Happy Monday everyone!
We're at the tail end of phone season here in Android land, but there are still some to look out for. The LG V20 is almost ready to appear on shelves and hands, and we've got a smaller sibling to the well-received AXON 7 from ZTE on its way. Not to mention Google's Pixel which is due to hit mailboxes in just a few days.
That means we can all take a deep breath and have time to look at the other things that make the Android ecosystem so awesome — Android Wear has some changes coming and we'll be digging through the developer previews and the same goes for Android 7.1 which should be rolling out in preview form for the Nexus 6P and 5X before the end of the month. That's followed closely by Google Home and Google WiFi, new Chromecasts, and, well forget what I said about taking a deep breath!
Here's what's going on today to keep all of us busy!
T-Mobile opens up V20 pre-orders at $769
Pre-orders get a free set of B&O Play H3 headphones, a $150 value, and customers can knock up to $200 more off the MSRP by turning in their current phone. The V20 also supports T-Mobile's new AWS-3 network, as we previously knew. In-store availability is set for October 28.
Acer refreshes Chromebook 15 line with longer battery life
The new models come in black instead of the previous white, sport up to 12 hours of battery life and will be compatible with Android apps from Google Play in the future. The core of the experience remains the same with a 15.6-inch display, Celeron N3060 processor and a minimum of 2GB of RAM. Pre-orders are already live at Walmart.
ZTE's Axon 7 Mini is under $300 and available for pre-order
Interested in ZTE's Axon 7, but don't want to cart around a 5.5-inch device? ZTE's launching the smaller, mid-range Axon 7 Mini on Halloween. Best Buy will be the first to offer the device in gold, with other retailers to follow suit. You can read up on its specifications and availability here.
Development tips for health and fitness apps from the expert
Mary Liz McCurdy, Health & Fitness Lead at Google Play, tells us how health and fitness app developers can use a few simple practices to make better apps. These great tips can make your app fun to use, and more importantly, help people develop their own more healthy lifestyle. More
Google Flights gets even smarter with new alerts and price tracking
If you're searching for a flight, Google Flights will now give you smart predictions about when you should book to get the best price. You'll be able to opt into alerts and favorite routes to follow between the desktop and your phone.
The Chrome Web Store opens in Cuba
Starting October 19, developers can publish free apps, themes, and extensions for a new Cuban Chrome Web Store. Content currently marked for all regions will be published in Cuba by default, but developers can fine tune their regional settings in the Chrome store publishing settings. More
Unlocked AT&T Priv will get updated directly from BlackBerry
Folks who bought an unlocked AT&T branded BlackBerry Priv will now have their updates handled directly from the Waterloo mothership instead of them going through AT&T. This is great news and we hope it extends to models built for other carriers. More
Only four more days to go until Friday, We'll be here to help you make it through.
