Google Pixel 2 phones to get three-year software update support

We've lived with two-year software update for so long that getting an extra year is a big deal. And it seems Google is willing to give this to it Pixel 2 and 2 XL owners. The tech giant just updated its support page showing that the new Pixels are getting three years for both security patches and software updates. Security patches have had the three-year promise for a while but the software update extension is definitely a welcome change. And if Google continues to release Android updates on a yearly basis, then it's possible your Pixel 2 will receive up to Android R by the year 2020. 

Source: Android Police 

Google slashes the price of its USB-C to 3.5mm dongle in half, now costs $10

The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are two flagships that have also gotten rid of the 3.5mm headphone jack. It now requires you to buy the headphone jack dongle if you want to listen to music on the device with wired earphones/headphones. And it wasn’t cheap when Google released it at $20. Thankfully, Google seems to have realized this was a tad too expensive and cut the price in half. It now costs $10, which is in the same price range as Apple’s replacement headphone jack dongle for the new iPhones.

Canadian Google Pixel owners have until January 2021 to take advantage of ‘original quality’ Google Photos uploads

All good and free things must come to an end. And that also goes for the ability of Pixel users to upload “original quality” photos and videos to their Google Photos app. For the US users, the access will end by 2020. Meanwhile, we get an extra two weeks or so as the free option will be taken off the table on January 15, 2021. It hasn’t been explicitly said if all uploads done before the end date will remain available to users but at this point we assume that it will. To continue to upload new images and videos in their original state past the deadline, it seems you’ll have to start paying as you would for extra storage on, let’s say, Google Drive. If you switch back to the “high quality” setting though, you’ll continue to have free storage for your Pixel.

Source: Android Authority

Report hints at release dates for the new Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

Leaked render of the Google Pixel 2 XL

The Google event, which is where we’re expecting to see the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, is almost upon us. But information about the new devices are still cropping up online. This time, the latest leak from Evan Blass (@evleaks) hints at the release date for the two devices. The Pixel 2 will supposedly be arriving this month on October 19^th, to be specific, while the Pixel 2 XL will be coming next month on November 15^th. According to Blass’s story on VentureBeat, there could also be a pre-order period for both devices ahead of the release but it wasn’t stated when that would be. With the Pixel 2 supposedly coming out a couple of weeks after this event, we won’t be surprised if that happens immediately.

When it comes to price, the Droid Life reported a few weeks ago that the Pixel 2 will reportedly retain last year’s prices at US$649 for the 64GB version and US$749 for the 128GB. And the Pixel 2 XL gets a price bump from US$769 for the 32GB to US$849 for the 64GB model and from last year’s US$869 for the 128GB model to US$949 for the same storage size.

Source: Android Authority