Author: Clinton

OnePlus has committed in their user forums that they will have an Android Marshmallow build for their last two flagship devices in the first quarter of 2016. The news is certainly good for owners of the OnePlus One and OnePlus 2 as to this point it has remained somewhat of a mystery if these devices would ever get beyond Lollipop.

The biggest question for most was if the OnePlus One, the company’s original phone, would be receiving the update. That was cleared up in the post by Carl Pei

For the OnePlus One, Cyanogen OS will be updating to Marshmallow in the first quarter of 2016. We created a community build of OxygenOS for the OnePlus One, but this isn’t what the product officially ships with. We will be updating the community build of OxygenOS for the OnePlus One when time allows.

So in the case of the One, Android Marshmallow is essentially coming from Cyanogen and not OnePlus themselves.

Google’s efforts to continue to improve the suite of Google Docs apps continues as the inch ever closer to being on par with Microsoft Office.  The latest update is to Google Slides, the presentation app for Android, with the addition of some more advanced editing features as well as bug fixes and improvements. The update is build 1.2.452.11.30 for those keeping score at home and is rolling out now to the Google Play Store. If you have Google Slides installed already, you should see the OTA update for it in the next few days.

If you missed it, I did a four part series on my migration from Microsoft Office to Google Docs for my day-to-day work. At the time of those posts, Google Slides was already powerful and very close to being on par with PowerPoint.  That gap is now closed further with this update.

My Migration to Google Docs Part 1 – The Setup

My Migration to Google Docs Part 2 – Google Docs on All The Toys

My Migration to Google Docs Part 3 – Between the Google Sheets

My Migration to Google Docs Part 4 – Sliding to Google Slides

While I said in the first part of this series that this migration isn’t for everyone, I do encourage to give the Google Docs suite a try. I think you will find that they can accomplish 95% of everything you need in these apps (save you power Excel types).

Google Slides for Android – Free – Download Now

On the Google Apps blog today, Google has announced an improved view of your Recent Files in Google Drive is coming to the website for the service. The update, which will be rolling out over the course of the next 1-3 days for all users, will still be divided into files accessed today, yesterday and so forth but will have more information about how that file was accessed.

Comic books are not just a kid thing anymore and with more people reading them on their mobile devices, the need for a good reader quickly becomes important. To that end, Google has released an updated version of Google Play Books that is specifically aimed at making comic book reading easier.

Today, Google Play Books is getting an upgrade specifically designed for comic book fans, making it easier to read your favorite comics on your phone or tablet. Reading a comic book is all about following the story and enjoying the art, dialogue and pace the way you want.

It is a big step forward for the reading app and those of us who like reading comics will certainly see the benefits of immediately as it is a much, much better reading experience.

Google Play Books – Free – Download Now

Today YouTube has launched the all new YouTube Music app.  This music centric app follows in the footsteps of other content specific apps like YouTube Kids and YouTube Gaming by providing music audio and video content in an clean and simple app that allows offline listening.  Tied in with the recently launched YouTube Red service, YouTube Music allows subscribers to view music videos, listen to music online or offline and has a powerful search function to find your favorite artist.  Further, you can setup your own stations (playlists) for the genre or artist you like most.

YouTube Music – Free (In-App Purchases) – Download Now

Rovio has posted an update to Angry Birds 2 that brings a new pig to pop along with 20 new levels to play.  The sequel to the hugely popular original Angry Birds is a different take on the original, bringing improved physics, multiple stages within each level and an area playing are a where you can hone your pig popping skills. This is the 4th update to the game since its release back in July so the Rovio team, as they have done with other versions of the games in the franchise, is keeping things up-to-date and adding new content regularly.

The update, which is available now in the Google Play Store, is version 2.3.0 for those keeping score at home and it is a free download for those who haven’t tried it yet. As you would expect, the game is a Freemium model so there are some adverts in the game and several in-app purchases available.

Angry Birds 2 – Free (In-App Purchases) – Download Now