Rumors for the upcoming LG V30 are in full-force, but even with LG focused on getting its latest flagship out the door, the company managed to set some time aside to finally release the Android Nougat update for the V10 on T-Mobile.

One of the biggest issues facing LG’s smartphones over the past couple of years has been bootloop problems. Over time, some of the company’s flagship devices have had hardware failures that send the phones into eternal bootloops, and the company hasn’t been very willing to help out when that happens.

Android Marshmallow is making perhaps the slowest crawl ever in adoption, only just recently managing to find itself installed on a measly 4% of Android devices. Now, reports suggest that more handsets are finally getting the latest version. In today’s updates, we’re hearing of Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge owners getting Android Marshmallow in Canada, as well as users of T-Mobile’s LG v10…

With very little effort, anyone can use IFTTT to program services to trigger actions based on other events. LG has now opened up their smartphones to serve as triggers and allow other services to initiate hardware and software features on the device.

Earlier this week, Apple launched its very first official battery case for the iPhone 6/6s. It’d be an understatement to say that it got some attention on social media, mostly from people who couldn’t believe the design-focused company released something so hideous. In fact, you’ll be hard pushed to find someone who has something good to say about the way the case looks.

Not to miss a good marketing opportunity, ASUS and LG were among those mocking the battery case and using it to sell the benefits of its own products. ASUS was keen to point out that, even with the battery case attached, the iPhone 6 is still no match for the ZenFone Max. ASUS claims its 5000mAh battery-powered smartphone can handle 2 hours more video playback, 2 hour more internet use and 12 hours more talk time than a case-equipped iPhone.

Meanwhile, LG took a slightly different line with the V10, ribbing the Apple case’s ‘bumpy’ design. Incidentally, LG’s V10 has a 3,000mAh battery which you can fast-charge up to 50% in just 40mins. :

It’s no surprise to see the companies exploiting a weakness in Apple’s armor to fuel their own marketing efforts, and the Cupertino-based company could certainly have tried to make it a little harder. Right now, the humped battery case is an easy target.

One thing no company has mocked is perhaps the one thing that has impressed all of us: iOS integration. When an iPhone has a Smart Battery Case attached, it displays both the phone and case’s battery levels in the notification drawer’s ‘Today’ view. What’s more, it charges the iPhone automatically and charges via Lightning cable. Those are some convenient features, for sure. Whether or not you’d want a ‘bumpy’ case in your hand to gain those features is another matter entirely.

The mobile payments industry is getting more crowded by the month. Early this morning, LG confirmed on its Facebook page that it will be entering the market with LG Pay, and has signed up a couple of Korean partners to do so. The company has joined forces with Shinhan Card and KB Kookmin Card in its home country, but didn’t say when the service is going live, or when it’ll expand to international markets.

The service will work on most LG phones, new or old. Although the company has been light on detail, we’re assuming that means those with built in NFC. Although, conceivably, it could be like Samsung Pay in that it works with both contactless NFC card readers as well as traditional Magstrip ones. Like Samsung and Apple, the service will only work on its own devices and isn’t cross-platform or cross-manufacturer.

Although we’re not surprised that LG has decided to follow in the example of Sammy, it’s still bemusing that any Android OEM should seek to release their own payment system when Android Pay is already here and will eventually work on most devices as long as they have an NFC antenna.

We’re skeptical of LG’s chances of success in a crowded market, but you can be sure that — in the future — LG’s mobile payment app will become yet another piece of bloatware to add to an already bursting collection of unnecessary duplicate apps and services.

Just a couple of weeks ago, LG announced the phone which will surely make any LG G4 owner ever-so-slightly envious. The V10 is, in many ways, what the G4 could, and should have been. Just in case you were holding on to find out where and when you can purchase LG’s latest flagship phablet, you’ll be glad to know that both AT&T and T-Mobile have announced plans to launch the phone this week.

AT&T confirmed on Twitter that it will begin selling the V10 from tomorrow, October 27:

[tweet https://twitter.com/ATT/status/658636376536125440 align=’center’]

According to the press release, you’ll be able to snag an ATT-flavored V10 for $249 on a 2-year contract from ATT.com. If a 24-month commitment isn’t what you’re after, you can also purchase the device on one of AT&T’s Next financing plans, starting at $23.34 per month.

T-Mobile, on the other hand, has announced that right from the off, it will be offering the V10 with a $100 discount. Starting on October 28 (Wednesday), T-Mobile will be opening online sales for the device at a full retail price of $599. On interest-free financing, that works out at $0 down and 24 monthly payments of $25. It’s the same deal on the company’s phone leasing program, JUMP! on Demand. Those interested can pre-register to be told when it’s available to buy, or just remember to hit the LG V10 page on T-Mobile’s site this Wednesday.

Like the LG G4, the LG V10 ships without wireless charging built in to the cover as standard. But, like the G4, it does support Qi-standard charging and you’ll need to buy a cover to make it work.  LG hasn’t mentioned anything publicly so far, but a “low power receiver” accessory made by LG has shown up in the Wireless Power Consortium’s filings (spotted by etnews), confirming that the Korean tech company is working on a Qi receiver…