Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 Updates to Android Oreo Now Rolling Out

Owners of the Nokia 5 and Nokia 6, today is a good day.  Your Android Oreo update has been released and is on its way.  The new came from HMD Global’s Chief Product Officer, Juho Sarvikas, on Twitter.

Both devices began beta testing their respective Oreo builds back in December and clearly the feedback from testers and the rate of development from Nokia was quick to have the official build out within a month.

Samsung Galaxy Note8 on Verizon Update Brings the January Android Security Update Patch

Verizon has released an update to the Samsung Galaxy Note8 on their network, bringing some bug fixes to the device as well as the January 2018 Android Security Update patch.  The new firmware build is version NMF26X.N950USQU3BRA5 for those keeping score at home.

With the January Android Security Update included in this update, it means that the Verizon variant of the Note8 is protected against the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities which, if for no other reason, is why owners of the phablet should get this update as soon as possible.  The update also fixes a bug where the screen would freeze during incoming calls, fixes a force closed bug when unlocking the device, and another force closed issue when the method of unlocking for the device was attempted to be changed.

ASUS ZenFone 3 Update to Android Oreo Released

The ASUS ZenFone 3 is the latest ASUS phone to start getting its update to Android Oreo.  The update was released yesterday and should be making its way to owners as an OTA update over the course of the next few days.  The new firmware build is version 15.0410.1712.31 for those keeping score at home.

The update brings all of the things that you expect from Oreo along with an overall improved UI experience for the ZenFone 3.  One of those changes is a new app drawer where you will simply swipe up to show all the apps installed on your phone.  This behavior is similar to Google’s Pixel devices.

Razer Phone Update Brings Netflix HDR and Camera Improvements

Earlier this month, Razer announced at CES that the Razer Phone would be the first mobile device to support Netflix HDR as well as Dolby 5.1 audio.  The update to make that happen is now rolling out.

The update brings support for Netflix HDR but there are a lot of other things in this 249MB update that owners of the phone will want to get.  First, it comes with the January Android Security Update which has fixes against the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities.  Second, the update includes updates to the rear cameras on the device.

Google Clips Now Available to Waitlist, Won’t Ship Until March

Back in October at the Pixel event, Google announced the self contained, AI-driven stand alone camera, the Google Clips.  With a 130° viewing angle, and 16GB of storage, the idea behind the camera was to set it up and let it capture random events with children, pets and in home events.  The device has Google’s AI built into it so it can recognize faces and and does all of the thinking for you on when to capture and what.

Clips is very centric on protection of your data and privacy.  Everything is on the device, including the AI, so nothing goes out until you share it.

Last week Google Clips passed through the FCC approval process, which was an early indicator that it would be available soon.  That happened on Friday, with pre-orders available up until mid-day on Saturday.  Then it moved to the current waitlist state where it is likely going to remain for a while.

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