like a more refined KEYOne, with marked improvements in the QWERTY keyboard department as well as a spanking new dual-camera now enabling 2X zoom and portrait mode.

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