Google’s next creative AI push is not just another video generator.

Gemini Omni is built to turn text, images and existing video into new clips, then let users keep editing through conversation. In simple terms, Google wants video creation to feel less like opening a production suite and more like talking to an assistant with a camera brain.

The first model, Gemini Omni Flash, is available through the Gemini app, Google Flow and YouTube Shorts. Google says it can create 10 second videos, generate native audio, turn up to five photos into video, support video to video editing and handle multi-turn edits.

Google is placing Omni inside tools people already use, not hiding it in a separate creator app. That could make AI video generation feel mainstream much faster than previous video tools.

Google I/O 2026 felt less like a product launch and more like Google rewriting the job description of the internet.

The big shift is simple: Gemini is no longer just the box that answers. Google is pushing it into Search, YouTube, Workspace, shopping, developer tools and smart glasses so it can organize information, draft documents, monitor the web and take action with permission.

The scale is already massive. AI Mode in Search has passed 1 billion monthly users, the Gemini app has passed 900 million monthly users, and more than 8.5 million developers are building with Google’s AI models every month.

The interface is starting to dissolve. Ask YouTube jumps into relevant video moments, Docs Live turns spoken thoughts into drafts, Google Pics lets users edit image objects directly, and Gemini powered audio glasses are coming this fall.

This is not just another AI keynote. It changes how people search, shop, work, create content and verify what they see online.

Link: https://shop.freedommobile.ca/en-CA/prepaid-plans?planType=Prepaid+Multi-Month

Requires activation via customer service, we set it up through online chat. We were already Freedom Customers and asked them to create a 2nd line on the account with this offer and transfer our number over.

Requires a 6-month prepay during set up and a $10.00 activation fee. After the 6 months, you prepay another 6 months at the same price. The plan is similar to their 25GB $35/mo plan without the Mexico data and without the 1GB Roam Beyond. You still get the 25GB in Can/US.

Plan Details ($120/6 months)

Data:

• 25GB per month for 6months (CANADA + U.S)

Talk (Canada + U.S.):

• Unlimited calls to Canada from Canada and the U.S.
• Unlimited calls to US from Canada and the U.S.
• Unlimited domestic calling while in the U.S.
• Unlimited incoming calls

Text (Canada + U.S.):

• Unlimited global text, picture, and video messaging

Additional Features

• Standard Voicemail
• Call Control (Caller ID, Missed Call Alerts, Conference Calling, Call Forwarding, Call Waiting)
• $1.50/min. for calls to other international destinations

Virgin Plus is offering one month free on internet plans starting at $50/month for new eligible members.

Worth comparing if you are moving, switching providers, or just checking if your current internet bill still makes sense.

Chatr has a weekend flash sale: 50 GB for $29/month when you activate online with Auto Pay.

Good one to check if you want prepaid data without jumping into a long commitment.

OneSoccer Just Won the Cable Gatekeeper Fight

According to Northern Tribune, Rogers lost its Federal Court of Appeal challenge against the CRTC process tied to OneSoccer’s carriage dispute. Justice David Stratas reportedly dismissed Rogers’ arguments as being without merit, clearing the way for OneSoccer and Rogers to move through final arbitration with CRTC oversight.

The original issue goes back to 2022, when Timeless, the company behind OneSoccer, argued that Rogers was refusing to carry the channel on linear TV while favouring its own sports properties like Sportsnet. In 2023, the CRTC found that Rogers had given itself an undue preference and subjected OneSoccer to an undue disadvantage.

This matters beyond soccer. It is about what happens when a major telecom company also controls major sports channels and cable distribution.

For fans, the timing is huge. OneSoccer holds key domestic soccer rights, including Canadian Premier League and Canadian national team content. With the World Cup arriving in Canada, wider TV access could turn a niche streaming channel into a real mainstream doorway for the domestic game.

The screen is small. The gate is big.

The company reported $1.40B in revenue, up 3.9%, but the sharper signal is in wireless. Its telecom segment grew revenue by 4.9%, mobile service revenue by 8.8%, and added 28,800 mobile connections in the quarter.

The bigger Canada angle: Quebecor says Freedom and Videotron are still acting like the fourth national player Ottawa wanted when it approved the Freedom Mobile sale. Over the past 12 months, Quebecor says it added 286,900 wireless lines, up 6.9%, while Mobile ARPU rose 1.4%.

That matters because Canada’s telecom debate is usually framed as either lower prices or better networks. Quebecor is trying to show a third path: grow subscribers, increase mobile revenue, and still claim it is pressuring national prices.

The question is whether that competition stays sharp, or slowly becomes just another big-player strategy with a different logo.

Source

The company says it completed a $22 million 5G+ network build around BMO Field and key Toronto fan areas ahead of the tournament. A crew of 30 spent almost 40,000 hours planning and installing the new infrastructure.

The upgrade is not just about people posting goal videos from the stands. Rogers says the work includes in-stadium wireless improvements, extra 5G+ spectrum, temporary cell sites, and upgrades around fan zones, hotels, Pearson, Union Station and some TTC subway stations.

The bigger consumer angle is simple: major events expose how fragile mobile networks can feel when everyone connects at once.

Toronto gets the spotlight, but Rogers is also investing $5 million in Vancouver for World Cup connectivity, including upgrades around BC Place, fan zones, hotels and SkyTrain stations.

The World Cup may be a soccer event, but for Canadian telecom, it is also a giant public speed test.

Source

AST SpaceMobile just turned a satellite demo into a telecom warning shot.

The company says it reached 98.9 Mbps peak download speed from an in-orbit Block 1 BlueBird satellite directly to an unmodified smartphone over international waters. No special satellite phone. No extra hardware. Just a standard device talking to space.

That matters because satellite-to-phone service has mostly been framed as emergency texting, basic messaging or “dead zone” coverage. A near-100 Mbps test changes the imagination. Suddenly, this starts to look less like a backup signal and more like a future layer of mobile broadband.

The angle is extra interesting. AST says its commercial partner ecosystem now includes Telus, in addition to existing partner Bell Canada. The company also names Canada as one of the markets where scaled ground integration is beginning.

The caveat: this is still a peak test, not a normal consumer plan. The real questions are coverage, pricing, latency, capacity and whether this becomes a premium add-on or part of regular mobile plans.

Space is not replacing towers yet. But it is starting to knock on the network door.

Source

Motorola Is Bringing Its Expensive Razr Fold to Canada, But Skipping the Razr Ultra Flip

Canada Gets Motorola’s Book Style Foldable, While the Razr Ultra Flip Sits This One Out

Motorola’s Foldable Launch in Canada Feels More Premium Than Practical

Canada Is Getting a $2,699 Foldable From Motorola. Is That Too Niche?

Motorola’s Razr Fold Is Coming to Canada, But the Phone Most Razr Fans Expected Is Not

The Clicks Communicator Brings Back the Phone Keyboard for People Who Miss Typing Without Staring at a Giant Screen

Clicks Is Making a BlackBerry Style Android Phone for Messaging, Shortcuts and Fewer Distractions

A New Android Phone With a Real Keyboard Wants to Be the Anti Doomscrolling Device

The Clicks Communicator Looks Like a Modern BlackBerry, But It Might Be More About Focus Than Nostalgia

A $499 Android Phone With a Physical Keyboard Is Coming for People Tired of Glass Slab Phones

Rural Fibre Gets Public Money

Ottawa is putting more than $73 million into rural New Brunswick broadband, with Rogers and Xplore receiving federal funding to bring high-speed internet to over 27,600 households in more than 500 rural and remote communities.

The deeper story is not just “more internet.” It is that rural connectivity still often needs public money before it becomes a normal consumer market.

Rogers and Xplore are both building fibre, with expected completion in December 2028. That means the infrastructure may be coming, but the consumer question remains: what will people actually pay once the line reaches the house?

Canada is closing the rural gap, but slowly. The cable may be fibre, but the policy problem is still copper-wire old.

• Rogers is receiving $40.7 million to serve 15,254 households.
• Xplore is receiving $32.4 million to serve 12,393 households.
• Both projects use fibre and have an expected completion date of December 2028.
• New Brunswick currently has 95.6% household access to 50/10 Mbps high-speed internet, with 97.8% projected by the end of 2026.
• The Universal Broadband Fund is now a $3.225 billion federal program aimed at reaching 98% of Canadian households by the end of 2026 and 100% by 2030.

Source : Canada

At PlanHub, we help Canadians compare internet and mobile plans. But comparing prices is only part of the story.

Today, consumers do not just want to know which plan is cheaper. They want to understand what is really happening behind their bill, their internet speed, their network coverage, unexpected fees, service interruptions, and suspicious messages.

That is why PlanHub is also active on Reddit.

Not just to share links. Not just to talk about plans. But to listen to what people are actually experiencing.

Reddit is where the signal starts

Telecom problems do not always begin in press releases. Very often, they begin with a simple post:

“My internet has been down all morning.”

“Did anyone else get this increase on their bill?”

“Why did my price change when my promotion was supposed to last two years?”

“Does this message look like a scam?”

These signals often appear first inside communities. Reddit makes them visible quickly, directly, and without the usual corporate filter. It is where users compare experiences, confirm whether an issue is bigger than one isolated case, and sometimes realize they are not alone.

For PlanHub, that matters.

A good comparison platform should not only display prices. It should also help consumers better understand the market they are paying into.

What we are watching for

Our presence on Reddit helps us spot several types of issues that directly affect consumers.

Billing errors, for example, when a discount disappears too early, an unexpected fee appears, or a customer does not receive what they were promised.

Network outages and service interruptions, especially when an entire region seems affected and official information is slow to arrive.

Scams and suspicious messages, particularly when fraudsters imitate known providers to collect personal information.

Good deals too, because users sometimes find local offers, hidden promotions, or better alternatives before they become widely known.

And finally, changes in provider behaviour: new price increases, new policies, removed fees, changing promotions, or rules that become harder to understand.

When a local discussion becomes a public signal

A recent example in British Columbia shows why these conversations matter.

In northwest B.C., a major TELUS outage affected several communities after vandals cut fibre lines while attempting to steal copper cables. Internet, TV, home phone, and wireless services were disrupted in areas including Masset, Prince Rupert, Terrace, Hazelton, Smithers, and Burns Lake.

On Reddit, discussions helped gather reactions, follow the situation, and give more visibility to what could otherwise have remained a regional issue.

This type of signal can help draw attention from the public, journalists, and local media. In this case, the conversation around the outage helped push the story beyond the people directly affected.

That is the kind of role PlanHub wants to play: helping useful signals rise to the surface.

Why this matters for consumers

Canada’s telecom market is complex. Plans change quickly. Promotional prices expire. Fees are not always easy to understand. A network can be strong in one city and unreliable in another.

A single consumer can feel like they are facing a wall.

But when several people share the same experience, that wall starts to show cracks.

That is where communities become important. They help people compare realities, ask better questions, and sometimes make things move.

At PlanHub, we believe comparison should not only help people save a few dollars. It should also give consumers more power.

A place to report, compare, and understand

Our presence on Reddit follows that logic.

Yes, we want to help people find better mobile and internet plans. But we also want to support a space where consumers can report what is not working, spot patterns, and better understand their options.

If you see a billing error, an unusual outage, an interesting offer, a suspicious message, or a practice that deserves attention, sharing it can help others.

Sometimes, one post can help someone avoid overpaying.

Sometimes, it can confirm that a problem affects an entire area.

And sometimes, it can help a local story come out of the shadows.

Canada’s telecom debate is shifting from monthly bills to network investment.

The Globe and Mail’s argument is simple: big telecom companies should stop using reduced network spending as a political warning to Ottawa.

But the real story is more complicated. Rogers has cut its 2026 capital spending outlook by roughly 30%, while the CRTC says its wholesale fibre rules are meant to create more competition without removing fair compensation for network builders.

This is the delicate part. Lower prices are good. More competition is good. But if network upgrades slow down too much, Canadians may eventually feel it through coverage gaps, slower rural expansion, or weaker long-term infrastructure.

The question is not whether telecoms should invest or whether consumers deserve better prices.

The question is whether Canada can force both at the same time.

Phone Cameras Get a Silicon Upgrade

Sony and TSMC are moving deeper into smartphone cameras.

The companies signed a preliminary agreement to build a Japan based joint venture for next generation image sensors.

For everyday users, the interesting part is battery life. More advanced sensor manufacturing could make phone cameras more efficient during photos, video, zoom, night mode and AI powered camera features.

This is not a new phone announcement. It is a supply chain signal.

The next big camera upgrade may come less from the lens and more from the silicon behind it.

Having just burned the last of the previous 10*10GB paid (from BF and Christmas?), today they announce another set.

I'm only seeing 2*10GB in my account now, with 89 days to redeem, but I'm sure the others are coming. :)

This happened in South Korea on May 11, 2026.

My Galaxy S24 suddenly emitted smoke, extreme heat, and exploded in my hand while I was using it normally to search the internet.

Important details:

The phone was NOT charging

No drop damage

Never repaired or opened

Fire department responded

Signs consistent with lithium battery ignition were identified on site

I am currently receiving medical treatment for smoke inhalation symptoms and anxiety/insomnia after the incident

Samsung told me they would collect the device for internal investigation, but I have not received further explanation yet.

Photos, medical records, and incident evidence have been preserved.

For privacy and safety reasons, I would prefer to remain anonymous publicly.

If media outlets are interested, I am willing to provide additional photos and videos.

---

UPDATE1: 26.5.13

Thank you for all the concern, advice, and support.

This incident did actually happen, and many of my coworkers witnessed it as well. I also have video footage related to the incident, and I have already informed outlets such as BBC and CNN that I am willing to provide additional evidence if requested.

At the moment, I have not been contacted by any Korean media outlets.

I was actively using the phone in my hand for normal web searching when it suddenly began swelling very rapidly before exploding. Thankfully, the lower part of the phone split open during the incident, which likely reduced the severity of the injuries. I only suffered minor burn blisters instead of more serious physical harm.

(Additional Information) The device was purchased as an official unlocked Galaxy S24 through Samsung Partners in South Korea on June 11, 2024, and was received and activated on June 12, 2024. Since then, it had been used normally without any repairs, modifications, or internal opening.

I originally switched from Apple iPhones to Samsung years ago, and honestly, this experience — along with the response afterward — has changed the way I feel.

Please stay careful and safe with your devices as well.

I will continue updating this post if there are any major developments or investigation results.

---

UPDATE2: 26.05.13

I was just contacted by the director of a local Samsung service center. According to what I was told, employees from Samsung headquarters became aware of this Reddit post and instructed the local service center to respond. I am still recording and preserving all communication related to this incident, and if major media outlets request it, I am prepared to provide those records as well. I once again requested direct communication from the appropriate department at Samsung headquarters. To be clear, I have never demanded financial compensation during this process. What I truly want is for Samsung to recognize the seriousness of this incident and respond with transparency and sincerity. Experiencing something like this has honestly changed the way I think about battery fire situations and consumer safety. I hope companies learn to take these incidents seriously before they become larger public safety issues.

I’ve honestly realized how powerful Reddit can be.

Thank you everyone. The support and attention from people here have genuinely helped someone like me feel less alone while dealing with this situation.

If more people become aware of battery safety risks through this post, I think that alone would already mean a lot to me.

And seriously, for everyone reading this on their phones right now — please stay safe and pay attention to unusual heat or warning signs 😅