What a week we’ve had — for what felt like a slow week we’ve certainly managed to cram a lot into it, from hardware launches to hardware leaks to new and leaked software for Google and the steady growth of Android Pay in Australia. It has been a little crazy.
We’ve seen more leaks of the 2016 Nexus devices, the launch of the stunning Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and some fantastic news from ZTE about their much desired Axon 7 device. New software both released and leaked has come down to us from Google and we’ve even for some great deals for you. So jump down below and check out the highlights of the week.
It’s been raining Nexus all week
With the two new Google/ Nexus device immediately ready for release the leaks are reaching a feverish pitch. The big news is we confirmed that two HTC made phones for Google have passed through the FCC in the USA, this means Google is now free to release the device whenever they wish, from a regulatory perspective. We saw a couple more leaked images of the new devices surface.
Thanks to Canadian carrier Telus, swiftly followed by our own Optus, releasing their software update schedules we now know that Android 7.0 Nougat is set to commence rollout from as early as Monday next week. That’s great for existing Nexus 5X and 6P (and perhaps Nexus 6) users, but what about new phones? Traditionally the new software release accompanies new hardware from Google so you can bet that we will be on the look-out for any signs the new devices are launching this week.
Google’s Duo Video chat service is rolling out from today
This week saw Google bring its new video chat service Duo to the world, in the typical Google rollout fashion. Just two short days later we could officially download it in Australia. For those who aren’t familiar with the new service Google announced at Google IO, Duo is a person to person video chat app, similar to Hangouts video chat or FaceTime on iOS. However, unlike similar products Duo can only be authenticated on one device at a time and it has no web or desktop client (yet). Hopefully, Google swiftly moves to add these features.
Hello Allo, our first tiny glimpse at Google’s new messaging app.
With Duo launching this week we were wondering when Google’s new messaging app would show itself, we didn’t have to wait long with a few glimpses of the new app leaking out. We didn’t get to see a lot new, the interface looks very similar to what was demoed on stage at Google IO and Google’s new Assistant was not yet on show.
We did get to see Google’s latest attempt at making stickers for messaging so if that’s you thing you should go check them out. With Allo rumoured to be similar to Duo at launch in that it will be tied to one device with no web component I just don’t see how it will make it against the likes of Telegram and Whatsapp.
Launches
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 launch
That’s right this week saw the hotly anticipated Galaxy Note 7 go on sale down under, and across the world. Just a few days prior our Australian Review of the Note 7 went out, quick summary, the Android ecosystem has a new Best Device if you want to find out why jump in and read the full review. Are you considering or did you get a Galaxy Note 7? Let us know in our poll.
ZTE Axon 7 is coming to Australia
A few months ago ZTE launched their latest high-end Android phone, the Axon 7. At the time we weren’t able to confirm if the phone was coming to Australia. We had many enquiries from readers about band compatibilities for grey imports. As of this week, you have no need to grey import the device, ZTE is bringing it down under. Australia will be getting a 64GB of storage paired with 4GB of RAM, while not the top of the line it is still better than most other Android devices on the market. We’ve got a review unit coming so stay tuned for that.
News
Australian Banks expand support for Android Pay
After the initial launch of Android Pay, we haven’t seen much in the way of new financial institutions being added to the supporters list. That all changed this week with two lots of Android pay expansion news. Firstly Google added 6 more financial institutions to their support page, and then we confirmed with ING that they will be going live next Wednesday. There may even be a little movement from at least on of the remaining 3 big banks who haven’t come on board, but we’ll believe it when we see it.
Deals
Get the complete works of C.S Lewis on Google Play Books or Amazon Kindle books for a measly 88c
If you’re a fan of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia or the Space Trilogy Series, or in fact, many of the prolific English writers work for $0.88 this could be one of the best deals I’ve seen in awhile.
The Good Guys are offering a deal that could get you a Chromecast 2 for just $25
Our resident bearded Android freak and beloved Editor in Chief Dan Tyson has figured out how you can grab two Chromecasts from the Good Guys for just $25 each. If you want to see the inner workings of his mind or just star the wheels of discount in motion then check out his plan.
