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The Pixel 2 phones will be announced on October 4. Stay tuned!

Google hasn't yet sent out invitations to its next event, but it is beginning to tease it. After sightings of a billboard in Boston suggested that we "ask more of our phone," Google has thrown up a homepage for the entire world with the same notion — the Pixel 2s are coming.

Dubbed Ask More, the page is quite simple and requests users share their email address to sign up for notifications about the upcoming event, which is officially slated for October 4. The official launch event will happen in San Francisco, with satellite events in Toronto and likely other places like London.

There's also a short teaser video showing people searching for common fixes to widespread phone problems. Smart, Google.

The news comes just hours after the company's larger Pixel XL 2 passed through the FCC, confirming that it will be built by LG, while we understand that the smaller Pixel will be built by HTC.

Do you prefer the trackball style mouse? Logitech finally updates its trackball design.

If you've become accustomed to trackball scrolling with your mouse, you'll be happy to learn that Logitech has just launched its first new design for a trackball mouse in almost a decade. It's called the MX Ergo and its design comes directly from Logitech fans that have figured out ways to make their own trackball mouse more comfortable.

What makes the MX Ergo stand out is its unique adjustable hinge that makes it possible for you to change the angle of your mouse position from 0 to 20 degrees. The mouse is also designed with ergonomics in mind. It is shaped to fit comfortably while your palm rests, but also gives you easy access to its scroll and click features.

The MX Ergo includes all the great features that Logitech's other mouse accessories have, like easy-switching (two channels), so you can switch between devices without having to re-pair anything. It comes with a unifying USB receiver, so you can pair up to six different Logitech peripherals to one computer, or you can connect it using Bluetooth.

It's wireless, using Bluetooth LE and a super-fast recharging system. According to Logitech, you could charge it from empty for just a single minute and it will last a full day of use.

We are so excited by this new trackball. It is back, better than ever and the idea for this trackball innovation was inspired by our users, who invented creative ways to achieve their desired level of comfort, sometimes adding additional wedges under their trackball for elevated angles," saidAnatoliy Polyanker, global portfolio and brand director at Logitech. "The MX Ergo is our first adjustable trackball that delivers on the need for elevated comfort in a beautiful design.

The MX Ergo costs $99.99 and will ship in mid-September. You can pre-order it from Logitech today.

See at Logitech

Fall is coming, and it cannot fall soon enough.

Summer is hot, and we're so over it. The scorching heat that makes you sweat all day; the summer flocks of tourists congesting the cities and highways; it can all go away. I'm ready for the kids to be back in school and the temperature outside to not melt things.

Fall is coming, PUMPKINS ARE BACK and the leaves are about to explode from a boring green into a riot of warm colors. Let's fall into Autumn and grab some great new wallpapers while we're at it!

One beautiful component of fall's lower temperatures is that with each cold front we usually see some mist or fog lingering, the sky unable to hold its moisture quite as well. The mist and the falling leaves create magic in forests and glens across the land, and you'd almost swear there's something otherworldly afoot as you stare into the deep mist and feel something staring back.

Fallen Leaves by artsaus

This bright, canted wallpaper is tipping us over into the new season and pushing us forward down the path to a new, more colorful day. It's too hot to even think of walking around during the day, and with fall comes the opportunity to ditch the air-conditioned treadmill rooms at the gym and go for a more festive walk down the fall trails, with leaves crunching underfoot and a new color everywhere you turn. Just be careful not to slip on those leaves!

Bronte the path downhill by Qels

Driving through the countryside in the fall is a special treat, allowing you to see foliage you'd never find in your own backyard, and to see crops in various colors as they wait for harvest. This shot juxtaposes the color of fall and the decay of an old barn with the modernity of a wind turbine, a reminder that just as so much plant life comes to an end in the fall that there is something new that will grow from it in the future.

Barn In The Fall by Cute-And-Bright

Some people like to go for long, scenic drives in the spring when everything is blooming. Some people like to go for winding, exploring drives in the summer, with longer days to while away on their drive. These drives are all well and good, but nothing beats a nice long drive in the fall, when the colors of the season don't just paint the trees and bushes, but paint everything in fallen leaves and warm shades! This motorcyclist has the right idea, catching an afternoon ride and enveloping itself in color and crisp autumn air.

Autumn - Countryside by Grivetart

The summer dry spells are ending for many, and while that makes raking up the leaves all but impossible, it does create a beautiful wallpaper. The ripples of the rain, the bright oranges and reds of the leaves slowly being eaten by the mud and darkness of the puddle; it makes me want to go jump in a puddle right now, once I break out the boots it's been too hot to wear the last six months. Bring on the fall and bring on the rain!

Leaves and Rain by TwiggyTeeluck

Huawei is the second-largest smartphone manufacturer in the world.

The latest data from market research firm Counterpoint Research shows Huawei overtaking Apple to become the second-largest smartphone manufacturer in the world. Strong sales in June and July allowed the Chinese manufacturer to inch past Apple, but with a major iPhone launch on the cards next week, Huawei's position in the rankings could turn out to be short-lived. Nevertheless, it is a big deal for Huawei.

From Counterpoint's Research Director Peter Richardson:

This is a significant milestone for Huawei, the largest Chinese smartphone brand with a growing global presence. It speaks volumes for this primarily network infrastructure vendor on how far it has grown in the consumer mobile handset space in the last three to four years.

The global scale Huawei has been able to achieve can be attributed to its consistent investment in R&D and manufacturing, coupled with aggressive marketing and sales channel expansion.

However, an over-reliance on its home market could limit Huawei's growth in the future:

While this streak could be temporary considering the annual iPhone refresh is just around the corner, it nevertheless underscores the rate at which Huawei has been growing. However, a weak presence in the South Asian, Indian and North American markets limits Huawei's potential in the near-to mid-term to take a sustainable second place position behind Samsung.

Huawei is over-dependent on its home market China where it enjoys the leadership position and operator-centric markets in Europe, Latin America and Middle East.

While Huawei has managed to climb past Apple, none of its products feature in the top ten smartphones around the world:

While Huawei climbed to be the world's second largest brand overall, it is surprising to see none of its models breaking into the top ten rankings. This is due to a multiple SKU portfolio that currently lacks a true hero device.

While having a diverse portfolio allows Huawei to fight on multiple fronts, it does little to build overall brand recognition; something Huawei badly needs if it is continue to gain share.

Huawei will be looking to change that with the Mate 10, which will be making its debut on October 16. The Mate 10 will be powered by the Kirin 970, a 10nm chipset with an AI computing platform.

This is what Android One should have been from the beginning.

Google launched the Android One initiative back in 2014, partnering with local manufacturers to build $100 phones that received updates directly from the search giant. That premise made a lot of sense considering most budget phones don't even see a single platform update, but the execution was far from faultless. At a time when offline sales outnumbered online retail three to one, Google decided to offer Android One devices exclusively online.

The company didn't do enough to promote Android One, which meant that a majority of customers the program was targeting never even knew it existed. Thankfully, that's all changing with the Xiaomi Mi A1.

Whereas the first batch of Android One phones debuted at the $100 figure, Google is now aiming for the $200-$250 price point. The Mi A1 will retail initially in India for ₹14,999 ($230), and will make its way to other Asian markets before the end of the month. The phone will be available in Russia, Ukraine, Greece, and Mexico by the end of the year.

Now onto the phone itself — the Mi A1 is a rebranded edition of the Mi 5X, which made its debut in China in July. The phone sports an aluminum unibody chassis, with the antenna bands tucked away at the top and bottom of the device. The back is fairly busy thanks to the Android One logo, the Mi logo, and all the regulatory signage.

The highlight of the phone is the dual cameras at the back — a primary 12MP wide-angle camera augmented by a secondary 12MP telephoto lens. The camera configuration is the same as that of the Mi 6, but Xiaomi is using different sensors this time around, and there's no OIS in the primary camera. And as the Mi A1 is 0.2mm thinner than the Mi 6, there's a camera hump at the back.

The phone is unmistakably premium, and Xiaomi has done a fantastic job refining its design aesthetic over the last 12 months. There are chunky bezels at the front, but the overall in-hand feel is excellent. Xiaomi also got the placement of the fingerprint sensor just right — it's located at the exact spot where your index finger rests at the back of the device. The sensor itself is quick to authenticate and didn't have any issues recognizing my fingerprints.

The power and volume buttons are located on the left, there's a 3.5mm jack at the bottom, along with a USB-C charging port and a single speaker. The speaker gets sufficiently loud, but the sound is distorted at higher frequencies. There's also an IR blaster located up top, and you get Mi Remote bundled with the phone.

The only issue I have on the hardware front is the button layout for the navigation keys — the Mi A1 has the back key to the right of the home key, with the recents pane taking up the leftmost button. Aside from that design faux pas, the Mi A1 is the most feature-rich budget phones available today.

Xiaomi Mi A1 specs

Xiaomi didn't cut any corners when it comes to the internal hardware as well. The Mi A1 features a 5.5-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 625, 4GB of RAM, 64GB storage, microSD slot, dual 12MP cameras, 5MP front camera, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 4.2, LTE with VoLTE, and a 3080mAh battery.

After three years of using MIUI, it's bizarre to see stock Android running on a Xiaomi phone. It's certainly a welcome change, as the addition of stock Android makes the Mi A1 one of the best devices in this segment. You're not going to notice any lags or slowdowns.

I don't see how budget phones can get any better.

If there's a defining trend in the handset segment in 2017, it's dual cameras. Xiaomi rolled out dual rear cameras last year with the Mi 5s Plus, but changed out the configuration in this year's Mi 6, opting to go with a telephoto lens for the secondary camera instead of a monochrome sensor.

With the Mi 5X, Xiaomi is looking to bring that same experience to the budget segment. With a secondary telephoto lens, Xiaomi is able to offer 2x optical zoom. The primary sensor by itself does a great job when it comes to taking photos in daylight conditions, and the secondary lens lets you zoom into subjects without losing out on quality.

The phone comes with Android 7.1.2 Nougat out of the box, and Xiaomi says it'll deliver the Oreo update before the end of the year. Although the Mi A1 is a part of the Android One initiative, Xiaomi will be handling the updates. The phone features Xiaomi's own camera app and not Google Camera, and as such Xiaomi needs to test the camera's compatibility with new updates.

The Mi A1 has top-notch build quality, decent internal specs, and a dual camera that's head and shoulders above anything available in this segment. Combine a clean software experience with the promise of quick updates and Xiaomi's hardware chops, and it's easy to see that the Mi A1 is the most uncompromising budget phone in the market today.

The phone will be available in black and gold color options at launch, with the rose gold variant making its debut at a later date. The phone will go up for sale at Mi.com and Flipkart next week for ₹14,999 ($230), and will be heading to Mi Home stores along with thousands of "Mi Preferred Partner" retail stores across the country.

Xiaomi will be in charge of after-sales service for the Mi A1, and going by Google's non-existent support for Nexus and Pixel devices in the country, that's a good thing. Xiaomi now has over 500 service centers across India, and is regularly adding more in tier 2 and tier 3 cities.

Xiaomi has a clear winner in the Mi A1, and now it's time to see if the company can meet the demand for the phone. If it can do so successfully, it is well on its way to solidifying its place as the second-largest smartphone manufacturer in India.

OxygenOS open beta 23/14 introduces new display calibration, watermarks on photos, and a lot of stability improvements.

OnePlus is rolling out the OxygenOS open beta 23/14 to the OnePlus 3 and 3T with several fixes, stability improvements, and feature additions. OnePlus has tweaked the color temperature of the display so the panel now leans more toward sRGB color calibration.

There are several new features as well — the lift-up display UI has picked up a battery indicator, you'll be able to block notifications from apps that are in the app locker, and the contacts pane now has an alphabetical bar. The update also includes the August security patch, and the gallery will now load images faster. You can add a "Shot on OnePlus" watermark to your images by enabling it in the camera settings. OnePlus has also improved the location accuracy for the weather widget.

Here's the full changelog for the build:

• Camera

  • Added Shot on OnePlus watermark
    • You can toggle the Shot on OnePlus watermark and add your name to all pictures taken in the main camera settings

• System

  • Redesigned lift up display UI
    • Now supports displaying battery percentage
  • Now supports hiding of notification content from apps locked by App locker
    • There is now a toggle that allows you to block notifications from apps that are in the App lock list
  • Improved stability of Parallel apps
  • Adjusted color display of default screen calibration
    • It now tends more towards sRGB calibration
  • Added E-warranty card
    • You can now find a version of your warranty card in "About phone > E-Warranty card"
  • Updated Android security patch level to August

• Phone

  • Added quick index bar in contacts UI
    • The contacts page/app now have an alphabetical bar on the right side for easy moving to certain groups of names
• Improved experience of switching incoming calls

• Improvements to suggested merges functionality

• Gallery

  • Loading speed of images improved

• Weather

  • Improved location accuracy
  • Improved the experience of searching cities

• Clock

  • New feature "Alarm calendar"
    • Can be used to set an irregular alarm schedule, once you set the time, you can activate this feature by hitting the 3 dot menu button to the right of "repeat"

OnePlus says that some users may experience issues with toggling the flashlight after installing the beta build. A simple restart should fix the issue. As always, if you switch to a beta build, you won't receive updates from the stable channel — you'll have to manually flash a stable build again.