How would you like to start your weekend with a leak of a couple of unannounced Android phones? Good, because that’s what we’ve got for you!

Several images of the Sony Xperia C5 Ultra and Xperia M5 have made their way online. The Xperia C5 Ultra is the larger of the pair, boasting a 6-inch 1080p display with crazy-thin side bezels that reportedly measure just 0.8mm thick. The full Xperia C5 Ultra spec list is said to look like this:

• 6-inch 1920×1080 display
• 1.7GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6752 processor
• 13-megapixel front and rear cameras, front and rear flashes
• 16GB of storage
• microSD slot
• 2GB of RAM
• NFC
• Dual SIM support
• 2930mAh battery

While the Xperia C5 Ultra is unquestionably a large phone because of its 6-inch display, its super-thin side bezels ought to make it a bit easier to handle than you might expect. Combine that big screen with the C5 Ultra’s 13-megapixel cameras and a price that’s reportedly going to be around 21,000 or 22,000 Rubles ($340 to $356 USD) and the C5 Ultra could be an interesting option in the affordable smartphone market.

Moving on to the smaller phone of the pair, the Xperia M5 will reportedly offer the following specs:

• 5-inch 1920×1080 screen
• 2GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio X10 processor
• 21.5-megapixel rear, 13-megapixel front cameras
• 16GB of storage
• microSD slot
• 3GB of RAM
• 2600mAh battery
• IP65/68 rated for resistance to dust and water

The Xperia M5 will reportedly cost 24,000 to 25,000 Rubles ($389 to $405 USD), which makes since because it’s slightly higher-specced than the Xperia C5 Ultra. And while its design may not be quite as notable since it doesn’t have the C5 Ultra’s super-thin bezels, the Xperia M5 does have a dust and water-resistant body and beefy front and rear cameras.

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Welcome back to our weekly Top 10 Android App Updates column, where we take a look at the most frequently upgraded apps for the week. We’ve found that one of the best ways to discover useful apps is to find the ones that are actually being updated by the developers rather than selecting the apps with the most installs. As in the past, we’re going to filter out minor updates for the super-popular apps that have over 10 million installs, but we’ll make exceptions for apps that have had significant updates. We hope you enjoy this weekly feature and that you discover some apps that end up being useful.

Microsoft Groove – Version 3.0.50729

What’s new in this version:

• Offline playback is now supported for many new devices
• You no longer need Groove Music Pass to use the app! (Certain features still require it)
• New app name and design
• Music in your OneDrive music folder now appears as part of your collection
• In addition to playlists, you can now download individual songs and albums for offline use

3DMark – Version 1.5.3263

What’s new in this version:

• New Sling Shot tests for OpenGL ES 3.1+3.0
• New hardware monitoring charts
• Android TV support
• Russian localization

Google Translate – Version 4.0.0

What’s new in this version:

• Smoother conversation in 40 languages. Improved accessibility support.
• Instantly translate printed text in 20 new languages with your camera:
• TO/FROM English: Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Filipino, Finnish, Hungarian, Indonesian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian FROM English to: Hindi, Thai
  

Rhapsody Music Player – Version 5.0.0.219

What’s new in this version:

• Rhapsody has a brand new look!
• New mini player: updated design, swipe to change tracks, favorite right from the mini player
• New full screen player: new design, simplified experience
• New overall look
• Several bug fixes

Motorola FM Radio – Version 02.00.0045

What’s new in this version:

• Material Design, Sleep timer, Recording, tuner usability improvements and user settings enhancements

PrayerMate – Version 4.0.1

What’s new in this version:

• Adds automatic sync via Dropbox (under “Advanced settings” menu)
• New “Take Words With You” scriptural prayer builder

CloudPlayer by doubleTwist – Version 1.0.4

What’s new in this version:

• Added setting to turn Cellular Data use on or off. When off, streaming is WiFi-only.
• Added full FLAC support (including 24bit 192KHz). We no longer rely on Android’s FLAC (which is buggy on Samsung devices).
• Added support for WMA (Windows Media Audio) files in Cloud Storage.
• Improved handling of mp3 files that contain corrupt frames (which was causing playback to skip to next track).

HipChat – Version 3.1.0

What’s new in this version:

Chrome Browser – Version 44.0.0

What’s new in this version:

• Bug fixes and speedy performance improvements.

Snowball – Version 2.0.3

What’s new in this version:

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Early on Friday, July 31, NVIDIA officially announced that some SHIELD tablet units were being recalled, due to a potentially serious fire hazard tied to the battery within the device. Fortunately for some SHIELD tablet owners, not every unit was recalled. And for those that weren’t being called upon to send their unit back, the company has seen fit to release a brand new software update to the devices out in the wild.

NVIDIA’s calling it OTA 3.1, and with the new software — which should be rolling out now — SHIELD tablet owners will receive Android 5.1.1 on their devices. As NVIDIA points out in the official forum posting, this update is meant to address issues behind the scenes and doesn’t really offer any forward-facing upgrades. With Android 5.1.1 on board, SHIELD tablet owners should expect to hopefully see some performance enhancements, while other optimizations will hopefully make the overall experience better in day-to-day use.

Android 5.1.1 is rolling out now to the SHIELD tablet, so if you own one keep an eye out for the new software.

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While the YotaPhone 2 was still being hyped, it was revealed that the U.S.-based launch would only happen if an Indiegogo campaign was successful. Turns out, despite that successful campaign, it’s not going to happen anyway.

According to a report published by The Verge that cites an email sent to Indiegogo backers by Yota Devices, the reason behind canceling the YotaPhone 2′s U.S. launch has to do with issues connected to its manufacturing partners. That includes unforeseen delays in both “production and delivery of the North American variant of YotaPhone 2 from our manufacturer.” As such, the email adds that “the logistics were insurmountable and the device would simply arrive too late.” Interestingly enough, the delay was so significant that Yota Devices says the shipments to U.S. customers of the YotaPhone 2 would actually conflict with their plans for 2016, and U.S. customers would be receiving the YotaPhone 2 while other regions were already receiving better YotaPhones.

As a result of the change in plans, Yota Devices says there are two options:

• For those who are avid fans of our hardware and innovation, we offer you the option to receive an International version of YotaPhone 2 (YD201) in Black only. For those backers living outside of North America, this is the exact phone we already planned to send you. For those living in the US, this phone will work with major GSM carriers including AT&T and T-Mobile. The unfortunate situation is that it will remain locked to HSPA+ (3G/3G+) bands and will not be active on 4G/LTE.
• For those of you who are not interested in the International YotaPhone 2, you’ll have the option to request a refund. We’re still figuring out the logistics for this, but the refunds will not be charged back to your credit card. We will instead send a reimbursement to you directly.

At this point, Yota Devices is partnering with a new manufacturer, and its plans for the future will include the United States, too. Unfortunately that won’t include the YotaPhone 2, but some unknown handset(s) at some later date.

Did you back the YotaPhone 2 as a U.S.-based customer?

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At the tail-end of May, Google released the first developer preview for Android M, the company’s next iteration of its not-so-mobile-anymore operating system. It would take over a month before the second developer preview would find its way to developers, and it’s looking like the wait for the third installment might be even longer.

As noted in the Android M Developer Preview Google+ community by moderator Wojtek Kaliciński, the third developer preview for Android M has been delayed for an unknown amount of time as the company prepares it for release. The post indicates that Google wants this release to be the “near final” build for Android M, so that developers have it to test on before the public launch later this year, and to get that level of completeness they need more time:

“We want this to be a near final release to test your apps on, but we need a little more time to get it out to you. Please be patient and refrain from posting speculations about the release date in the community. We will announce the Preview 3 availability here and on +Android Developers as soon as it’s ready.“

The post adds that a release date for Preview 3 will be made public via the +Android Developers page whenever it’s ready to go live, but just when that will be is anyone’s guess at this point.

Have you been trying out the Android M preview so far?

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NVIDIA has announced a voluntary recall of the SHIELD tablet due to concerns that the battery in certain models could overheat and pose a fire risk. If you’ve got an NVIDIA SHIELD tablet, grab it and follow these steps to see if your device is affected:

• Launch the Settings app.
• Select About tablet.
• Select Status.
• In the Battery category, you’ll see either “Y01” or “B01”.
• If you see “B01,” your device is not affected by the recall.
• If you see “Y01,” your device is affected and will need to be replaced.

If you’ve got a “Y01” model, tap that number to launch the recall application. You’ll be shown your device’s serial number, which you need to enter along with your contact information into the NVIDIA recall website.

NVIDIA is replacing all of the affected SHIELD tablet units, so if you’ve got a Y01 model, you should make sure that your data is backed up and then leave the device alone. NVIDIA will send you a new tablet, and once it’s turned on, your original unit will be deactivated and made unusable.

This is a pretty serious issue that NVIDIA has found with certain SHIELD tablet models, but at least the company appears to be making the recall process simple with a clear website and built-in recall app. If you’ve got an NVIDIA SHIELD tablet, grab that thing now and check to see if its got a bad battery.

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It looks like the OnePlus 2 is getting really popular. OnePlus is once again bringing out its invite system, and the reservation list has now surpassed 1 million sign ups. This means over one million people are waiting for an invite from the company, which is some serious social popularity.

During the OnePlus One invite days, OnePlus kept delaying the device and only releasing it in limited quantities. The production on the device was way too low and OnePlus simply couldn’t handle the demand. This time around the company claims it’s taking estimated demand into account, but demand is getting pretty crazy.

Hopefully this time around there will be enough OnePlus 2s to go around. For now, we’ll wait for the invites to start going out. Are you on the list?

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Google Glass is still in development, and a new retail version will eventually launch, but for now Google is taking a different approach. According to this report, the company has been prepping a new model of Google Glass exclusively for workplaces and businesses, not meant for public use.

The new model comes with a bigger battery that’s said to last 2 hours longer, swappable magnetic batteries, a faster processor made by Intel, and a bigger “display” prism that’s more adjustable. It will also fold, unlike the Explorer model.

This doesn’t mean that a public version isn’t being made, though. It’s just being developed behind closed doors, like the head of Google Glass believes it should. We’ll get our version eventually, but for now Google wants to see it perform in the workplace.

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The newly announced Moto X Style, or Pure Edition here in the States, is an awesome device I’m very excited to try and maybe even purchase. But it won’t be available in carrier stores, only unlocked for all four carriers. But Motorola may be working on some carrier versions, according to a few sources.

According to @evleaks, Motorola’s working on both a MAXX 2 and a Turbo 2. These would likely be coming to Verizon under the Droid name, boasting similar specs to the top tier Moto X. Motorola design head Jim Wicks claims that the Droid series will continue, so it’s likely this will happen.

Hellomotohk has also released a few photos of what they claim is a 2015 Droid model. There looks to be wireless charging included, but not much else can be said.

Source: @evleaks, PCMag, Hellomotohk

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Angry Birds has gone through a lot of games, but surprisingly, they were all spinoffs of the original. Whether it was in space, in the tropics, or in the Star Wars universe, technically they were all versions of the first game. There hasn’t been a sequel to the popular game until now.

Angry Birds 2 is finally available for download! It’s very similar to the original game, but with improvements and added features. It’s the same old bird tossing mechanic but now you get to choose your birds, use special spells, knock down multiple stages at once, and even fight boss pigs. Rovio also added competitive multiplayer in the form of arenas, though it seems that’s more battling for score than each other.

In all honesty, the original game was great and lots of fun. Yes, it got old, but that’s why waiting to release the sequel was probably a good idea. Now that people haven’t been assaulted with Angry Birds everywhere they go, maybe they’ll give it another go. The initial reviews are positive, so go check it out!

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