SyrupCast Podcast Ep. 123: The 'Essential' Android Pay pod

This week on the SyrupCast, Igor Bonifacic, Patrick O'Rourke, Rose Behar and Dean Daley debate the usefulness of Android Pay and ask if it's 'Essential' for another high-end smartphone to enter the market? On Wednesday, Android Pay officially launched in Canada. Not all major banks are supported on the platform however, with both TD and RBC notably absent. Previous mobile payment platforms such as Apple Pay and Samsung Pay have not experienced large-scale adoption in Canada yet, so the SyrupCast team is skeptical whether Android Pay will reach a mainstream audience. Andy Rubin's new company Essential has announced its first smartphone. The phone features many of the same trademarks as other high-end Android devices currently on the market. The unveiling has the SyrupCast crew wondering, do we really need another competitor in an already flooded Android market? Tune in to hear the SyrupCast team's thoughts. Do you have questions, comments, thoughts, or anything you would like addressed on the podcast? Send us an email to [email protected]. If you're feeling extra adventurous, send us a voice recording of your question or comment and you may end up featured in a future episode! Hosts: Igor Bonifacic, Patrick O'Rourke, Rose Behar, Dean Daley Total runtime: 47:03 Android Pay: 1:40 Just the Essentials: 18:20 Listener Mail: 34:08 Shoutouts: 42:25   Dean's shoutout goes to Andy Rubin and his interests in AI. Rose is giving a round of applause to Zach Gilbert, MobileSyrup social media and community manager, for his Withings Body Cardio WiFi Scale review. Patrick, during the #SwitchMinute, gives a shoutout to the Nintendo Switch's ever complicated voice chat system. Finally, Igor is shouting out former MobileSyrup editor, Daniel Bader, and his review of the Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.