Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Android.

Sony announced on Wednesday that it expects its losses to quadruple over the next financial year, and it’s all thanks to its smartphone business. The Japanese company is now making efforts to turn things around, starting with a division rebuild that will see 1,000 staff out of a job.

A Nexus 9 mockup by Android Police.

HTC will launch the much-anticipated Nexus 9 on October 16, according to an “anonymous tipster” familiar with the company’s plans. The device is expected to boast an 8.9-inch Quad HD display and NVIDIA’s latest Tegra K1 processor, and it could be available to purchase by the end of next month.

Photo: OnePlus

The OnePlus One’s fancy StyleSwap covers, one of the things that made the handset unique, have been abandoned before they even went on sale. OnePlus says that it ran into “technical difficulties” during mass production, and the number of covers that passed its quality control tests was “much lower” than the company had anticipated.

Screenshot: Goat Simulator/Google Play.

Ever fantasized about being a goat? Of course you haven’t. But you’d be surprised by just how entertaining it can be — especially when that goat is hellbent on destroying everything and near indestructible. With Goat Simulator now available on Android and iOS, that’s exactly what you can be — while at work, in the library, at a coffee shop, or just at home.

Android Silver is Google’s answer to the iPhone. Photo: Google.

Google’s rumored Android Silver program, which was expected to deliver high-end devices with premium designs, has reportedly been put on hold following the departure of Nikesh Arora, one of the project’s leads. Sources say the search giant has now doubled down on its Android One program instead.