As is par for the course, the next version of Android — known right now only as “Android M” — will be given a (usually) delicious dessert name. In the past, that’s included Ice Cream Sandwich, Eclair, Donut, KitKat, and, most recently, Lollipop.

A changing of the dessert guard is almost upon us, though, and now Google is making sure that everyone keeping an eye out for the next dessert stay interested: They’ve released a new music video to tease what the next iteration of Android will be called. The video goes over what’s come before, but unfortunately doesn’t actually drop any hints as to what M will be called.

As far as possibilities go? Well, Google’s own video suggests things like Milkshake, M&M, Mocha, Moon Pie, and Malt Ball. Considering Google isn’t afraid to use a name brand for its branding, M&M is certainly a strong possibility.

What M dessert do you hope/think Google will choose?

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Stagefright patches have been rolling out recently, including fixes for some Nexus-branded handsets, and carriers have been getting into the mix, too. Now OnePlus has announced its own update for its One smartphone.

In its forums, OnePlus officially announced the OxygenOS 1.0.2 update, which will bring its custom Android UI to the latest version and include a patch to alleviate Stagefright woes at the same time. OnePlus says the new software can be downloaded and installed from the forums, and the company adds that a phone reset isn’t necessary.

Despite no stories emerged of the Stagefright exploit actually being utilized on a wide range of Android users, the fact that an exploit exists where malicious individuals could exploit a device simply by sending a specific type of MMS was a big deal, so it’s good to see so many companies patching the security issue as quickly as they could.

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With as often as carriers have been changing their plans, one might think they can’t seem to make up their minds. Verizon Wireless recently introduced new data plans and completely ejected two-year contracts from its offerings, and now AT&T is refreshing its Mobile Share Value plans, too.

Today the big blue carrier officially unveiled a series of new data bucket options for its Mobile Share Value plans, with a few key changes thrown in to keep people on their toes. Here’s how it breaks down, in a nice graph:

The changes start with the 2GB for $30 plan, which is a nice compromise to the previous 1GB/$25 and 3GB/$40 plans that AT&T has ditched with this refresh. The carrier is also getting rid of the old 6GB/$70 plan, replacing it with a 5GB/$50 option instead. Previously, on AT&T’s Mobile Share Value plan option, there was a 10GB/$100 offering, but now that’s been boosted to 15GB for $100 per month. And, finally, AT&T is now giving subscribers access to its 20GB plan for $140 per month, down from $150 per month.

The wireless carrier also says that it will offer 25GB, 30GB, 40GB, and 50GB. The 25GB per month option will run subscribers $175 per month, but pricing for all of the other options haven’t been revealed.

There are still a lot of options for subscribers to choose from, especially when compared to Verizon’s ridiculously slimmed down offerings. Choice is usually a good thing so that subscribers might find just what they’re looking for. And the increase in data allotment for the $100 per month plan is a nice boost.

What do you think of the new plans?

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It’s been suggested that Google might launch two new Nexus phones in 2015 — one made by LG and one from Huawei — and now one of those devices may have been shown off.

A video that claims to shown a render of the LG “Bullhead” Nexus has been posted by uSwitch and @OnLeaks. The render, which is allegedly based off of factory schematics given to accessory makers, shows a device with front-facing speakers, a protruding rear camera, and a rear-mounted fingerprint reader. The bottom of the unit also houses a USB Type-C port, and the phone’s screen reportedly measures 5.2 inches.

The LG Bullhead’s dimensions are reportedly going to be 146.9 x 72.9mm x 8mm, though that protruding camera will allegedly stick out to 9.8mm. To compare, the Nexus 5 is 137.84 x 69.17 x 8.59mm.

Since this render is said to be based off of schematics sent to accessory makers, it likely lacks details related to colors and branding that the final phone will have. The render does give us a basic idea of what LG’s new Nexus might look like, though. And with a debut that might not happen until October, we’re betting that more leaks will fill in the detail gaps in the coming weeks.

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Google Play services 7.8 has finally been rolled out to every single eligible Android user as of today, and we all have access to the new features. And this update is a big one. Introduced is the new Nearby Messages, which is an API we’ve covered before. It allows Android devices to act as beacons for other nearby devices, which opens doors for some great app ideas.

Another feature is the Mobile Vision API, which consists of two APIs. The Face API is a big improvement over the previous facial recognition system. It can find faces in all orientations and single out specific parts of the face, including seeing if you’re smiling. The Barcode API can read multiple barcodes in real-time.

Lastly, Google Cloud Messaging has been updated and improved, as well as prepped for the upcoming Android M release. It will feature high and low priority messages in the next version of Android. If you want to check out more details or download the SDK, hit the source link!

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Welcome back to Android Gaming Weekly, our weekly recap of new game releases. We still plan to cover upcoming releases and games we’re playing, but this column is dedicated to new games that you can start playing right now. Check out our top picks and let us know in the comments section if you have any suggestions for next week’s post.

Space Drill

Description: In Space Drill your task is to drill through the enemy space station and destroy its core. Touch left and right to dodge the obstacles coming your way. Keep an eye out for the Heat level of your drill – you can’t let it overheat before reaching the core!

Card Crawl

Description:  Clear the Dungeon of 54 cards by using item-cards, slaying monsters and managing your limited inventory. Each run you can use 5 ability-cards (mini deck building) which will give you unique skills. 

Oddwings Escape

Description: Fly through beautiful islands, solving exciting physics based challenges. Unlock and upgrade amazing new characters to unleash their powers. Race against your friends and other players for fame and glory!

Gathering Sky

Description:  Guide a flock of birds on a playful journey across the sky. Dance in the winds of a far-away world and create an emotional story without words.

Fallout Shelter

Description: Create a brighter future…underground! Select from a variety of modern-day rooms to turn an excavation beneath 2,000 feet of bedrock into the very picture of Vault Life.

March of Empires

Description: Claim your title as Highland King, Northern Czar or Desert Sultan, and join this genre-redefining strategy game where you will wage constant war for real territorial conquest!

Gravity Beats

Description: Plan your flight to pass through cannons, rotators, propellers and magnets and collect those discs and load it onto your little spaceship so you can meet SuperComp and maybe even save the planet!

Zoombinis

Description: Play Zoombinis and guide the little blue creatures through fun and increasingly challenging puzzles on their way to a new home.

Vikings: War of Clans

Description: You must lead brave warriors into battle, conquer the world and prove your might against players from all over the world.

Sniper Who Forgot To Open Eyes

Description:   If you are looking for a serious sniper game, then run and hide and never come back! …are you still here?! We would unlock an achievement for you but there is no such functionality implemented in Google Play! Get that achievement in the game!

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Chromebooks are an interesting breed that’s had trouble hitting the sweet spot of affordability and quality. The spectrum is extreme, with a number of budget Chromebooks on the left side and the incredibly high-quality and budget-breaking Chromebook Pixel on the right side. Dell, however, is aiming for a good middle ground with its latest entrant, the Dell Chromebook 13.

Starting from the design, the Dell Chromebook 13 stands out from the crowd with a carbon fiber top panel and aluminum on the underside. Opening it up reveals a classy glass trackpad centered in a palm rest crafted of magnesium alloy, all settled beneath a backlit keyboard. From the very basics, the Dell Chromebook 13 stands out from the crowd.

Specs-wise, you’ll find a 13-inch 1080p matte IPS display that’s reportedly crisp and clear, unlike many other matte displays on the market. The basic model will also bring a 1.5GHz Intel Celeron processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, 12-hour battery life and a boot time of just six seconds. All of that will come with an affordable price tag of $399.

If that doesn’t sound premium to you, worry not. Dell is offering customization of the specs on the Chromebook 13, with options all the way up to an Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM. If you’d like, you can even choose to have a touchscreen with Gorilla Glass overtop. That gives pricing options ranging from the basic $399 model all the way up to a high-end, fully-specced $899 model.

That top-range model isn’t cheap, but it still costs less than the Chromebook Pixel and offers plenty of features for serious customers. Dell is targeting online workers with the Chromebook 13, which shows through in its software additions. You’ll be able to find high-security VPN software and even a remote workspace program to access Windows machines all integrated into the software via collaboration between Dell and Google.

With the Chromebook 13, Dell could have a winner on its hands. It likely won’t break any sales records, but it’s not intending to. Instead, Dell is targeting an audience that hasn’t been sought after by previous Chromebooks. With that goal in mind, the Chromebook 13 will succeed.

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The Amazon App Store is good for a free paid app every day and about once a month Amazon blows it out with around $100 of paid apps available for the price of a few clicks. Through August 15th Amazon is offering 39 paid apps normally worth over $90 for free.

There are some pricy titles in there like Docs to Go Premium, PrintHand Mobile Print Premium, AVG Antivirus PRO Android Security, and Tiny Scan Pro: PDF Document Scanner. These apps will all run you $5-$12 most days, which can be tough to swallow if you are only going to make occasional use of them, so if you think you’ll ever have need of them today is the day to snatch them up.

On the games front there are some favorites like Goat Simulator, Scribblenauts Remix, Bloons TD 5, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Fruit Ninja. Fans of puzzle games might want to download Cubistry, Lyne, or Trainyard. If you are looking for educational apps there’s King of Math and Distant Suns.

That’s just a small sample of what’s available, there’s 25 additional apps and games that might appeal to you so head over to the Amazon App Store and look over the full list.

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In its dual event in New York and London, Samsung has announced its latest devices, the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge+, which is essentially a curved display variant of the Note 5 sans S Pen, even though its name is a bit misleading. Both phones are high-end and there’s a lot to cover, so we’ll get right into it with the Galaxy Note 5. Here’s a rundown of the specs on it:

• 5.7-inch QHD (2560×1440) Super AMOLED display
• Octa-core Exynos 7420 processor with max clock speed of 2.1GHz
• 4GB DDR4 RAM
• 32/64GB storage
• 16-megapixel rear camera with optical image stabilization and f/1.9 aperture
• 5-megapixel front-facing camera with f/1.9 aperture
• 3,000mAh battery with fast charging and fast wireless charging
• NFC
• Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) payment capability
• Fingerprint scanner
• Samsung Knox security
• S Pen
• Android 5.1 Lollipop

That’s the rundown on the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, which doesn’t disappoint in terms of specs. The Galaxy S6 edge+ features the same list of specs, but its display has curved edges on both sides and it doesn’t have the S Pen. The Galaxy Note 5 will be offered in two color variants of Black Sapphire and White Pearl. The Galaxy S6 edge+ will be available in Black Sapphire and Gold Platinum.

Both phones will be available for pre-order today beginning at 3PM EST, with a release date set for August 21. Samsung has confirmed that both devices will be available from Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and US Cellular, though exact pricing and availability have yet to be released by each carrier.

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Xiaomi has just introduced its successor to the Redmi Note, aptly named the Redmi Note 2, and it’s quite a stunner when comparing specs and price. The Redmi Note 2 packs in a whole load of specs, so we’ll dive right into it with a full list of the specs for you to peruse:

• 5.5-inch Full HD (1920×1080) display
• 2.2GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio X10 processor
• 2GB RAM
• 16GB storage
• 13-megapixel rear camera with phase-detection autofocus
• 3,020mAh battery
• Android 5.1 Lollipop with MIUI 7 overtop
• dual-SIM 4G LTE support

Pricing is set up in three tiers. There will be a 32GB version, sold as the Redmi Note 2 Prime, with 4G LTE connectivity in both SIM slots that will sell for 999 Yuan, or about $160 USD. The 16GB version with 4G LTE connectivity in both SIM slots will be priced at 899 Yuan ($144 USD) and a 16GB version with 4G LTE connectivity in only one slot will run you 799 Yuan ($128 USD). The Redmi Note 2 will be available in five different color options of white, black, pink, brown, and light blue.

Xiaomi is pricing very competitively with the Redmi Note 2, giving it excellent specs for its low price. As of right now, it looks like the device is headed only to China, which is a bit disappointing for all of us outside of the country. That being said, it’s going to be an interesting day when Xiaomi expands its phones to global availability.

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