TL;DR A YouTuber has jumped through a major hoop in order to get source code from an Android OEM. Umidigi requires customers to visit their Shenzhen office during business hours. The firm also says employees at this office only speak Chinese languages. The timely release of source code from Android manufacturers is one of the biggest annoyances in the enthusiast and custom ROM community. We’ve seen plenty of OEMs drag their feet in this regard, even though they are obliged to release this code as part of GPLv2.

It’s not everyday you can say your smartphone is stuff of space-bound satellites. With NASA retrofitting some of their satellites with Android phones, then, you can imagine how flexible our little devices can be. But what exactly made NASA’s Ames Research Center decide to send smartphones into space, and what made them decide to go for a Samsung Nexus S in their project?NASA’s The Human Exploration and Telerobotics (HET) team uses satellites called Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites or “SPHERES,” which are used inside the International Space Station, and are designed for investigative applications in zero-gravity.

The device, which goes by the model number SM-7100, looks oddly reminiscent of last year’s Galaxy Alpha, though some have also said it looks similar to this year’s Galaxy S6. It is still unclear as to just what the rear material is made out of: some have reported aluminum (metal) though it often looks reflective and thus glass-like in most photos. Here as well, looking at the way the back surface reflects light along the perimeter would further lend support to the belief it’s another “glass sandwich.

If you want to find good deals on smartphones you can always check out our ‘Best cheap Android phones‘ list. But every now and then you can also find deals that may offer more bang for your buck. For example, today you can get a Motorola Droid Turbo for a little less than what a Moto G costs. Groupon is currently offering the Motorola Droid Turbo for $199.99, but you can also use coupon code “EXTRA15” during checkout to bring the price down to $169.

Google has been up to some big things in the past few months, including playing around with the very ABC’s that structure the company and announcing Android 6.0. Rumors and leaks have been flowing freely as well, of new Nexus products and even a second Chromecast. While we don’t know exactly what Mountain View has on the plates, we do know when it plans to serve them: earlier today the search giant sent out official RSVP invites for an event to be held on September 29th from 9AM in San Francisco.

The long-awaited Google Pixel Buds 2 recently went to market in April and users are already facing multiple audio issues with them. A number of users say that the audio on their Pixel Buds 2 randomly cuts out for a few seconds when the phone connected to them is placed in a pocket. This happens to many who use the earbuds for exercising outdoors, as they need to put their connected phones in their pockets.

TL;DR DxOMark posted its camera test results for the new Huawei P20 and P20 Plus, and both phones now top its overall list. The Huawei P20 Pro scored a total 109 rating, the highest ever for a mobile phone on the site. The phones also did extremely well for video quality, with the P20 Plus receiving a record 98 score. The Huawei P20 and P20 Pro became official today at Huawei’s event in Paris.

Update, August 31, 2018 (9:23AM PT): And just like that we have the price and release dates for all of the new P20 Pro colorways straight from the mouth of Huawei CEO Richard Yu. As you can see from the embedded presentation slides, the pearl white and aurora shades will be available from September 5 (markets to be confirmed) for both the P20 and P20 Pro priced at 649 euros (~$755) and 899 euros (~$1,046) respectively.

Reddit has struck again, this week correctly identifying that Apple is slowing down its older iPhones with iOS updates that throttle peak CPU speeds. The reason, according to Apple itself, is that it needs to limit performance in older phones to prevent unwanted shutdowns, and that those shutdowns are happening because old batteries can’t supply the necessary amount of current for its high performance processors. The theory that old products, particularly iPhones, are deliberately slowed down certainly isn’t new, but the conspiracy theories are wrong about the motivation.

The Moto G5 Plus has a functional design, but it’s more than a little dull. TL;DR Motorola is updating the Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus to Android 8.0 Oreo. The update is rolling out in India, Brazil, and Mexico with more regions to follow. Though they’re still within the two-year release window, it isn’t clear whether they will receive Android Pie later. Motorola is rolling out Android 8.