Author: Clinton

Google has released the April 2018 Android Security Update for devices, bringing a massive 311 different fixes and patches to the platform.  As normal, there are two patches that are available.  The first patch, dated April 1, mostly deals with Android system level patches while the second, data April 5, is for components updates aimed at the Pixel lineup of phones.

To have this many patches in one update is rare.  Most of the updates over the past few months have had less than 50 total updates across both patches.  This month however, there are well over 100 patches just for the Qualcomm closed source components.

After being announced back in February at Mobile World Congress, the Android Go based ZTE Tempo Go phone is now available for purchase here in the United States.  The $80 is available directly from ZTE on their site.  Sporting a 5″ FWVGA display, the Tempo Go is aimed at the entry level market and has a price point that will be hard to pass up, especially considering the phone comes with Android Oreo and will be regularly updated as part of the Go program.

The ZTE Tempo Go is powered by the Snapdragon 210 quad-core SoC.  It has 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage but that storage can be expanded by an additional 32GB thanks to the MicroSD slot.  Powering all of this is a 2200mAh battery that is recharged via the MicroUSB port.

Give credit where it is due:  AT&T is on a roll right now.  The US carrier was the first to release the Android Oreo update for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 last month and now have become the first to release it for the Galaxy S8 Active.  The update has been released but as is often the case, it will be slow rolling out to everyone so give it a few days.

The update is R16NW.G892AUCU2BRC5 for those keeping score at home and it is about 1.2GB in size.  That means you will want to make sure you are connected to WiFi to download it from AT&T.

Following AT&T, Sprint & Verizon, T-Mobile has now released their Android Oreo update for the Samsung Galaxy Note8 for customers on their network.  The news came from Desmond Smith, T-Mobile’s product evangelist, via Twitter late last night.

THIS JUST IN! @TMobile #GalaxyNote8 #Android #Oreo update approved! Will start hitting customers phones as early as Sunday night!!! (No April Fool’s here) 🤘 – Des pic.twitter.com/r1yEl2myMW

— Des 📷 📱 (@askdes) March 30, 2018

With the update just now being released, it is going to take a few days before it gets to everyone’s Galaxy Note8 in the wild.

The G Suite team has announced that 23 new pre-integrated apps have been added to their SAML Single Sign-on (SSO) support in the platform.  SAML is one of two SSO standards that are supported by G Suite and additional apps being supported means that it is easier for Admins to get their users enabled across various services used by their organization.

For those who may not be familiar with Single Sign-On, the hint is somewhat in the name.  SSO allows a domain user to use their network username & password to sign into other services that their organization uses.  It cuts down on users having to remember several passwords but also gives admins greater control and recover tools for those additional services.

As part of a promotion to kick of Spring, the Huawei Mate 10 Pro is now on sale for $649.99 through various retailers including Amazon.  The special promotional pricing will be good now through April 14th.  That is a savings of $150 off the regular price and is the lowest price so far on the flagship phablet from Huawei.

I reviewed the Huawei Mate 10 Pro last month and as I put in that review, it is one of the best phones out there right now.  Huawei has done a fantastic job with the overall design of the phone and the Android Oreo built EMUI 8 user experience is excellent.