It looks like Google may have just outed the official name of Android O a few days before the intended announcement on August 21st. The Google+ video they posted was titled "GoogleOreo_Teaser_0817_noDroids (1).mp4". Of course this doesn't officially confirm anything and you know Google could just be trolling us with that seemingly accidental flub. The new version of Android could be named after the easter egg hidden within the developer preview builds "Octopus". That seems unlikely. We will find out for sure on Monday!

via AndroidPolice

One of the major gripes with the OnePlus 5 was the fact that it included EIS, but only for 1080p video. This meant that while the phone was capable of shooting 4K video the video shot would be wobbly and unusable. OnePlus has just sent out a software update which fixes this. The update includes EIS for 4K video. The difference here is major. OnePlus also uploaded a side by side test shot to their twitter and you can see how much better 4K recording is on the OnePlus 5.

You can see a similar comparison in the video above which starts at 1:36

Andy Rubin's Essential phone announcement was met with enthusiasm and hope. However the device launch became a mess and fast. The phone company faced set back after set back requiring them to push back the launch week after week. A few days ago the company sent out emails to those who made reservations letting them know the devices were finally available for purchase. The email went on to confirm that those who made a purchase would have the phone within 7 days. For now it appears the only version available for purchase is the Black Moon and the price tag is $699. Apparently if you reserved the pure white model you can still purchase the Black Moon variant or chose to wait an additional 2 weeks. Only those who reserved a phone will be able to purchase one at this time. As more and better devices are just around the corner I am curious as to how many of you are putting down the money on your reserved Essential phone.

via DroidLife

We are mere days from the official announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 yet we know pretty much everything there is to know about the device at this point. You could say that the design of the much anticipated device has been confirmed once and for all by some photos that hit the web earlier today. Someone got their hands on a dummy unit which shows the rectangular design we expect to see. The dual lens camera and poorly placed fingerprint scanner is quite clear here as well. With the announcement closing in this is certainly not the last we will hear about the Note 8 leading up to the event. Keep it locked in right here for the latest Note 8 news.

via SlashLeaks

Yesterday Evan Blass took to twitter with some snazzy press renders of the upcoming LG V30. These renders show us the complete and final design of the LG V30. The renders match up to earlier leaks that we saw in the Joseph Gordon Levitt campaign. This pretty much looks like a larger LG G6. We are missing key features from the V series like a secondary display and removable battery. LG is finally joining everyone else in sealing their batteries. Other than that we see that LG has stuck with the power button/ fingerprint scanner placement in the center of the back of the phone which is the best placement if you ask me. We still have a dual lens camera setup as well. Overall I would say the new V30 is looking rather stunning.

via @evleaks

According to research from financial firm Bernstein Google will be paying up to $3Billion this year to remain the default search engine on the iPhone and iPad. These numbers come factors reported to the media by Apple and Google. Apple has retained as much as 34 percent of traffic revenue. Google paid Apple $1Billion in 2014. According to High Street firms Google will make $50 Billion this year which is up from $16 Billion in 2014 which is roughly three times as much. This means that Google may be paying Apple $3 Billion. In the end it is probably worth it. Most people end up using what comes up first. Somehow chrome on my Dell defaults to Yahoo?! I generally end up just using Yahoo unless I need Google for something specific. Of course it would be easy enough to go change the default in settings. Apple is looking to double their 2016 service revenue by 2020, and can probably achieve this with licensing default apps. In case you were wondering companies are paying big for that prime real estate which is your phone.

via Pocketnow

LG is looking to greatly improve their camera's quality with an f1.6 aperture lens. This will allow for more light to be processed giving the camera better low light performance. It looks like LG isn't the only one stepping up their camera game. We know that Samsung will be including a dual lens camera on the Note 8. We now have more details regarding the camera setup.

Korean news website ETNews is reporting that the Note 8 will include a 12MP optical lens with dual-image pixel sensor and a 13MP telephoto lens. Each would include optical image stabilization and support 2x optical zoom. Optical zoom on these lenses will mean that we will be able to zoom in without adding noise and losing sharpness. Samsung will likely continue this dual lens camera approach in future phones like the Galaxy S9.

via AndroidAuthority

This month is slated to be a pretty big month for Android. We are looking forward to the release of both the LG V30 the Galaxy Note 8 as well as the Nokia 8. It looks like Google will be adding to the fun with the release of Android 8.0 O for the original Pixel and Pixel XL.

According to sources Google is planning a spectacle event for the unveiling of the Android 8.0 name which will go beyond the traditional statue unveiling. This could mean we are getting a recognized brand name (ie Oreo). Evan Blass tweeted that the release of the new version of Android to the Pixel and Pixel XL will be during the week of August 21st and will likely be on August 21st.

When the update drops for the Pixel and Pixel XL it should also be available for the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P. The new Pixel devices won't be announced until later in the fall likely Septemeber and October.

via BGR

The Note 8 will be announced world wide on August 23rd at a live event taking place in New York, this much is certain. We now have a bit of intel suggesting the device might actually go live on August 24th just 24 hours after the official announcement! This was confirmed by a best buy employee who claims to be familiar with Best Buy's plans. This is in direct contrast with a report from a reliable Korean publication who claims the device will be available in south Korea starting September 15. There have been other reports suggesting that Samsung will begin a 2 week preview period at certain retail locations where you can touch and try the phone, but won't be able to purchase it. Maybe releasing the phone so quickly could be Samsung's way of getting ahead of the iPhone release. If the Note 8 will be available the day after announcement I will surely be finding my place in line.

via Technobuffalo

The Note 8 may go down as the best phone of 2017 with its Infinity Display, dual lens camera system, improved S-Pen functionality and more. There is one special reason this device will be loved around the world. The Note 8 will be the first Note device to hit the European market in years! Samsung decided not to sale the Note 5 in Europe back in the day because um Europe isn't productive enough?? The Note 7 as we all know was recalled before it was able to pick up any steam so Europe wasn't able to get their hands on that device either. Fans of the series have had to patiently wait for the next iteration of the industry defining phablet device.

The will be over in just a few short weeks as Samsung has plans to release the Note 8 in European markets. While the direction this device is going with a smaller 3300mah battery and poor fingerprint scanner placement may be disappointing to some it is certainly a major overhaul from the last available Note device in the European market, the Note 4.

via SamMobile