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After two years of behind the scenes work, the new Google Earth has been announced and released today.  The update brings vast improvements to the app for Chrome on the web and the Android app along with several new features.  The web-based version of the new Earth is now available while the Android app, version 9.0 for those keeping score at home, is rolling out now to the Play Store.  The app sports an all new icon along with the app improvements.

The banner new feature in this update is the new Voyager feature.  Teaming up with scientist, non-profit organizations and storytellers, this new feature allows you to have an interactive guided tour of a locale within Google Earth.  My personal favorite is The Hidden World of National Parks which takes you on a journey through these protected areas here in the United States and includes a combination of Street Views, videos and, of course, interactive maps.

While the Nokia 6 is in limited markets currently, that doesn’t mean that parent company HMD Global is not giving it love and attention.  The Android Nougat 7.1.1 update is now rolling out to the phone with a raft of improvements along with all the goodness that 7.1.1 brings itself.  The update is build 00CN_3_170 for those keeping score at home and weighs in at 369MB.  Like all major updates, its recommended that you download the update via a Wi-Fi connection.  The update process is quick, under 15 minutes, after you download it to your phone.

For those who don’t remember, Nougat 7.1.1 brings new emoji to the platform as well as direct sending of GIFs in supported apps, and app shortcuts when you long press the icon of an app supporting them.  The update also comes with the April 2017 Android Security patch.  That makes the Nokia 6 one of the very few phones running 7.1.1 and the April patch outside of Google devices.

The Google Pixel XL, and its smaller sibling the Pixel, were released in October 2016.  At the time of their launch, they were lauded by many as the benchmark for other Android phones.  Samsung at the time was still dealing with the debacle that was the Galaxy Note7 while companies like Huawei had solid phones but less-than-stellar user experience in EMUI 4.0.  Even the younger kids on the block like OnePlus were touting their phones but from an overall experience, none of them matched the Pixel XL.

Fast forward six months.  Is the Pixel XL still a benchmark device?  In my opinion, absolutely.  It is from many perspectives:  Performance, photo quality, and perhaps most importantly, the upgrade experience.  If there is one thing that the Google Pixel lineup offers that virtually no others do, it is a pure, as Google intended it, Android experience.  Others are close – Motorola and OnePlus – but none are unadulterated Android.  When the Pixel was announced, the immediate response was “iPhone copycat” and, to be fair, it is a bit true.  If you hold a Pixel up to an iPhone 7, minus the Home button, they look strikingly similar on the front.  Is that a bad thing?  I don’t think so.  Apple, love them or hate them, has done a great job of selling iPhones these past few years and it is a proven look for a smartphone.

Unlike deep dive reviews of phones I’ve done here on the site, I’m not going to do that with the Pixel XL.  Instead, I’m going to highlight three key areas that I think make the phone a benchmark by which to measure other phones in the market.  You may feel different, and that’s okay.  We are all adults and can have a healthy debate on it.

OnePlus has released OxygenOS 4.1.3 this morning for the OnePlus 3 and 3T.  The update brings a host of improvements to the flagship devices along with upgrading the platform to Android Nougat 7.1.1.  For those who aren’t OnePlus users, OxygenOS is the company’s version of Android.  It is actually a very-near stock Android experience with a few tweaks and is a solid performing platform that OnePlus has been continually updating these past few months.

As has been the case in the past, OnePlus is slow rolling the OTA update out to users.  Therefore, it could be a few days before everyone sees the update hit their devices.