Tag: Android Oreo

With the launch of the new Google Pixel lineup just a few weeks away, we now know what the larger of the two anticipated phones will look like thanks to the team over at Droidlife.  They got official images of the upcoming Pixel 2 XL as well as pricing information.

First, as for colors, the LG built Pixel 2 XL will come in a “Black & White” color scheme as well as a “Just Black” look.  On the Black & White scheme, you have a black glass panel at the top that houses the camera and flash while the rest of the chassis is in white.  This is very similar to the current Pixel phones in look although there will be a few changes around the camera size and positioning.

For most who follow the Android community, this will fall under the “duh” category but it is still good to have confirmation.  Essential’s company Twitter posted last night that the Essential PH-1 will be getting updated to Android Oreo “in the next couple of months”.

Get your milk ready–#AndroidOreo is coming soon to Essential Phone. Watch for updates in the next couple months. pic.twitter.com/GEV1ntvDao

— Essential (@essential) September 18, 2017

The news certainly isn’t a surprise and reading between the lines, it looks like the update to Oreo could come at some point before year’s end. That would be great to see and would fall in line with the company’s commitment to rolling out updates quickly – both major and minor updates.

The Android team has issued an update to the Material Design guidelines for developers.  The update is primarily aimed at the new features that have come to the platform in Android Oreo.  The guide adds a new Offline States section which covers how to customize apps to work for users when they do not have an Internet connection.  This is a big emphasis for Google, particularly in developing markets.

For those who don’t know, the Material Design guidelines is aimed at developers to assure that their app has the look and feel of what Google expects in Android.  Even if you are not a developer, the guide is great insight into the functions and looks of apps.

A few weeks back, HMD’s Juho Sarvikas tweeted that the entire Nokia lineup would be getting updated to Android Oreo in late 2017 through early 2018.  Now Mr. Sarvikas, the Chief Product Officer for the company, has tweeted a couple of images of the Nokia 8 being updated to Oreo.

We are on it @nokiamobile . @Android #Oreo maturing nicely on #Nokia8 , will release when perfect. Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/wPxEGA4rJn

— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) September 16, 2017

While it would be great to see this update out for everyone, it is quite encouraging to see Nokia being transparent about their update process and the fact they actually have a running beta for their flagship device.

It is news that Blackberry Priv owners likely knew was coming down the pike:  There will be no Android Oreo update for the last Blackberry-build device.

The news came via the company’s general manager of Mobility, Alex Thurber.  He was recently on the UTB Blogcast and confirmed that the phone will not be updated to Oreo.  It is disappointing of course but not surprising.  Blackberry’s new parent company, TCL, has been focusing on restoring the brand’s name and their own first built device, the KEYone.  The KEYone has been confirmed to receive an update to Oreo.

OnePlus 2 owners, the sun hasn’t quite set on your 2015 flagship.  Although OnePlus themselves have all-but dropped the phone, the developer community continues to bring out the best in the phone.  The latest is LineageOS who has released an Android Oreo based ROM for the phone.

LineageOS Build 15 is now out in the beta channel and while it is far from being ready for your daily driver, the takeaway here is that development is happening across a lot of devices, including the OnePlus 2.  There are a lot of things that don’t work, including the camera, in this alpha build.  So unless you are a developer willing to give feedback and test (or some sort of ROM masacist), I would recommend staying away from it for now.