Author: Clinton

After months of delays, the Android Marshmallow update for the HTC One M8 and One M9 is finally coming to those on AT&T.  HTC’s Mo Versi tweeted yesterday that the software update had finally been approved and would start hitting devices tomorrow, May 12th.

HTC One (M8 & M9) AT&T owners! Thank you for your patience. Marshmallow OS is approved, OTA to start tomorrow!!

— Mo Versi (@moversi) May 11, 2016

While it is not expect that every M8 or M9 will see the update tomorrow, it should come to you as an OTA update over the course of the next week or so.  Once you have it, all of the goodness that is Android Marshmallow will be there for you.

The latest update to Google Calendar is one that frequent conference call users will want to update to as soon as it is available. Seriously.  Stop what you are doing and see if you have the update.  I’ll wait….. Okay, so here is the deal:  Before now, when you had a conference call scheduled in Calendar, you could have it dial the number easy enough (it would just switch over to your Phone app) but if that conference call had a passcode, you had to enter it manually.  That’s no big deal if you are sitting at your desk.  But if you are driving or otherwise using your phone one handed, that can be a bit of a pain.  No more.  The latest update will allow you to select the passcode for the call (if it is in the invite) and the Phone app will automatically dial it for you when your call is connected.

Google’s inexpensive Virtual Reality viewer, Google Cardboard, has been added to several local Google Stores around the globe for purchase.  Now Android users in Canada, France, the UK, and Germany can order the viewer from their local Google Store online so they can experience Google’s low cost entry into VR.  To this point the viewer, which essentially wraps around your phone and is made of, you guessed it, cardboard, was only available in the US.  For those that don’t remember, Cardboard began life as a freebie handout at Google I/O 2014 but earlier this year the company began selling it on their site along with some other, more stylish viewers.

Google has pushed out an exciting new feature for Google Photos:  Commenting on shared albums.  This has been a much requested feature of the photo service and the good news is it is coming to Android, iOS and Web all at the same time.  Now when you share an album, you can allow those you share with to add comments to those photos in the album.  It is a great way for friends and family to share their thoughts about the latest photos from your holiday or the kids.

If you are a user of the TripIt app to manage your travel itenararies, the latest update to the app brings a host of improvements as well as Android Wear support.  The updated build is version 4.6 for those keeping score at home and the big update is Wear support.  Now you can access your trip details from your watch without having to take your phone out of your pocket.  Even better, there is also a new flight countdown timer, exclusive to Android Wear, so you can keep track up to the second when your flight is to depart.

Instagram has begun rolling out a major update to both their Android and iOS apps today with a focus on content while maintaining the app’s easy navigation.  The revamp of the photo sharing app is the first major redesign in several years and it does away with the darker theme of the app and brings with it a light, white UI with content dominating the screen instead of it being a mix of photos and text.  And yes, even the icon for the app is changed up in this release.