Category: Android

The latest update to Google Photos is rolling out and bringing a new local video caching feature so you don’t have to stream videos in your library.  The update, version 3.4 for those keeping score at home, will cache a video after you have played it and, when you replay it, will use that local cached version of the video so you are not eating up your data plan to stream it from your online account.

The feature is purely aimed at saving mobile data, something that Google is continually working on across their apps as they try to expand them into parts of the world here mobile data is expensive.

Yes, you read that headline correctly.  The Nokia 5, the mid-range phone from parent company HMD Global, has the September 2017 Android Security Update rolling out to it today.  The update is just over 140MB in size and is primarily a security and patch update so don’t expect to see much in the way of new features.

For those that don’t recall, the Nokia 5 is a 5.2″ phone with a Snapdragon 430 SoC, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage (expandable to 256GB with the MicroSD slot), 13MP camera and a 3000mAh battery.  The phone was released in July primarily in Europe.  You can pick one up on Amazon for $319 but you will have limited LTE support here in the US.

T-Mobile has rolled out another BOGO plan and this one is on a phone that’s not even available yet.  The carrier famous for these types of deals, is bringing customers the ability to get a free Galaxy Note8 when they purchase one through their payment program.  It is a pretty sweet deal and if you and a significant other are looking to get the new Note8, this could be the way to go.

Here is how it works.  First, you need to pre-order a Galaxy Note8 on the T-Mobile site.  You must select the monthly payment plan (paying in full won’t get you the 2nd one free) which means you will be on a 2-year plan with T-Mobile.  The free Note8 is done through billing credits that are applied to your account and that can take a couple of months to appear.  Also, you will need to pay the taxes on the 2nd device.  This is virtually the same program T-Mobile ran earlier on the Galaxy S8 and they have run it on other phones too.  Even with the caveats, its a great deal.

Yesterday at IFA in Berlin, LG announced their new flagship, the LG V30.  The stock V30 will come with 64GB of storage on board while the V30+ will have 128GB of storage.  Otherwise, these are the same phones.  Now Sprint has confirmed that they will be carrying the LG V30+ once it hits the market in the October timeframe.

Sprint’s CEO Marcelo Claure, took to Twitter yesterday to confirm that the that the larger storage variant will be coming to the carrier.

1/2 Yes, it’s true, @Sprint will carry the new #LGV30+ from @LGUSAMobile! Amazing display + great speakers = win! pic.twitter.com/kX7ZMtqfot

— MarceloClaure (@marceloclaure) August 31, 2017

Of course, the biggest question mark on all of this is when exactly Sprint (and other US carriers for that matter) will see the V30.

For those who have the ZTE Axon 7, you have a new update rolling out to you that brings a lot of improvements.  The update has just been released so it will take a few days to get to everyone.  Once you have it, you will have the August 2017 Android Security Update on your device along with multi user support amongst other improvements.

The multi user feature allows you to setup user profiles and those individuals can use the phone.  This sounds very similar to the way native Android setups multiple users.   You will also find that the Hiya app that ZTE uses for blocking spam calls has been moved to the Google Play Store for future updates.

With every new version of Android, the question of which phones from which manufactures will get the update is omnipresent.  Android Oreo is no exception.  Sony, today, joined the ranks of manufactures who plan on releasing the latest version of Android for devices.

While the new Sony Xperia XZ1 and XZ1 Compact will come with Oreo out-of-the-box, it was unclear which ones they would update that are in their current lineup.  Now thanks to a blog post, now we know.  Here are the devices that Sony plans to update to Android Oreo.

• Xperia X
• Xperia X Performance
• Xperia XZ
• Xperia X Compact
• Xperia XZ Premium
• Xperia XZs
• Xperia XA1
• Xperia XA1 Ultra
• Xperia Touch
• Xperia XA1 Plus

While these lists are never as complete as everyone would like, the one from Sony is reasonably comprehensive in that it covers most of their 2016 and 2017 models.