Pro Tip: Use Firefox to narrate website content to you

Voice is increasingly becoming a viable interface with voice assistants and speech synthesis improving with each generation. A lot of users will avoid reading long stories but they will watch a video and it is quite likely they will listen to a podcast. If you are a Firefox browser user, you can tap on the Reader Mode which strips formatting and focuses on text and some images. On the left-hand side of this mode is an option to invoke a narrator that will read the contents of the website to you.

Even if you're a content creator, it helps to try and 'hear' your posts to see if they are long winded. This also comes in handy if you're wearing headphones and are tired of reading (or are on your phone simultaneously). The voice and technology is quite good and a great option which should be on every browser.

Car-sharing service Car2Go ceases service in Toronto over prohibitive parking regulations

Car2Go is considered one of the most recognizable and popular car sharing services which has allowed many Canadians to get by without owning a car, which can be expensive in a city like Toronto where most of the parking spaces have been converted into high-rise condos.

Car2Go, which has 80,000 customers in Toronto, announced it is shutting down operations in the downtown core due to what it calls prohibitive parking permit fees. The familiar blue and white SmartCar vehicles will soon disappear from 350 parking spaces in Toronto.

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Review: Fitbit Versa

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Fitbit has been on a path to refine its fitness tracking devices and software and develop a more multifunctional general-purpose smartwatch that will suit a wider number of users.

The Fitbit Versa, which be the evolution of the Fitbit Ionic and the Fitbit Blaze before it, offers a friendly and more familiar look that's neither too masculine or to feminine.

This is a refreshingly lightweight watch and its easy to forget you're wearing it. The range of bands is nowhere as wide or as funky as Apple’s, but it is decent and runs the gamut from sporty rubber to fancy leather and even metal bracelets. I use the grey rubber band during the week and dress up the Versa with navy blue Horween leather case on weekends.

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Review: Amazon Echo Spot

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Amazon has defined the smart speaker space with its range of Echo devices which serve as speakers of varying size and quality and also work as conduits to smart home systems, entertainment, online search and news and music playback. With a 72 per cent market share in the US and a growing global presence, Amazon’s Echo devices are far from peaking. Thanks to various partnerships, Alexa is shipping on even more devices such as desktop PCs, high end hi-fi speakers and even in-car infotainment devices.

One of the latest devices from market leader Amazon is the Echo Spot which is a smart speaker that also packs a clever 2.5-inch display as well as a camera for video conferencing.  Echo Spot can do everything other Echo speakers can, but it uses the display to show useful information, play back video from YouTube or Amazon Prime Video as well as visualize various responses (i.e. album art for music playback, news briefs, weather updates and other useful information.

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