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Google One, Google's new cloud storage management and product support service, has had a strangely protracted rollout. It was announced all the way back in May, and showed up on the Play Store shortly thereafter. It wasn't long until invites started going out to a select few, but now, in mid-August, some users still don't have access to it. That's changing, though, as Google has announced that "people in the U.S. can choose to upgrade to Google One" starting today.
Last month, Google announced that it would be unifying its storage service under a new name: Google One. The transition from previous plans to better-priced One options was to take place "in the coming months," and reports of the rollout have been gradually spreading. If you're among those with a paid Google Drive storage plan anticipating the move, you might want to check your email, as some that have been welcomed into Google One are seeing a complimentary $5 credit hit their inbox.
Google recently announced that it was replacing its current non G-Suite Google Drive storage plans with a new pricing structure called Google One. All your stuff will stay in Drive and other Google products as before, but you might get to pay slightly less depending on how much space you need. Google One now has an app in the Play Store, but it won't do anything until the service goes live sometime in the next couple of months.
Google Drive doesn't break the bank when it comes to storage. For a mere $20 a year, you can add 100 GB to your combined Google service data pool and apply that space to anything from Google Photos to overly-large emails. And now Google is making things a bit more clear when it comes to the subject of storage for its various services. The new Google One replaces all non-G Suite business Google Drive storage plans with a wider variety of storage options, some at an improved value.
OnePlus' breakup with Cyanogen Inc. was neither amicable nor expected, which seems to have left OnePlus in a bit of a bind. The company has managed to get its Lollipop-based OxygenOS ROM out the door for OnePlus One owners, but those hoping for a quick update to Android 5.1 will be disappointed. That's not happening until after the OnePlus 2 is released. The new Cyanogen OS is coming soon, though.
OnePlus put its "flagship-killer" on sale last week for $50 off. Now that you can actually buy it, that's a good deal. Today the company is announcing that the price drop is now permanent, and there's a Dropbox deal starting in just a few days.
OnePlus tried to assuage fears of a stagnating OS experience a few months ago during the CyanogenOS fallout by announcing it was working on a ROM for the OnePlus One. Eventually dubbed OxygenOS, the company has been working on getting the software out the door for several months. OnePlus promised to have it done by March 27th (today), but that's not happening. Bummer.
We're coming up on a year since the OnePlus One started rolling out via the now infamous invite system, but you still can't get the device everywhere. OnePlus is taking steps to rectify that by expanding availability to all EU countries. Here are the new markets the company expects to get into soon.
With just a week until we can expect to formally meet HTC's next flagship, we're already feeling like old friends of the device. We've seen it purportedly leaked six ways to Sunday, and if today's materials are to be believed, it looks like some of those leaks ended up being right. The HTC One M9 appears to have surfaced on Cyberport.de with copious renders and full specifications. First, let's have a look at the specs.
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As OnePlus One owners wait (im)patiently for a Lollipop update, there's still work to be done on KitKat for this device. OnePlus has completed work on a CM11 system update, and it's pushing to devices later today. The update is release 05Q (based on Android 4.4.4) and contains a hefty list of fixes and improvements.
OnePlus isn't letting the situation in India get it down—the OnePlus One is coming to Indonesia later this month, and that's a rather large market too. Sure, it's not India, but Indonesia is the 4th most populous country in the world with 250 million people. All of them will be able to pre-order the One on January 27th without an invite. Remember when you didn't need invites to buy a phone? Those were the days.
I'm quite cynical about OnePlus as a company, but I have to admit that I've heard a lot of praise for their phone from everyone who has tried it despite its many bugs and issues. However, there's one less reason for everyone to complain now, since the XNPH38R OTA update has started rolling out in stages according to an announcement on the OnePlus Forums.
OnePlus listed several features as notable when it announced the One in an unnecessarily drawn out fashion earlier this year. One of those items was the selection of StyleSwap covers. The battery in the OnePlus is non-removable, but the back was designed to be replaced with other finishes and materials. However, manufacturing issues have caused the company to cancel the StyleSwap covers completely after a long delay. OnePlus explains on its forums that this isn't settling—no, this is just "complicated decisions."
A number of HTC One M8 owners running on AT&T's network have started to receive an over-the-air software update delivering Android 4.4.3 to their devices. It doesn't bring about a big visual change for a flagship phone that already launched with KitKat, but the number of optimizations and security fixes contained within this release make it something worth downloading. Well, there's that, and there's the warm fuzzy feeling that comes from running a newer version of Android.
The OnePlus One is receiving another OTA today - one I'm probably more excited about than any other OTA the company has released so far. Mostly because unlocking the phone and using apps has deteriorated into a constant battle with an unresponsive and very moody touchscreen. Supposedly, this update should resolve this pretty major flaw, along with a few other things which I've detailed below, including the poor battery life we covered recently.
There's a reason major device updates tend to roll out in stages. Some of the earlier recipients of the OnePlus One's big July OTA were hit with a bug where the PIN unlock screen did not display properly. OnePlus hasn't wasted any time hopping on this issue, and they're now pushing out a hotfix to the limited people who received the first OTA already and those who have flashed manually.
People who have received a OnePlus One through one means or another are now receiving an over-the-air software update that addresses a charging issue affecting the device. Sometimes the phone would think it's plugged into USB when it's actually plugged into AC power and, as a result, charge only half as fast, if not slower. The handset would display Charging (USB) instead of Charging (AC). This information is available in the Status screen under settings, which is visible at the top of the third screenshot below.
HTC's upcoming M8 has been the topic of much speculation and many leaks (legitimate or otherwise) in recent weeks. @evleaks has shown us what is apparently HTC's latest Sense refresh for the unnamed device, confirming previous rumors that HTC would ditch capacitive keys in favor of on-screen navigation. We've also heard (and seen) rumors of dual rear-facing cameras.
It's about that time of year, folks - as Mobile World Congress approaches at the end of February, more and more upcoming phones are going to be leaked. The first major leak is from @HTCFamily_ru, which posted a photo of an unknown HTC phone this morning. It appears to be a new member of the One family; the rear is the only visible angle, but it's showing off what looks like two cameras on the back.
CyanogenMod's first officially supported handset, the Oppo N1, has just hit retail. However, the company has teased another partnership recently, but refused to confirm any of the speculation surrounding the fledgling smartphone startup OnePlus. Now the company has officially acknowledged that it will be working with Cyanogen Inc. on hardware. It even announced the name of its first device – the OnePlus One (or... the Two?).