HoFo Blog

From The Web:

LG’s V30 loses the gimmicks and gains a beautiful OLED screen

Moto X4 hands-on: No relation

Stop trying to kill the headphone jack

98.5% of Original FCC Comments Oppose Killing Net Neutrality

Apple raised more than $3M Hurricane Harvey relief, US Coast Guard using iPads in search efforts, Cook says

From The Forums:

Cricket Wireless $50 unlimited plan

LG V30; Officially the first 600Mhz phone

switch phones

How Can I Find Out Why Total Wireless Lists My Moto Z Droid As Incompatible?

Note 8 BOGO free

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Headphone jack present and accounted for!

LG just pulled back the curtain on its other 2017 flagship at IFA in Berlin. Android Police is already calling it the most refined phone that the company has ever built. Gone is the gimmicky second screen from the V20, but LG's unique dual-camera setup—standard and wide angle lenses instead of standard and telephoto—remains. This is also LG's first phone in a while with an OLED screen.

Make no mistake here: with the V30, LG has its crosshairs on the Galaxy S8. And by first accounts they appear to have done a pretty good job. Here's a quick rundown of notable specs:

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
Display: 6 inch P-OLED QHD, 18:9 aspect ratio
RAM / Storage: 4 GB / 64 or 128 GB + microSD
Battery: 3,300 mAh
Rear Cameras: 16 MP OIS / 13 MP wide angle EIS
Front Camera: 5 MP
Other: IP68 water and dust resistance, wireless charging
Colours: Aurora Black, Cloud Silver, Moroccan Blue, Lavender Violet
OS: Android 7.1.2

No word yet on pricing or availability, but I'll see if I can find a video hands-on and post it to the news round-up this afternoon...

Source: Android Police (1) (2)

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From The Web:

How Apple Plans to Change the Way You Use the Next iPhone

LG’s V30 will own IFA the way the Galaxy Note once did

Essential is Bleeding Consumer Trust Before its Products Even Reach Customer Hands

TCL may launch a new Palm smartphone in 2018

Before Hurricane Harvey, wireless carriers lobbied against upgrades to a national emergency alert system

From The Forums:

Verizon's response to Hurricane Harvey

FreedomPop has a new policy on FreedomPop Friends and sharing data

Data on Cricket going downhill

Unlimited Data to 1GB of Data a Month?

It would be great if Tmobile waive the texting fee for Harvey affected areas

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AT&T

Source: AT&T Newsroom

Sprint

Source: Sprint Newsroom

T-Mobile

Source: T-Mobile Newsroom

Verizon

Source: Android Police

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From The Web:

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 expected to be uncovered on September 12 in China

Xiaomi Mi A1 may be the company’s first phone with stock Android

Google removes 300 Android apps that secretly hijacked phones for DDoS attacks

Why the iPhone 8's facial recognition feature could be a privacy disaster

Diesel On Full Guard Smart Watch Hands-On

From The Forums:

FreedomPop SIM (ATT) slow elsewhere? Minneapolis almost unusable

Domestic roaming limited to 2G?

Grandfathered plans work on LTE or upgraded to LTE?

Band 4 and Band 66 ?

Freedom Mobile’s LTE will be available in all its Ontario markets by August 31

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As a Pebbler I'm supposed to hate Fitbit with a passion, despite the fact that they've mostly made good on their promise to keep Pebble servers up and running through the end of 2017. But I'm also a big fan of mobile tap-and-pay solutions, especially if they actually work in Canada. And it turns out that Fitbit's new Ionic smartwatch, made official yesterday, supports NFC-based payments from your wrist.

What's a hard done by smartwatch enthusiast to do?

This feature is almost certainly a result of Fitbit acquiring Coin last May, and by all reports will work exactly like you see in the photo above. Fitbit will only say that AMEX, MasterCard and VISA cards are supported; I dug around a little bit and found an unverified list of launch partners:

ANZ
Banco Santander
Bank of America
Capital One
HSBC
KBC Bank Ireland
Royal Bank of Canada
US Bank

For some perspective on this, Apple Pay already enables wrist-based payments with an Apple Watch, and any Android Wear device with NFC should have the same functionality. The biggest hurdle for Fitbit Pay will inevitably be the ugliness of its first proper smartwatch—it's every bit as hideous as the leak we saw earlier this month.

Source: Mobile Syrup, TechRadar, The Verge

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From The Web:

Galaxy Note 8 Wins DisplayMate’s Highest Grade Ever, an A+

The next iPhone is going to be unveiled Sept. 12, report says

iPhone 8's rumored $1,000 price tag: Why it makes sense

Report: Unlimited Data Customers Report Fewer Network Problems

IDC Canada analyst predicts 5G-driven wireless growth and the rise of unlimited data

From The Forums:

Report: T-Mobile / Sprint "Finalizing," Plans For A Merger

Made the Jump to Tmobile & Couldn't be Happier

T-Mobiles 600MHz may face delays in some areas

Red Pocket Max speeds?

Google Voice/Hangouts dialer question

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Last October I wrote about the egregious outright price of the Pixel XL in Canada—over $1,100 CAD for the 128 GB model. Midway through 2017 it seems that $1,000 USD is fast becoming the norm for a stretched display over a flagship phone. And if you happen to live in Australia and are a fan of the Galaxy Note series Samsung is expecting you to pony up $1,500 AUD for the latest version of that device.

It's not just an Android problem, either... Apple is expected to début its 10th anniversary iPhone with a price tag in excess of $1,000 USD and, according to at least one survey, prospective buyers seem fine with that.

I suppose an argument can be made that smartphone OEMs are merely passing on the R&D costs that make this product cycle's record-breaking screen-to-body ratios possible. But consider also that these same phones are in some ways downgrades from what came before. The Galaxy Note 8 has a smaller battery than the Note 7 (presumably so that it won't explode), Andy Rubin's high-priced Essential Phone has no waterproofing and neither it, the iPhone 8 or this year's Pixel series from Google will have a headphone jack.

With these compromises in mind I have to ask: Are we actually getting a reasonable value from this year's near-bezel-less flagships?

Links: 9to5Mac, reddit

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From The Web:

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 vs. Galaxy S8 Plus

Is that an iPhone 8 in Tim Cook's pocket?

Why now is the best time to get a wireless deal in Canada

Why does no-one want a new phone these days?

'Data is the new oil': Your personal information is now the world's most valuable commodity

From The Forums:

K-Mobile K2

is Tracfone the only company that lets me keep my data forever, as long as I keep add

Will gUDP be deprioritized?

Wifi calling from an Andriod?

Wierd carrier logo in bad service area

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Irony is, the bezels on this image are YUGE!

Nevertheless, we should be grateful for a thoughtful redditor's recent contribution to r/Android, comparing the differences between 2017's "bezel-less" smartphones so far. There are some notable omissions... Xiaomi's Mi Mix kicked off this craze last year but was never intended for the North American market, so that's fine. But the Essential Phone should definitely be here. It's also odd that the as-yet unreleased iPhone 8 is present, but the similarly-leaked Pixel 2 XL is not.

I think that the general idea here was to compare the bezels on specific phones and their forebears, specifically the Galaxy Note 8 vs. Note 7 and iPhone 8 vs. the 7 Plus. It also seems like the author is trying to decide between an LG V30 and G6. And for some reason the OnePlus 3 has been added to the comparison of bottom bezels and phone widths.

To find out what other redditors are saying see the link directly below.

Source: reddit

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From The Web:

Exclusive: Android Oreo Will Receive Rootless, System-Wide Theme Support Within 1 Week

@evleaks: Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will debut on October 5th with Snapdragon 836 in tow

Spyware backdoor prompts Google to pull 500 apps with >100m downloads

Apple reportedly planning $999 price for new iPhone

Loyalty of iPhone owners likely to overcome iPhone 8 price resistance – survey

From The Forums:

Galaxy Note 8 on Tmobile

Extremely Poor Coverage in Wyoming (Yellowstone) and Montana

Increase in porting after Verizon unlimited change?

Who's considering switching?

Google voice sms down?

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Before you upgrade your Nexus or Pixel to Google's latest and greatest, you might want to read this first...

Android Police is reporting that some users who have done so are reporting that, on Android Oreo, Bluetooth automatically switches off almost immediately after being turned on. Granted, this was also an issue on some devices running Android Nougat; this time, however, Google itself is taking the unprecedented step of soliciting feedback on its Pixel and Nexus forums.

Most of the replies so far concern Android Auto, and include pairing issues, problems displaying music album artwork and audio hiccups while making phone calls. For Bluetooth headphones, headsets and speakers, there are multiple reports of audio cutting out, sometimes as often as every 5-20 seconds.

It's all but certain that there will be no headphone jack on Google's second-generation Pixel phones; these Bluetooth issues should probably be fixed before those devices ship.

Source: Android Police

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From The Web:

Opinion: The Galaxy Note8 is the beginning of the end of the Note - at least as we knew it

Users dump AccuWeather iPhone app after learning it sends location data to a third party

'iPhone 8' Said to Come in 64, 256, and 512GB Storage Capacities, All With 3GB of RAM

Carrier sources indicate Apple iPhone 8 event date set for September 12

Another once high-flying Japanese cellphone maker is calling it quits

From The Forums:

How does ATT handle unlimited?

it's 8/23... streaming 1440p YouTube video just fine, gUDP still on 2-year contract

10 GB for 12 Months Promo

Reception or congestion or deprioritization?

Verizon Demo phone ,corp store, stronger signal than identical device

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Yesterday just before dinner I attended a TELUS-sponsored event showcasing Andy Rubin's Essential Phone. That Canadian carrier scored exclusive rights to sell the PH-1 in this country, and from their own listing seem to be offering it on payment plans only—$290 CAD down and $95/month or $490 down and $85/month for the duration of a two-year contract.

I always find these carrier events just a little unsavoury, as the money that bankrolls their open bars and extravagant settings comes directly from subscribers' pockets. However, this one was at least a bit more informative than most, with employees from Essential on-hand to talk about various aspects of the phone. There were three manned stations—Camera, Design and Engineering; I visited each and listened to a short presentation, then tracked down an actual phone and took some photos. Which were of course out of focus.

Anyway, here's what I learned about the Essential Phone...

The Feel

There's no questioning it, The PH-1 is a substantial device to hold in your hand, and definitely feels worthy of its $700 USD price tag. I also got to hold some of its individual components separately. The titanium frame is strong but impressively light, but when you add the ceramic back there's definitely some heft.

As for the 360° camera accessory, the magnets that hold it to the phone are strong enough that you won't have to worry about it coming unstuck.

The Cutout

I didn't realize this, but the cutout at the top of the display for the selfie cam also holds the proximity and other sensors that you'd expect along the top of a typical smartphone. That's no small feat, and Essential did a better job with this than LG, Samsung or even what's coming from Apple.

The Chin

Of course I had to ask to design guy about this... Why does the Essential Phone's screen not extend all the way to the bottom edge of the phone? It turns out that, even without a headphone jack, some space was still needed for the LCD display driver and speaker assembly.

The Bootloader

On at least one of the phones I handled the bootloader was unlocked, and I was able to confirm with its owner that the bootloader on all Essential Phones is indeed unlockable. For Android modders that's great news.

When it comes to carrier locks things are less clear. Phones ordered from Essential.com are SIM-unlocked but whether the TELUS version is any different is unknown. It's kind of academic, anyway, as it looks like the only way you'll be able to buy the phone in Canada is on TELUS through one of their payment plans and a two-year commitment.

Expect to hear more about the Essential Phone if and when TELUS give us a loaner for review.

Links: Essential, TELUS

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Felt obligated to watch this for my hands-on with the Essential Phone later this afternoon. So you might as well, too.

From The Web:

Android Oreo Source Code Uploaded to AOSP by Google

Verizon throttles video for good with its not-so-unlimited plan

Rogers increases U.S. Roam Like Home service fee to $6 per day

Nokia 8 might not launch in US or China

Xiaomi’s Mi Mix 2 may have even smaller bezels

From The Forums:

Unlimited data plan changes to affect EVERYONE on 8/23

Lady on retention tells me: "Condolences"

Need major advice/help

Moto G4 Plays down to $19 at Walmart

will this work?

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Google has so far released two Pixel-branded Chromebooks—the original in 2013 and a refresh in 2015, pictured directly above. According to Android Police, there will be a new Chromebook Pixel announced alongside the new Pixel phones later this year. Perhaps this one will be available for purchase in Canada? Please...?

This third iteration of Google's own high-end notebook may or may not be an evolution of Project Bison, an Andromedia-powered notebook/tablet convertible with the following specs:

12.3 inch screen
8 or 16 GB of RAM
32 or 128 GB of storage
Optional Wacom stylus (sold separately)

The existence of Project Bison was leaked to Android Police last fall; since then a new name has started popping up in the commits on Google's Chromium code review—this device, referred to as Eve, also seems to be a convertible with a Wacom digitizer. It could be the continuation of Project Bison, or something entirely new.

For what it's worth, Bison was thought to retail for $799 USD. That's significantly cheaper than the first two Chromebook Pixels, and more in line with 2015's Pixel C tablet.

Sources: Android Police, Chrome Unboxed

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From The Web:

Meet Google’s Latest OS Dessert: Android 8.0 Oreo

Android 8.0 Oreo will be uploaded to AOSP today, updates for Pixels and Nexuses will roll out "soon"

Samsung secures first batch of Snapdragon 845 CPUs for the Galaxy S9

Why we wouldn’t care about the Nokia 8 without the Nokia name

Let’s face reality: US Teens engage with iMessage more than any other social platform

From The Forums:

Issues with BYOP iPhone 4s (balance, IMEI, network)

Bestbuy 2 yr contact iPad mini plan to single device plan

Should any Prepaid ATT phone work with any ATT MVNO?

Found a spot where T-Mobile is spotty

New phone SIM swap

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I'm having a hard time believing that this is in any way official artwork for the next version of Android, but I can't fault the source—Evan Blass rarely, if ever, get's this stuff wrong. If he's right, expect Android Oreo to be made official by the end of the day.

It would be the first confectionery co-branding since Android KitKat, almost four years ago. That version of the platform introduced the Android Runtime as a technology preview which would eventually replace the Dalvik Virtual Machine; Oreo's most welcome feature will likely end up being Project Treble, a reworking of the OS as a modular base to enable more efficient OEM customizations and (hopefully) faster software updates for end users.

Google has scheduled a web event to coincide with the solar eclipse rolling across the USA later today. Their livestream will start broadcasting at 2:40pm Eastern Time, so we won't be in the dark about the next version of Android for much longer...

Sources: @android, @evleaks

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From The Web:

24 hours with the Essential Phone

ASUS ZenFone AR review: A decent phone, but Tango still fails to impress

Google has an Android O event on August 21st to coincide with the eclipse

Apple Watch Series 3 Enters 'Final Testing Phase' Ahead of Rumored September Launch

Will smartwatches ever become the general-purpose wearables we were told they’d be?

From The Forums:

Transfer Wizard issues......

Iphone Swap Question (Fulfill Unlock Requirement)

Heavily discounted Net10 Airtime on eBay, thoughts?

Flash Sale: $40 6GB, $50 8GB, to Aug 21

data speed

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