Android Oreo Update Rolling Out To T-Mobile’s HTC U11 Life

Last month HTC began rolling out the Android 8.0 Oreo update for unlocked HTC U11 handsets, and the good news is that if you don’t own the HTC U11 but rather the HTC U11 Life, it looks like the update is now headed your way, assuming that you bought your handset from T-Mobile.

In a tweet by the HTC USA account, they have announced that the Oreo update is rolling out to T-Mobile users who own the HTC U11 Life. The tweet reads, “The Android 8.0 Oreo update is now available for T-Mobile editions of the HTC U11 life. It’s a big update, so you must be on WiFi before attempting to download. Enjoy!”

Note that the HTC U11 Life was actually launched with Android Oreo and Android One in other markets that the handset was available in, but for some reason it was launched with Android 7.0 Nougat when it found its way to the US with a promise that it would eventually be updated to Oreo, and we guess that time is now.

The Oreo update should bring about the usual host of improvements and changes that one might expect from the Oreo update along with some HTC tweaks, so do keep an eye out for it on your handset if you haven’t been notified about it already.

Android Oreo Update Rolling Out To T-Mobile’s HTC U11 Life , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Bitcoin Miners In Venezuela Will Have To Register With The Government

One of the problems that governments are finding with bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is that there are no regulations in place to control it, but over in Venezuela, the local government is hoping to change that by developing a legal framework in which it would basically require all bitcoin miners to register with the government.

President Nicolás Maduro has also appointed Carlos Vargas as the first “superintendent of Venezuelan cryptocurrency”. According to Vargas, “We want to know who they are, we want to know where they are, we want to know what equipment they are using.” The online registry is expected to go live on the 22nd of December, 2017 and miners will have to register themselves.

This seems to be done in an effort to try and cut down or at least keep track of cryptocurrency and what it is used for. In a report from Cactus24, police raided a warehouse in the city of Barquisimeto and arrested a 31-year old who has been accused of money laundering, illicit enrichment, computer crimes, financing terrorism, exchange fraud, and damage to the national electric system.

According to the police, “Digital currency is not endorsed by any banking institution in the world nor has it been approved by any country. The currency is being marketed with legal appearance but in essence it operates in secret.” Presumably the registry will act like the serial numbers on our bank notes, where it can be traced and kept track of should it somehow be used in illegal activities.

Whether or not this is something that other countries will adopt in the future in a bid to regulate the cryptocurrency remains to be seen.

Bitcoin Miners In Venezuela Will Have To Register With The Government , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Hillary Clinton Steals The Show With Pitch-Perfect Cameo In ‘Song For Women’

“The Daily Show” looks back on the year.

A Face Swap Of Adam Driver And Keanu Reeves Is Blowing People’s Minds

“I AM CONFUSION.”

Self-healing glass could make cracked phone screens just a memory

Smartphones are very fragile devices, especially with the shift to glass-metal-glass sandwiches. Fortunately, parts can be replaced or repaired, but at some cost. One of the most expensive components is the screen, which usually comes with glass fused on top of the actual display panel. Glass might not scratch but it does shatter and crack. This glass from the University … Continue reading

iOS 11 Cydia jailbreak still ongoing despite drama

Jailbreaking on iOS and rooting on Android aren’t as big as they were years ago but communities around them still do exist. Fortunately or unfortunately, those communities are also some of the most passionate and most vocal around. So when the last remaining jailbreak for iOS goes silent, there’s unsurprisingly no small amount of frustration among some in that circle. … Continue reading

Wink pairs with Sonos to auto-tune your smart home

Sonos announced it was opening up its ecosystem a couple months back and, sure enough, controls for Tidal and Pandora followed, with Airplay 2 support also inbound. Unsurprisingly, its upcoming Alexa integration hogged the limelight, but the smart sp…

Huawei Confirms Plans To Sell Smartphones Through US Carriers In 2018

Recently there have been rumors that Huawei is planning on making a bigger push in the US market by partnering up with local carriers. While Huawei’s phones could already be bought in the US, being an official partner with a US carrier would certainly boost its reach, especially with carrier plans allowing customers to purchase phones via installment plans.

The good news is that if you’ve always liked Huawei’s products and wanted a more official way to purchase them, a report from ABC News has confirmed that the company will indeed be launching with US carriers in 2018. Details were not revealed, but this was confirmed by Huawei’s President of Consumer Business, Richard Yu, who said that more details were expected to be revealed at CES 2018 next year.

Yu was quoted as saying in an interview, “We will sell our flagship phone, our product, in the U.S. market through carriers next year. I think that we can bring value to the carriers and to consumers. Better product, better innovation, better user experience.” He also dismissed concerns about Huawei being viewed negatively by the US government with regards to security, saying, “In consumer sales, when people really start using Huawei products, they will change their minds.”

He also confirmed that the Mate 10 would be the phone they would kicking things off with, but did not mention anything regarding pricing yet.

Huawei Confirms Plans To Sell Smartphones Through US Carriers In 2018 , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Some Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL Headphone Adapters Are Not Working

Much to the chagrin of many an Android user, Google decided to drop the 3.5mm headphone jack from the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL smartphones. To make up for it, Google included a headphone adapter which allowed users to use their current headphones with 3.5mm plugs to plug into the USB-C port instead. This is something that other companies have been offering their customers a well.

Unfortunately it seems that for some users, this headphone adapter isn’t working. According to some user reports, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL owners are claiming that the bundled headphone jack aren’t working for them. The reports are claiming that when plugged in, it’s as if the headphone adapter isn’t recognized and sound continues to come from the phone’s speakers as opposed as through the headphones.

Oddly enough it seems that it might not necessarily be a hardware issue because according to some users, rebooting the phone fixes the problem. Google is also recommending that users try restarting their phones and booting it into safe mode to prevent other apps from potentially interfering with it, but as Android Police points out, having to boot a phone into safe mode just to listen to music seems a tad inconvenient.

In any case it is unclear as to what exactly could be the cause of the problem, and it is possible that for some users, the adapter could indeed be at fault. Google is offering replacements for those who are facing these issues, so maybe you could try getting a new adapter if this problem persists.

Some Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL Headphone Adapters Are Not Working , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Amazon Has Reportedly Shipped Three Times More Smart Speakers Than Google

It is safe to say that Amazon helped to kickstart the smart speaker revolution with their Echo devices and the Alexa digital assistant which despite being in such a competitive market, managed to surprise everyone at how effective it was. This led to other companies such as Google trying to follow suit with devices like the Google Home.

However it looks like despite attempts from the competition, Amazon is still leading the smart speaker pack. According to figures from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, Amazon is leading the way and apparently has shipped three times more smart speakers than Google. The report claims that as of September 2017, Google has shipped 7 million Google Home devices, versus Amazon who shipped about 20 million Echo units.

However it should be noted that these figures are up to September 2017, which means that taking into account the holiday sales and Black Friday sales, we could be looking at a different story. That being said, Amazon and Google aren’t alone in their smart speaker attempts as Apple has the HomePod that they’re planning for a release in 2018.

Let’s not forget Samsung who’s Bixby-powered speakers are expected to arrive in 2018 as well, so it will be interesting to see how those products will fare against the more established players.

Amazon Has Reportedly Shipped Three Times More Smart Speakers Than Google , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.