Author: Clinton

Nokia fans, it is official.  The company, at least in name, is back and has a brand new smartphone.  The Nokia 6 was launched with little fanfare late last week as CES 2017 wrapped up, pulling the covers back on the China exclusive phone.  HMD Global, the owners of the Nokia brand, had indicated they would be launched Android powered devices in 2017 and they let little time pass in the new year before making it happen.

The 5.5″ Android Nougat powered phone has some great specs for a phone that will retail for approximately $250 in China.  It fits well with HMD’s desire to offer well featured phones at competitive prices.  This certainly looks like a good start.

A little over a week after the initial Nougat-based OxygenOS 4.0 release, OnePlus has released a small update for the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T.  The new OxygenOS 4.0.1 build is rolling out to both devices currently and is primarily focused on addressing bugs and stability issues with the OS on these devices.  As OnePlus does, the update will be released to a small number of users first then roll out to the larger population as confirmation all is well with the update comes into them.

As for what is addressed, probably the biggest news is the updated APN settings.  After the initial OxygenOS 4.0 update, many 3 and 3T owners had network connectivity issues with their carrier.  This update should resolve those issues.  However, in the posting announcing the update, OnePlus is saying that if you still have issues, to manually adjust the APN settings or, worst case, report it to the product team at OnePlus with your phone model and carrier involved so they can help identify the issue and resolve it.

Today’s Deal is on another great charging product from AUKEY.  Today you can pick up the AUKEY Amp USB charger which has two USB-C ports and four USB-A ports for $21.99 on Amazon.  That’s a savings of 37% off the normal $34.99 price.  This is a great charger for those who have a Nexus 5x, Nexus 6P, Pixel C or one of the new Pixel phones as you can charge those devices USB-C to USB-C for faster charging.  All your other devices can use the USB-A ports, two of which are Quick Charge 2.0 compatible.

AUKEY has built in technology on this charger to optimize the charging of your devices without excessive current, overheating and overcharging.  Excessive current and overcharging are the number one challenges when it comes to Lithium-Ion batteries and can damage them or worse, cause them to catch fire.  AUKEY protects against those challenges with their AiPower technology.

The Amp USB charger is designed to sit on your desk so it isn’t necessarily a travel charger.  It comes with a 3′ USB-C to USB-C cable, a two year warranty against defects.  If you have mixed devices when it comes to charging cables, Amp Charger could be the right one for you.

To order yours or to get more information, head over to the AUKEY Amp USB charger page on Amazon.  If you are an Amazon Prime customer, shipping on this accessory is free too.

T-Mobile has announced a pretty significant change to their consumer offerings starting January 22nd.  On that Monday, the US carrier will only offer their ONE plan.  That’s it.  Literally one plan.  They have also made some pretty major teaks to the plan which will get consumers attention.  First, all of the taxes, fees and charges are included in the advertised price.  So if you have one line for $70 on the plan, you pay $70.  It includes all the additional fees.  If you have a four line ONE account, you pay $160 per month ($40 per line) and that’s it.  It is a nice departure from other carriers where the base price of the package isn’t necessarily what it costs you each month.

What’s also interesting is the new “kickback” that T-Mobile is offering.  If you use less than 2GB of data in a month, the carrier will credit you $10 on your next bill.  This is for every line on your account too, not just the master number.  This is strikingly similar to how Project Fi handles unused data.

Microsoft has pushed an update out for their Android phone launcher, Arrow Launcher.  The update to the launcher doesn’t bring a lot of new features but focuses on performance improvements and bug fixes.  In my How To Microsoft your Android Phone article, I pointed out that Arrow Launcher is a great launcher alternative for those of you who are heavy into the Microsoft ecosystem.  It allows easy access to recent files and contacts, your apps and photos.  Even if you aren’t a heavy Microsoft user, check it out.  It’s pretty good and continues to improve.

This updated version of Arrow Launcher, version 2.9.1 for those keeping score, brings a couple of changes.  First, Bing wallpaper is now an icon on your home page.  You can tap that icon to change your wallpaper instead of having to dive into settings on your phone.

Today’s Deal over at Amazon is on the solid performing BLU VIVO 5R phone from BLU.  This 5.5″ phone with 3GB of RM and 32GB of storage is down to $197 if you pick it up in white and gold trim.  While BLU has always been known for their budget friendly phones, over the past year the company has made great strides in the quality and performance that you get for that budget price.  The VIVO 5R is a great example of this fact.

The phone comes with a 5.5″ Full HD curved glass display that gives you an eye appealing ~401ppi.  It is powered by the MediaTek 6753 octa-core processor running at 1.3GHz and is coupled with 32GB of internal storage and 3GB of RAM.  That storage can be expanded up to an additional 64GB thanks to the MicroSD slot.  Powering all of this is a 3150mAh battery which should keep you going all day.  The phone ships with Android Marshmallow but it is expected that BLU will update it to Nougat at some point – but when or if is unclear.

As the BLU VIVO 5R is sold unlocked on Amazon, cellular frequencies become part of the equation.  For those of you on GSM networks like AT&T, T-Mobile, Cricket and others, you should be good-to-go.  Here are the supported bands on the phone:

• 4G LTE 2/4/7/12/17
• 4G HSPA+ – 850/1700/1900/2100)

Unfortunately the phone does not support CDMA carriers like Sprint or Verizon.