Author: Clinton

The path that Motorola has taken with the Android lineup over the past couple of years has been interesting.  They have produced some great phones like the Google branded Nexus 6 while others like the Moto E lineup have been lackluster at best.  But through late 2016 until now, the company has been hitting its stride and that is powerfully evident with the new Moto Z2 Force.  This 5.5″ phone runs the latest Android Nougat 7.1.1 build and has all the makings of a true hit.  With battery life that is above average, a zippy Snapdragon 835 processor and excellent cameras, it should be on your shortlist of phones to consider as we wind down 2017.

Motorola recently provided a Moto Z2 Force to review (via my work over at Gear Diary) and I have to say, it’s one phone that I’ll be a little sad to depart with when it goes back to them.  Here’s my review.

If you are looking for a great deal on a powerful Chromebook and are willing to take an open box, Amazon is your place.  Right now they have an Asus Chromebook Flip 302 for $398.65 in the Amazon Warehouse.  That is nearly a $100 savings off the full price on Amazon.  The Chromebook will come repackaged by Amazon and still has the return option as they do on all their purchases.  But for sub-$400, you are getting a stellar Chromebook that supports Android apps.

The Asus Chromebook Flip has a 12.5″ display that has a resolution of 1920 x 1080.  It has an Intel Core M processor clocked at 2.2 GHz so it has a lot of horsepower under the hood.  Couple this with 4GB of DDR3 RAM and 64GB of storage, you have a Chromebook that can handle being your every day computer needs.

Yesterday during the launch of the new Galaxy Note8, Samsung indicated that there would be a trade-in program for eligible devices if you bought the phone from them directly.  That program has gone live now and it is pretty extensive.

The discount for your trade-in varies depending on the model you are giving up to get in the new Note8.  Here is the breakdown:

• $200 Off:  Galaxy S5, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+
• $200 Off:  iPhone SE, iPhone 5, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus
• $300 Off:  Galaxy Note5, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge
• $300 Off:  Google Pixel, Google Pixel XL, LG G4, LG G5, LG G6, LG V20

That’s a fairly comprehensive list and clearly Samsung is aiming to convert iPhone users over to the Note with these discounts on the older iPhone devices.

HTC has been one of the better manufactures at keeping their devices up to date with both security and major updates of Android.  It looks like with Android Oreo, they are going to try to keep that trend going.

In a Tweet earlier this afternoon, HTC’s USA Twitter account has indicated that the U11 will be the first phone from the Taiwanese manufacture to get Oreo and it will be at some point in Q4.

We’re excited to bring Android 8.0 to the HTC U11, U Ultra, & 10, beginning with U11 in Q4. Stay tuned for more Oreo details & new products! pic.twitter.com/B2Os1tOONP

— HTC USA (@HTCUSA) August 24, 2017

While Q4 2017 is a big window of time, it is still good to see that HTC being up front with their customers to let them know when to roughly expect the update.

AT&T has announced that the Blackberry KEYone will be coming to the carrier starting September 1st in an exclusive color.  The phone will be available in Space Black and will be priced at $16.67 per month for 30 months.  That adds up to just over $500 which is less than the unlocked GSM version which is $619.99 on Amazon.

For those that don’t recall, the Blackberry KEYone is a 4.5″ device that is powered by the Snadragon 625 processor.  It has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.  It runs Android Nougat 7.1.1 out of the box and has the same cameras as you will find in the Google Pixel and Pixel XL.  It is powered by a 3505mAh battery and has a physical QUERTY keyboard.

The main camera on the KEYone is a 12MP shooter that has Sony technology & optics.

The storage on the KEYone is expandable thanks to the MicroSD slot and charging is done via the USB-C connector.

It looks like everyone needs to go put a reminder in their Google Calendar for October 5th.  That day, according to a leak from Evan Blass, suggest that will be the day that we see the all new Google Pixel 2 and Google Pixel XL 2.

Google’s second-generation Pixel handsets, powered by Snapdragon 836 SoC’s, will be unveiled on October 5th.

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) August 24, 2017

For those who may not know who Evan Blass is exactly, he’s a reporter for Venturebeat and has been one of the most reliable resources for inside leaks on upcoming device launch dates and details on those devices.  He’s pretty amazing actually and I recommend following him on Twitter.

Put it this way:  Those of you who are long time readers know I rarely post anything leak related.  But I will post something from Evan Blass because it is 98% likely to happen.