Ted Kritsonis

Digital photography hasn’t been around that long, but it’s changed a lot in a short time. From point-and-shoot cameras, to DSLRs, to smartphones, to drones, and now to 360-degree cameras, the ability to capture images has literally gone full circle. Shooting a place or an experience with a full, spherical point of view looks to grow in popularity in tandem with the emergence of VR (virtual reality).

For Parrot, the Bebop 2 was an incremental improvement over the original, focusing primarily on battery life, flight stability and improved optics. While the drone still hasn’t changed since it launched, how it flies now has with the FPV bundle it comes with. Using the new SkyController 2 and CockpitGlasses headset, flying it looks and feels very different from before.

When thinking of a drone, the image of a quadcopter probably comes to mind, and that’s what makes the Parrot Disco so unique. It’s a fixed-wing drone, with entirely different design and flight mechanics than just about anything else in the consumer drone category. Taking this for a few sessions feels like wielding power in the air.

In a year where some smartphones have surprised, while others have spontaneously combusted, Google’s latest entry into the fray is in the two Pixel handsets that have effectively replaced the previous Nexus line. Going higher-end under the Pixel moniker is one of the obvious differences, but with performance and a new virtual assistant being hyped alongside all that, there was plenty to look forward to with the Pixel XL.

Most Windows PC laptops come in a few particular screen sizes, yet the shapes, sizes and weight between all those variants amongst competitors makes certain ones stand out from the crowd. The Asus ZenBook 3 is one of those, serving as an answer to thin-and-light MacBooks, with its slim profile, slick aesthetics and power under the hood. If small and powerful with Windows flavouring is what you’re in the market for, you may want to get a closer look at this laptop.

If Asus hasn’t entered your radar for your next smartphone choice, the company is looking to grab your attention with the Zenfone 3. Having only entered the Canadian market last year, albeit quietly, this handset offers a new look and improved performance from its predecessor. Without any carrier partnership, it also comes fully unlocked, making it attractive for those who want to avoid paying too much and signing a contract.

The new NHL season has kicked off, and if you are looking to take in a lot of the action for the next several months, then you may want to give NHL GameCenter a try. The streaming service offers just about every game, and if you are a fan of a team in another city, you will be able to tune in almost anywhere you are.

Asus has a new group of products coming to market this fall, and they were on display for a hands-on showcase in Toronto. Among them are new smartphones, a new smartwatch, new tablets and new laptops.

Google didn’t just unveil its two new Pixel smartphones and the Chromecast Ultra this week, it also intimated its focus on the home, and how different devices can factor into that vision. One of these was the Daydream View VR headset, designed to work with the Pixel (and other Android phones), and the other was the Google Home, a hub that uses the Google Assistant artificial intelligence platform to help with various tasks on command.

Google unveiled its highly-anticipated Pixel smartphones, officially retiring the Nexus name, and claiming to have produced “the best smartphone camera anyone has ever made.” While it’s too soon to confirm that, the devices are the most luxurious designs under Google’s branding, and are firmly in the premium category.