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Google dodges a lawsuit, Pixel Slate leaks, and other news worth knowing

Andrew Myrick
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Welcome to In Brief, the AndroidGuys tech briefing. Today is Monday, October 8th, and we’re taking a look at all the tech news you need to know. In this post, we want you to learn about the news the way you want to learn. We’ve embedded a podcast version of all this news below. If you don’t want to listen, you can read just like you normally would.

In today’s edition, we learn that the Mate 20 lineup will see some questionable changes. Meanwhile, the upcoming Pixel Slate has leaked, along with new video-calling devices from Facebook, and more.

We’d love feedback on this post, so please let us know what you think in the comments. If we can improve in some way, we’d love to know!

The Mate 20 will sport a headphone jack while the Mate 20 Pro, won’t

The Huawei Mate 20 lineup will be unveiled on October 16th, but unlike the Pixel 3, we are still learning more. The latest leak comes from a few case makers as it seems that one of the devices will no longer sport a headphone jack.

It seems that the Mate 20 will keep its 3.5mm headphone jack, while the port will be removed from the Pro model. These case leaks also confirm the existence of a possible IR blaster, along with a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.

Other leaks have claimed that the Mate 20 will sport the Kirin 980 chipset, along with a 6.53-inch LCD display and 4000mAh battery. The Pro model will features an OLED display and an embedded fingerprint scanner.

UK high court throws out £4.4 billion lawsuit against Google

Back in May, Google was threatened with a lawsuit in the UK by a group called “Google, You Owe Us”. This lawsuit surrounded the “Safari Workaround” which allowed Google to collect private information with the use of tracking cookies.

This workaround was in use between August 2011 and February 2012 as Google bypassed the iPhone’s privacy settings. Once the data was collected, Google then separated those affected into categories to provide more targeted advertising.

The plaintiffs were seeking between 1 billion and 3 billion euros in damages for around 4.4 million affected users. However, the UK high court threw out the lawsuit due there not being enough evidence of damage to the affected group.

Facebook unveils Portal and Portal+ video calling devices

For months, Facebook has been rumored to be working on its own video-conferencing device. The company has unveiled the new Facebook Portal and Portal Plus.

The smaller Portal sports a 10.1-inch display with a sizable bezel and a 12MP front-facing camera. The camera sports an 8X zoom and a 140-degree field of view.

The larger Portal+ features a 15.6-inch 1080p display which can rotate from portrait to landscape orientation. To accommodate the larger display, Facebook has included a vertical stand.

The Portal is priced at $199, and the Portal+ is priced at $349. Both devices are expected to begin shipping in November.

Pixel Slate leaks in its entirety ahead of launch

We are expecting to see a slew of new products revealed by Google at tomorrow’s event. One such product is the Pixel Slate, which is likely to be a high-end Chrome OS tablet.

Over the weekend, the tablet leaked in a few different renders, revealing its design. There will be a camera on the front and the rear, along with dual front-facing speakers.

Additionally, Google will be unveiling a new blue Pixelbook Pen, along with a new attachable keyboard case. The Pixel Slate is expected to be powered by a Intel Core i7 chipset and up to 16GB of RAM.

Pixel 3 said to be exclusive to Verizon, again

Keeping with the Pixel theme, T-Mobile has let the cat out of the bag on another Pixel 3 feature. It seems that Verizon will keep its carrier exclusivity for Google’s new smartphones.
In a press release, T-Mobile suggested that your experience will be better with them versus being tied to Verizon. The crux of the information shared has to do with how T-Mobile sports the fastest download speeds for Pixel 2 owners.
We can only hope that T-Mobile will offer some type of trade-in deal for those wanting to use the Pixel 3 on its network.

Android Pie on the Galaxy Note 9 leaks, revealing redesign

A leaked Android Pie beta build for the Galaxy Note 9 has revealed quite a few changes. Primarily, the changes will come in the user interface, which is not all that surprising.

What is surprising is that Samsung is doing a major overhaul of how your Galaxy Note 9 will look. There will be a new dark and transparent theme included, which will work with the notification shade, quick toggles, and the Settings app.

Other Samsung apps, such as Messages and the Camera app are also being overhauled. The camera interface itself will see a new button for switching to a telephoto lens, along with a new way to access Bixby Vision and AR Emoji.

Unfortunately, there’s no mention of when Samsung will begin its new Beta Program.

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JBL Link View review: A smart display with lots of potential not yet realized

Jason England
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These days smart speakers are nothing new but they are still evolving. Just as with the Echo and later the Echo Show, Amazon was first to the party. Now, Google is once again playing catch up with their very own smart displays hitting the market. First came the Lenovo Smart Display which was quickly followed by the JBL Link View. At this moment they are the only two players in the market for a Google Assistant powered smart display. For the past few weeks, I’ve been using the JBL Link View with much delight and a few gripes.

Design

The JBL Link View comes in an oblong pill shape that seems more like a display has been slapped on a speaker than a display with speakers attached. This should come as no surprise since JBL is first and foremost an audio company. Upon opening the box, I found the design to be wider and bulkier than I expected. I can’t say I was immediately a fan of the design but as time went on it grew on me.

One aspect of the design that really stood out to me is the size of the bezels around the display. In a world where bezels are constantly shrinking on our phones, computers, and TVs it is a bit strange to see such large bezels on a new device. If it were a tablet the bezels might make sense but smart displays are not tablets and not designed to be held during usage. JBL isn’t the only one guilty of this, as every smart display that I’ve seen so far includes large bezels.

The next thing that stood out to me was the privacy switch. If you’ve been concerned about bringing a connected camera into your home, the privacy switch is a nice reassuring feature. The privacy switch is a one hundred percent manual slider switch that completely covers the camera with an orange piece of plastic. This makes it easy to see whether or not your camera is blocked.

As with other smart speakers on the market, there is also a mute switch on the back and volume controls. Even though you’ll most likely be controlling the volume with voice commands or by using the on-screen controls these controls are still handy to have.

One of the reasons you’ll most likely be using the voice commands is if you decide to put this in the kitchen. After using the JBL Link View for the past week I found that is one of the best rooms for a smart display to live. In order to make the Link View even more kitchen friendly, it comes with an IPX4 rating making it splashproof. That’s not quite as good as many new phones but it should stand up to the occasional splash in the kitchen without issue.

A small and often overlooked design element is the power plug. If you’re like me with a house full of gadgets crowding your outlets, then you’ll be happy to know the Link View doesn’t feature a large boxy plug. It was really refreshing to see the power cable used a normal sized plug instead of some oddly shaped large rectangle. Thankfully, JBL saw fit to hide all the components in the Link View itself and provide you with a small normal sized power plug that wouldn’t crowd your surge protector.

Display

I was a little disappointed at first when I read that the 8-inch display on JBL Link View would only have a 720p resolution. In a world of QHD phones and 4K TVs, the thought of using a 720p screen seemed like a big step backward.

However, in practice, I found this was not an issue at all. Most times you’ll be at least three feet or more from the display and at this distance, you won’t notice the lower resolution. During my time watching YouTube videos or movies from Google Play I found no issues with the video quality.

It definitely was not as good as my phone, tablet, or TV screen but a smart display isn’t really designed around media consumption. It is there to help give you visual results and information and it does this well.

I did find some light leaking around the top and bottom bezels and that was unfortunate. Overall it was only a minor issue because it is only visible when the ambient display is on.

How Good is the Screen?

Personally, I have loved having a screen on my smart speaker. I’m a visual person and getting visual feedback from my commands and questions is quite satisfying. The animations were all smooth and flowing, reminiscent of the material design we’ve come to know and love.

I enjoyed asking for the weather and seeing the forecast pop up on the screen. Controlling your smart home is also made easier by providing extra controls on screen whenever you turn the lights on or off. Besides the ability to toggle lights on or off, you’re also presented with controls for brightness and color. These controls will linger on the screen for a while giving you plenty of time to access them which is a nice touch.

Using it for recipes in the kitchen is fantastic since it gives you step by step instructions that you can advance hands-free. Even better you can bring up a recipe video on YouTube with ease.

Another way it makes a great kitchen companion is by allowing you to watch movies through Google Play or catch up on your YouTube videos.

While it plays music just like any other Google Assistant speaker with the screen it also allows you to watch the music videos via YouTube. If you happen to have YouTube TV you’ll even be able to watch TV on it. Beyond watching videos I also appreciated the other ways it would show information.

Whether that be showing a picture related to my question or providing follow up questions at the bottom of the screen. Often times it leads me to click on related questions and learning more about the subject.

I also enjoyed some of the added touches such as providing a breakdown of scoring quarter by quarter when asking for the football score. Little additions such as this show how Google put thought into how to utilize the display in useful ways, providing an improved experience over an audio-only device. That doesn’t mean it still doesn’t have a long way to go.

So Much Potential

There is still a lot of room for improvement and innovation. For instance, when turning on a light it was fantastic to see the controls pop up on the screen. I loved that I could toggle the light on/off, change the color, or brightness of the bulb. Features like this would make a smart display the perfect smart home hub. Unfortunately, there is no way to bring up some sort of hub to give you full control over your smart home devices.

I found myself giving variations of “show me my lights” commands hoping to get a screen for controls over every light in my home. Sadly, there was no way to do this. There is also no way to view my Arlo cameras at this time.

READ MORE: What are smart displays and what good are they?

Another feature that would have been beneficial is viewing the weather radar. I tried several commands but could never get this to work.

Making video calls using the JBL Link View worked well but you are limited to only using Duo. Unfortunately, not many people use Duo and support for some other video calling apps would be much appreciated.

Speaking of video calls, the Echo Show offers the ability to “drop in” and view your home through the camera. This is yet another feature I wish Google smart displays included. Having the ability to call my smart speaker through Duo or view it through the Google Home app would be such a convenient way to check on things while I’m away.

The ambient display also leaves much to be desired. This comes on after the display has been idle for a while showing only a small clock in the bottom left-hand corner. If this clock were larger it would be easier to read from several feet away or even from across the room. Furthermore, I’d love if it offered some more info or customization. Perhaps allowing you to adjust the clock to the size you see fit and show more information like the weather.

Sound Quality

With JBL’s audio prowess it should be no surprise that the JBL Link View has outstanding audio quality. The two speakers on the front provide stereo sound while a passive radiator on the back makes sure you feel the bass. This helped give a balanced sound with plenty of clarity in the mids and highs along with hard hitting bass.

Final Thoughts

After weeks of using the JBL Link View, I’ve come to love having a screen on my smart speaker, but it’s not yet essential. I use smart speakers every day and I’ve been a big fan of them since my first Echo speaker and later my Google Home speaker. Similar to when the Google Home was first launched smart displays right now are full of potential which isn’t yet realized.

Even if they only have a limited use, for now, the JBL Link View has sold me on smart displays. The great thing about smart displays or speakers is they will continue to evolve and improve over time. When I first got the Google Home it couldn’t do half of what it is capable of now. The same will be true for smart displays.

Over time it will improve and gain new abilities becoming a vital part of your smart home. As long as you don’t need the larger screen size offered by the Lenovo smart display, the JBL Link View is the clear way to go. No other smart display currently offers this level of sound quality and you’ll be grateful for that every time you start your favorite playlist or queue up a video to watch.

Buy from JBL Buy from Best Buy Buy from B&H Photo

The best fitness trackers for your Android device

Andrew Myrick
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Looking to buy a wearable to adorn your wrist with? The first question that comes to mind is whether you should get a smartwatch or a fitness tracker?

Well, the answer depends on what you expect the device to do. A smartwatch makes it easier to respond to emails, texts, and calls and see social media notifications. On the other hand, fitness trackers have traditionally focused on health and activity monitoring, such as how many steps you’ve taken during the day.

Read more: Best smartwatches you can buy today

But in 2018, the line dividing smartwatches and fitness trackers has blurred considerably. Today you can buy a fitness tracker that delivers notifications to your wrist or a smartwatch that can measure your heart rate.

However, if you’re looking for something that looks more like a bracelet than a watch, then you’ll probably have to go with a fitness tracker. Another here’s another major advantage to consider for those pondering the dilemma: fitness trackers are a lot more affordable than smartwatches.

For the purpose of this article, we gathered up some of the best fitness trackers available on the market today. The products you’re going to find in this list offer advanced fitness tracking capabilities, but also borrow some smartwatch capabilities.

Garmin Vivosport

Despite not sporting a pretty standard design, the Garmin Vivosport includes a color display, GPS and is also water resistant. Even so, the wearable does not track swimming sessions like the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro.

On the bright side, the Vivosport is great for tracking other kinds of workouts such as jogging or cycling. The product also includes an all-day stress tracking tool which helps you monitor your body’s response to various stressors.

The battery powering Garmin’s fitness tracker is said to be able to provide a battery life of up to 7 days. The smart tracker also relays smartphone notifications to your wrist.

Garmin Vivosport purchase links: Garmin | Amazon | Best Buy | B&H Photo | Newegg

Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro

The Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro benefits from a great design which looks great on the wearer’s wrist. It comes with a 1.5-inch AMOLED display which allows users to see their stats clearly.

It includes a GPS and a heart rate sensor and can be used to track your swimming sessions too (yes, it’s waterproof!) The Fit 2 Pro also emulates a smartwatch in a number of areas. For example, it shows notifications (in a dedicated area on the left of the watch face) and allows users to interact with them (reply to a text message).

Other highlights include a decent battery life (up to three days) and offline Spotify support.

Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro purchase links: Samsung | Amazon | Best Buy | B&H Photo

Fitbit Charge 2

Can’t have a list of fitness trackers without mentioning Fitbit, can we? The Charge 2 includes a sleek display for at a glance information and can connect with the GPS on your phone (no GPS on board).

It includes a heart rate tracker, but unlike the Gear Fit 2 Pro it’s not waterproof and offers limited notifications. Although its battery is rated as being able to last up to 4-5 days.

The Fitbit Charge 2 is the best in the category for sleep tracking. It offers in-depth information on Sleep Stages, as well as Sleep Insights so you can improve your sleep patterns.

Fitbit Charge 2 purchase links: Fitbit | Amazon | Best Buy | Newegg | B&H Photo

Moov Now

Probably the most affordable fitness tracker on this list, the Moov Now is a wearable without a display.

Yet, the Moov Now can provide real-time audio coaching for different workouts including running, cycling, cardio boxing or body weight.

Being waterproof, users can wear the device when they are swimming or cycling in the rain. The product features a lightweight and breathable band. You can either wear the Moov Nov on your wrist or around your ankle while you train.

Moov Now purchase links: Moov | Amazon | Target | Newegg

Huawei Band 2 Pro

Huawei Band 2 Pro Wristband

Huawei has its hands in a lot of different pots. While the company is primarily known for its gorgeous and powerful handsets, there are some wearables worth checking out as well.

Huawei Band 2 Pro Review

The Huawei Band 2 Pro was released just a little over a year ago, but is still one of the best budget options. The fitness tracker sports a slim and comfortable design, while including many different health tracking features.

The biggest downside is that the display is not a touchscreen, leaving users to stick to the hardware buttons. Nonetheless, you can pick up the Band 2 Pro for just $68.99 from Amazon.

Huawei Band 2 Pro purchase links: Amazon 

Xiaomi Mi Band 3

Just like Huawei, Xiaomi has been entering just about every market it can find. The Xiaomi Mi Band 2 was a fan favorite in the fitness tracker department thanks to its sleek design and crazy-low price.

Xiaomi Mi Band 3 Review

Needless to say, the Mi Band 3 had some big shoes to fill. Not only did those shoes get filled, but for just $40, you get more features than other, more-expensive options and more.

You don’t have to worry about a bunch of extra frills, while keeping track of your health and notifications. The only downfall for this could be its strange charging method, but it’s still a great buy.

Xiaomi Mi Band 3 purchase links: GearBest | Amazon

Motiv Ring

When it comes to wearable fitness trackers, you likely won’t think about wearing a ring. Well, Motiv is hoping to change that frame of mind with the release of the Motiv Ring.

Motiv Ring Review

This ring doesn’t look like it will go above and beyond, but features up to 3-day battery life. The Ring includes Google Fit compatibility, along with step counter, sleep tracker, and a heart-rate monitor.

Unfortunately, the price will be a tough pill to swallow – $200. If money is no object and you’re interested in trying something new and different, then the Motiv Ring is perfect for you.

Motiv Ring purchase links: Motiv | Amazon

So which of the above fitness trackers appear to you the most? Let us known what you look for in a wearable from this category in the comment section below.

Google+ leaked personal details, will be shut down

Matt Adams
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Many have long suspected that Google+ was in its final days, but almost no-one could have predicted it would end like this.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Alphabet Inc. announced that it would cease operations for consumers after it was revealed that the social network revealed personal information for hundreds of thousands of users. The information was available to third-party developers between 2015 and March 2018.

As part of its response to the incident, the Alphabet Inc. unit plans to announce a sweeping set of data privacy measures that include permanently shutting down all consumer functionality of Google+, the people said. The move effectively puts the final nail in the coffin of a product that was launched in 2011 to challenge Facebook Inc. and is widely seen as one of Google’s biggest failures.

The Journal also reports that Alphabet chose not to disclose the issue this past spring, when the issue was first discovered, “in part because of fears that doing so would draw regulatory scrutiny and cause reputational damage…”

What action can I take?

This story is early in its reporting and we don’t have all the facts yet. As of the time of this writing, it is impossible to know who had what information leaked. We do know the affected accounts had their full name, email addresses, birth date, gender, profile photos, places lived, occupation, and relationship status exposed.

If there is a silver lining, phone numbers, email messages, timeline photos, direct messages, or any other type of communication data were not exposed, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Despite the social network closing down, you can still take action. If you’d like to delete your account, head to this link and follow the instructions. If you’re given the option to upgrade instead of downgrade, you do not have a Google+ page associated with the account.

If you do, and are ready to delete your account, there are a few things you should know first.

LG V40 vs LG G7: What’s the difference?

Alexandra Arici
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Just a few hours ago LG pulled off the wraps its latest premium handset, the LG V40 ThinQ. The phones arrives a few months after the launch of the LG G7 ThinQ.

So how do the two flagships compare to one another? Keep reading below to find out what are the most important differences.

Design and display

The LG V40 has a lot of things in common with its predecessors, the V35 and V30. It features a glass/metal body and retains the same IP68 water-resistance and military-grade drop protection certification. What’s new is the addition of a dedicated Google Assistant key, on the left side. This button is also present on the G7.

Speaking of which, the G7 is also a glass-sandwich with a metal frame. Granted, it’s not super impressive, as LG keeps it basic, yet stylish. In both cases, the fingerprint scanner on the back no longer doubles as a power key. Instead, the latter sits on the ride side of the device.

The V40 is the first phone in the V series to come boasting a notch on top of the display. In this respect, it’s similar to the G7. In both cases, you get an option to hide the notch in Settings.

The new phone is also taller than the V30 making the jump from a 6-inch to a 6.4-inch P-OLED display. It boasts 1440 x 3120 resolution and 19:5:9 aspect ratio. Although the V40 is one of the largest phones in the V series so far, the phone is surprisingly light weighing only 169 g.

As for the LG G7, it relies on a 6.1-inch IPS LCD screen with a resolution of 1440 x 3120 pixels. While the phone features an LCD display, which is often considered inferior, the G7 boasts a spectacular contrast for an LCD panel: upwards of 2000:1.

The phone displays impressively deep black and very good maximum brightness of 460 nits in default Auto mode. There’s an outdoor boost mode which offers OLED-like sunlight legibility with up to 1,000 nits.

Performance and other features

Both devices run on a Snapdragon 845, which is the chip du-jour for high-end Android phones. The V40 is backed up by 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. There’s also a microSD card slot for memory expansion.

As for the LG G7, it’s offered with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM (depending on region) and 64GB or 128GB of storage. The microSD card slot is also present on board.

Moving on to the battery, the V40 is powered by a 3,300 mAh powerhouse, which is identical to the one inside last year’s V30. While the G7 includes a smaller 3,000 mAh one. Both models support wireless charging.

LG phones are known for their audio capabilities and the two current flagships are no different. Both the G7 and V40 benefit from the Boombox Speaker loudspeaker that sits behind the grille at the bottom. LG uses the empty space in the phones’ hull as a chamber to amplify the sound and promises loud-blasting audio.

In both cases, LG has kept the 3.5mm headphone jack and has included its 32-bit Quad DAC for clearer sound with wired headphones.

Cameras

The camera department is the main area where LG has improved the V40. Actually, the phone is the first from the company to come boasting a triple-camera setup on the back.

So on the rear, we have a 12MP main camera with OIS, f/1.5 and a larger sensor with larger 1.4-micron pixels. As for the other two cameras, one is a 16MP snapper with 107-degree wide-angle, while the second is a 12MP 2x zoom telephoto camera.

LG has also included a new feature called Triple Shot which will snap three pictures at once, one with every camera. The cameras are all backed by AI, so there are some additional software tricks baked into the phone, apart from scene recognition.

For example, there’s multi-frame HDR that optimizes each shot. What’s more, the shutter speed can be adjusted intelligently based on how much movement is detected. This will have the effect to minimize motion blur. On the front, LG has included a dual 8MP+5MP (wide-angle) camera setup.

The LG G7, on the other, boasts a main dual-camera setup. You get a 16MP sensor with f/1.6 and OIS and a secondary 16MP one with f/1.9 aperture. The front camera is an 8MP unit with f/1.9.

The G7’s main camera is capable of rich scene recognition thanks to the power of the AI. The device also features additional modes like Super Bright Camera and a dedicated night mode.

Software

Sadly enough, the LG V40 ThinQ launches with Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box, while the G7 runs Android 8.0 out of the box. Sure, we expect them to get the Android 9.0 Pie update at some point, but knowing LG this will take a while.

Yet, it’s quite disappointing to see a new phone launch in October, two months after the Pie update was released, with Oreo pre-installed.

Pricing

The LG V40 is one of the most expensive phones the company released to date. The device will hit retail shelves starting on October 18 for $920 and up. Check here to see where you can buy it from.

As for the LG G7, it’s a bit more “affordable”. For example, at Verizon, the device is available to buy for $750 outright. Given the fact that the V40 is now out, we can expect to see the G7 get discounted, so keep an eye out.

The Alcatel 3T 8, a T-Mobile exclusive tablet, is coming, but should you care?

Matt Adams
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Even though the Android tablet landscape is pretty bleak, we do have a couple of bright spots. A few companies are still charging ahead and releasing devices despite some of the bigger players turning their backs on the space.

One of the companies still committed to releasing tablets is Alcatel. The company has released several tablets in the past few years, and now it is back with another. Starting October 12, you can grab the Alcatel 3T 8 exclusively at T-Mobile.

The Alcatel 3T 8 is a budget-friendly tablet designed to provide decent specs without breaking the bank. The tablet comes with an 8-inch, 1,280 x 800 IPS display, 2 GB of RAM and a 4,080 mAh battery. As for storage, we’re looking at 16 GB, but the 3T 8 also includes a microSD card slot that allows you to expand storage by up to 128 GB. The processor is a MediaTek MT8765A, a quad-core processor clocked up to 1.5 GHz.

Why should I care about the Alcatel 3T 8?

So, I can hear you saying, “why should I care about this tablet at all?” It’s not the most powerful thing on the market, it doesn’t have tech that pushes the industry forward. So, who cares, right?

Read more: T-Mobile gets personal with customer support and teams up with Pandora

Well, I think pretty much any parent should care. Android tablets can be incredibly powerful learning and entertainment tools for children. Now, you can get an affordable, but decent, tablet from T-Mobile that allows you to load your kid up with plenty of educational apps. And, using Google’s Family Link app, you can keep an eye on what your kid is doing, what they’re installing, and set screen time limits. The tablet also comes with its own Kids Mode should Family Link not work for you.

We also think this is a pretty compelling device because of the LTE connectivity. Normally, cellular tablets come with an increased cost so the ability to pick up an affordable cellular tablet is really appealing. Alcatel also supports T-Mobile’s new band 66 and 71 which means your tablet should get excellent service.

Full spec sheet

  • Display: 8-inch, 1280 x 800, IPS LCD, Asahi Glass
  • Processor: MediaTek MT8765A Quad-core clocked at 1.5 GHz
  • RAM: 2 GB
  • Storage: 16 GB, expandable via microSD (up to 128 GB)
  • Battery: 4,080 mAh
  • Camera (main): 5 MP, records video 720p @ 30fps
  • Camera (front): 5 MP, records video 720p @ 30fps
  • Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, FM Radio, Micro SIM, headphone jack, GPS with A-GPS, G-Sensor, IR
  • Network:
    • GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
    • UMTS: 2/4/5
    • LTE: 2/4/5/12/66/71
  • Dimensions: 8.24 x 4.92 x 0.33 in
  • Weight: 10.37 oz
  • Color: Metallic Black
  • Software: Android 8.1 Oreo

When can I get and how much does it cost?

If you’re interested in picking up the Alcatel 3T 8, you’ll be able to pick it up on October 12 at T-mobile stores and t-mobile.com. If you’d like to finance the device, you can put $6 down at the time of purchase and pay $6 a month for 24 months. If you’d like to skip financing, you can just pay $150 at the time of purchase.

Are you interested in picking up the Alcatel 3T 8? Do you have any questions about the device? Let us know on Twitter.

Read next:

OnePlus finally tells us when we get to see the OnePlus 6T

Jason England
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OnePlus has announced that their successor the OnePlus 6T will officially launch on October 30. The unveiling will take place in New York City at Pier 36 at 11:00 AM ET. The event will be open to fans with tickets already on sale for $20 a piece, saving you $10 until October 10. Afterward, the price will jump to $30 per ticket.

Attendees will receive exclusive memorabilia and a pair of Bullets Wireless to take home. For that reason, if you’re going to be in the area you might want to hurry and get your tickets now. If you’re feeling lucky you could also try your hand at winning a trip to the launch.

For those not in the New York area on Oct. 30, you’ll have to settle for watching the live stream on OnePlus’s YouTube channel. Sorry, no exclusive gifts for you.

Read More: Five reasons the OnePlus 6T has us excited

What to Expect

As with most flagships, these days the OnePlus 6T has leaked enough so far that we won’t be expecting many surprises. The 6T is expected to launch with an improved teardrop notch similar to the Oppo R17 with a fingerprint scanner in the display.

When it comes to specs, it is expected to pack a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, at least 6GB of RAM, a 3700mAh battery, and run Android 9 Pie out of the box. Unfortunately, there is also some bad news. OnePlus announced a couple weeks back the 6T will be its first phone not to include the headphone jack.

OnePlus is also teaming up with T-Mobile, marking it as the first time they’ve ever secured a carrier deal here in the US. That partnership alone should help them increase their sales significantly here.

Read More: What we know about the upcoming OnePlus 6T

Early buzz: What the critics are saying about the LG V40 ThinQ

Andrew Myrick
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At an event in New York earlier this week, LG officially took the wraps of its 2nd-half flagship for the year. The LG V40 ThinQ is sure to turn some heads with its five cameras and flagship specs.

READ MORE: LG V40 ThinQ Unveiled

As for those specs, the V40 ThinQ includes a massive 6.4-inch OLED display with a notch at the top. Under the hood, we have the Snapdragon 845 SoC, combined with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage.

READ MORE: Hot Take: What is LG doing with the V40 ThinQ?

LG also decided to include a total of five cameras, with two on the front and three on the rear. On the front, there is a standard 8MP sensor and a secondary 5MP lens. On the rear, there is a 12MP standard lens, a 16MP wide-angle camera, and a 12MP zoom sensor.

All of this has been compiled into a package ranging from $900 to $980 depending upon your carrier. However, the reviews have already started rolling in and we have compiled a list of those for you to reference until the official AndroidGuys review is complete.

CNET

Image courtesy of CNET

The LG V40 ThinQ is one of the best phones of 2018, but wait until Google’s Pixel 3 phones arrive before making a decision.

The Good

In its review of the V40 ThinQ, CNET gave the device a score of 8.8 out of 10. The handset scored high marks for features and performance, along with a comfortable design overall.

The inclusion of five total cameras is definitely going to turn some heads. Plus, you will have a camera system on-board to perform just about any task.

The Bad

Not everything was perfect, as CNET also states that the variety of camera features can be a bit overwhelming. The inclusion of a 3,300mAh battery makes for just an average experience.

Overall, the V40 ThinQ is likely the best phone, but with upcoming releases from OnePlus and Google, it’s difficult to recommendation.

Android Authority

Image courtesy of Android Authority

The LG V40 provides all the quality of the G7, but is weighed down by its unreasonably expensive price tag and terrible battery life.

The Good

Android Authority found that the V40 ThinQ is packed with some great features. These include the minimal bezels with a small(ish) notch and a great design.

Including things such as a microSD card, headphone jack and a Quad DAC are also extremely compelling. Obviously, having a total of five-cameras with great software features is an important selling point.

The Bad

Unfortunately, Android Authority found that rather upsetting and subpar battery life with its unit. Plus, the $1,000 price tag is going to be a tough pill to swallow unless you’re a huge fan of LG’s devices.

It’s obvious that LG took everything good from the G7 ThinQ and released a better device. But the price tag and battery life are two things that folks will struggle with.

Android Central

Image courtesy of Android Central

LG managed to make a top-notch phone by following Samsung’s lead. The V40 is a beautiful and solid phone that’s filled with must-have and nice-to-have features, with top-end specs and a large high-quality display.

The Good

Andrew from Android Central scored the handset a four out of five. Mainly, the V40 ThinQ provides a great design, with a smaller notch and a big display.

The features of the five-camera system offers “both unique and good-looking” photos. Plus, it seems that LG is finally starting to figure out how to make a great software experience.

The Bad

The biggest complaint from this review comes courtesy of the battery. Andrew believes that a device with a display that size of the V40 ThinQ, should have a much bigger battery.

The secondary cameras on the V40 ThinQ also are lacking OIS capabilities. This is a questionable omission, along with only offering a 64GB storage option.

Droid Life

Droid Life V40 ThinQ
Image courtesy of Droid Life

While this phone has a great display, cameras, and solid performance, I can’t see myself going out of my way to recommend it until we see everything else that is coming this month.

The Good

Although it was expected, Droid Life was a fan of the flagship-level specs from the V40. LG didn’t try to do anything fancy other than bumping the RAM up to 6GB to go with this package.

The new 6-inch P-OLED display looks gorgeous and provides a great experience. Meanwhile, the build quality makes it “much lighter than the Galaxy Note 9” and “just slightly heavier than the G7”.

Finally, we would be remiss without talking about the cameras. Droid Life states that the camera software makes it possible for you to “get the most out of every potential shot”.

The Bad

Unfortunately, LG is continuing to struggle in the software department. The decision to launch the V40 ThinQ with Android 8.1 Oreo and not Android Pie is enough to raise eyebrows.

The software interface itself is “quite hideous” and makes no sense as to how things are designed. But since it’s Android, you can download a custom launcher and make your phone into whatever you want.

Where is our review?

While other publications have been reviewing their devices for some time, that’s not how we do things here. Instead of spending just a week or two with the handset, we are hard at work putting the LG V40 ThinQ through its paces.

Stay tuned to the front page, as you should be seeing more content coming in the next few weeks. Let us know if you have any specific questions regarding the LG V40 ThinQ and we’ll be sure to answer them!

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Google has begun sending invites out for their video game streaming project

Jason England
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Last week Google announced its very first test for Project Stream, its new venture into streaming games. This will be the first time they have opened up Project Stream to the public. In order to really make a splash and show off what Project Stream is capable of, they partnered with Ubisoft to test it with their brand new title Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.

Odyssey is the next game in the Assassin’s Creed series with stunning graphics and a large scale world. Way to swing for the fences with your very first test of a new service. To be one of the first to try out Project Stream and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Google posted sign up form last week. It appears invites are now going out and people are getting their first taste of Project Stream.

In essence, what Project Stream does is render games on Google’s own servers and stream the video to you much like streaming a movie. Only this is much more complicated as rendering games takes much more processing power on Google’s end. Not to mention, reacting to commands from your keyboard or controller with minimal latency and lag adds a whole new level of difficulty.

Since Google’s computers are doing all the heavy lifting processing the game on their end, it means you can run the game with minimal hardware on your end. Negating the need for the high cost of a powerful computer, requiring only a browser to play a graphically intensive game.

Project Stream doesn’t come without some caveats though. First, it requires a 25mbit internet connection, you will need the Chrome browser, it can only be used in certain areas of the US at this time, and the test ends in mid-January. Some good news is that it runs at 1080p 60fps and allows you to use either a keyboard or controller to game with.

I signed up myself last week but unfortunately, my inbox is empty. It is not unlike Google to roll out in stages, however. So I’m still hopeful the email is on its way. If you signed up and got an invite, let us know in the comments how it’s running for you.

Saturday Savings: Massive discounts from SanDisk, Huawei, and more

Andrew Myrick
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The new smartphones have started rolling out with more to come, but you’ll be looking at paying full price. In the meantime, you’re likely looking for some great deals to jump on, and we’ve got you covered.

Fortunately, you don’t have to wait for Labor Day or Black Friday for some incredible savings. In fact, there are plenty of items on sale on a regular basis.

Whether you are looking for a phone from a big-name player or some accessories from a few lesser-known companies, there’s a lot to consider. That’s why we’re here.

We have gathered up a number of promotions, discounts, and other savings across a variety of categories.

Phones & Tablets

Cables & Chargers

Other Mobile Accessories

General Tech & Gadgets

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Do you have a deal you would like to see listed here? Please take a few moments to fill out this form and we’ll be happy to consider it for a future post.

Editor Note: On occasion, some of the links we use on our website are part of an affiliate network or program. Sales generated from purchases are used to help support the website and “keep the lights on”.

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