Samsung Pay is still blowing minds everyday! Just about every time I pull out my Galaxy S8 to pay for something the teller starts to tell me that it won't work on their terminal, and just before they can finish their sentence the transaction goes through, and their mind is blown. Apparently they understand that Apple Pay needs a certain type of terminal and their terminal won't support it so it shouldn't support Mobile payments in general. Of course Samsung's tech is different. MST technology accepted at just about any terminal where a card can be swiped.

Samsung could easily use NFC to bring some mobile pay ability to other phones, however they may actually be looking into bringing the MST tech to other phones. One of the main reasons I carry Samsung phones is Samsung Pay. It would be great to be able to have the same functionality in other phones from LG, Google, or HTC.

According to sources Samsung may be looking into providing other OEMs with a chipset making MST possible on other manufacturers phones. Samsung may also decide to just sell their own accessories that would fit other phones giving those phones access to MST technology. Of course none of this info is confirmed by Samsung. Hopefully Google can figure out a way for us to blow people's minds with more devices.

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Motorola just announced the all new Moto Z2 Force which is their new flagship for 2017. The main feature of this lineup of course are the Moto Mods. Along with the Z2 Force several new Moto Mods were announced including a new JBL speaker Mod, the new 360-degree camera Mod, and a new Moto GamePad Mod. The GamePad Mod turns your phone into something very similar to the Nintendo Switch adding game controls to either side of your phone. The Mod also includes 1,035mah of battery. It turns out this particular Mod will be a Verizon exclusive. The Mod will set you back $80. You can grab yours from the pre-order link below.

via Verizon

Samsung is currently testing a Note 8 device that includes 6GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. This is according to well known Weibo leaker Ice Universe. This handset is codenamed "Emperor Edition" and will launch next to a 6GB/64GB version in South Korea before making its way to China. This version will arrive in three colors including Midnight Black, Orchid Grey, and possibly a Deeper Blue color.

The Note 8 will launch later next month and is expected to include a 6.3" edge to edge Infinity Display, Exynos 8895/Snapdragon 835, 3300mah battery, and Nougat 7.1.1 with a Touchwiz overlay.

via SamMobile

Last week we discovered a nasty bug with the OnePlus 5. When the number was dialed on some OnePlus 5 phones the phone would reboot before the call was able to go out. This bug could be life threatening to anyone experiencing it. Thankfully OnePlus took the complaints of the bug seriously and have already released an explanation and a fix for the bug.

The issue apparently stemmed from a modem memory usage issue. The issue occurred only for some users on VoLTE networks where OTDOA protocol was triggered. OnePlus has worked with Qualcomm to generate a global fix for the issue.

OnePlus had this to say.

Onleaks is at it again with new 3D renders of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. His renders in the past have been spot on accurate. They are based on factory CADS. These CADS are like blueprints that allow accessory makers to produce accessories ahead of a devices launch. Along with the new renders Onleaks has provided detailed dimensions. The dimensions provided are labeled as "roughly". The Pixel 2 will be145.3x69.3x7.8mm with 8.2mm camera bump, and the Pixel 2 XL will be 157.6x76.3x7.9mm with an 8.6mm camera bump.

The renders do show the minimized glass on the back, as well as a protruding camera. Interestingly enough we also see dual front facing speakers. Earlier reports suggested we wouldn't see dual front speakers. This will definitely be a welcomed change. However the renders also lack a headphone jack which would be a bit disappointing. Would you be able to get along without a headphone jack as long as the phone includes the dual front facing speakers? I'm not sure why it always has to be a give an take with OEMs. Why can't we just have both features? It is still pretty early so you can take these renders with a grain of salt.

The above video apparently shows off the Galaxy S8 Active. The rumors for this device have been hitting the net since April. Samsung has been building ruggedized versions of the S series since the Galaxy S4 so it seemed a natural extension to continue this tradition with the Galaxy S8. The device leaked includes slim bezels just like the Galaxy S8. There are also no hardware navigation buttons. The active also has a flat display and a more durable casing which should help to prevent glass shatters. Of course the phone will be water resistant just like the Galaxy S8.

According to new reports the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL may come with an upgrade in the form of the new Snapdragon 836 chip. This means the phones may be slightly more powerful than competing flagship devices. Sources say the Pixel devices will be first to market with the new chip. The chip is apparently just a minor revision of the Snapdragon 835. The main difference will be a small increase in Max clock speeds. Base clock speeds will likely stay the same. The chip may also feature some battery life improvements. This wouldn't be too shocking. Last year the Pixel and Pixel XL were the first to launch with the Snapdragon 821 which was a minor revision of the 820. The phone is set to launch later this year!

via AndroidCentral

Well, as usual, Evan Blass was right on the money. Motorola announced the Z2 Force today and everything he leaked is true. No longer a Droid, this model is not going to be a Verizon exclusive, and will be available on all US carriers. All the spec rumors were true: 5.5 inch AMOLED shatterproof screen that is more scratch resistant then the Z Force. The Qualcomm 835 powers it, with 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and an SD Card slot. The dual 12 MP cameras are on the back.
And, yes, the 2730 mAh battery will be providing the juice. This is bigger then last year's Z, but quite a bit smaller then the Z Force. As most of you know, the Snapdragon 835 is much better on battery life. They are still calling it "the all-day battery". I hope Moto knows what they are doing here. I will let you know when mine arrives on (or around) August 10th. Pre-orders start: /edit/ today.
Also announced was the new 360 degree HD Camera Moto Mod for $299.

Source: PC MAG

Late last week several images of the Note 8 leaked out showing the device from every conceivable angle. These images are supposedly official Samsung renders, but that may not actually be the case. Earlier leaks show a much slimmer top and bottom bezel then what is seen in these new photos. We are seeing the 18:9 aspect ratio here. Some other earlier leaks were showing that the device may not have a dedicated bixby button, but these images show the bixby button will remain. There also appears to be no camera bump whatsoever on these new leaked renders which would be a nice change. The fingerprint scanner is placed just beside the dual lens camera which may confirm that we will not see the under display fingerprint scanner that we had hoped to see. It is pretty astonishing that we are so close to the official launch of the Note 8 and have not seen any leaked video. It seems that Samsung has finally started to tighten down on access and security or either the phone is still not in production. What are everyone's thoughts on this design?

via Slashleaks

Here we go again! It looks like Verizon has been caught red handed throttling video from Netflix and Youtube. The Netflix speed test tool "fast.com" has revealed that Big Red is throttling Netflix traffic. Verizon says they are just testing Video Optimization. According to the fast.com users of Verizon LTE are limited to 10Mbps when streaming video. This apparently happens for unlimited users as well as tiered plans and happens regardless of the amount of data you have used for the month. Verizon says that this should not affect video quality which may be true. The only time you may see a significant difference is when using your phone to tether data. Netflix uses 25Mbps to stream in 4K which you won't be able ot do with this throttle. While this may not be a big issue it may be signaling more sever throttles coming down the line. Should Verizon be allowed to pic and choose which services get full speed and which ones do not?

via AndroidPolice

Shout out to Xeene for the heads up!