Author: Clinton

With the rollout of Android Marshmallow now in full effect for Nexus devices, attention is quickly turning to other manufactures on when or if they will be rolling it out to their devices.  We know that HTC and Samsung have a reasonable list of devices that will be getting Marshmallow and just last week, Motorola released their list which was met with lukewarm enthusiasm given a number of carrier devices are not on the list.

Now we have finally heard from Sony.

The Japanese company on their blog today released the list of devices in their Xperia line that will be Android Marshmallow update and it is comprehensive.

Google has released an update to the Google Play Movies & TV app that, amongst many changes, brings Android Marshmallow support to the app.  The update is version 3.9.20 for those keeping score at home and it is available for both Android phones and tablets.  Given that Android Marshmallow is starting to roll out today, it is a good idea to get this update so you can assure compatibility.  Note that if you already have Google Play Movies & TV installed you should get the update via an OTA over the next couple of days.

As the name suggests for those who aren’t familiar with it, Google Play Movies & TV is the app that allows you to purchase, download and stream movies and televisions shows from the Google library.  Once you make a purchase through the app or the Google Play Store, you can download it to your devices for offline viewing or you can simply stream it on your device.  The app is also Chromecast compatible and works great with the Chromecast 2015 device (You can read my review of it here).

Google Play Movies & TV – Free (In-App Purchases) – Download Now

With Android Marshmallow expected to be released Over-the-Air (OTA) tomorrow, Google is already paving the way for that to happen.  They have just posted the Factory Images of Android Marshmallow for the Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 7 (2013), Nexus 9 and Nexus Player on the Android developer website for those of you who have been running the preview of Marshmallow or want to root your device and install it today instead of waiting for the OTA.

Unless you know what you are doing, I strongly advise waiting to get the OTA instead of doing the Factory Image install but the instructions for doing it are on the site.

Electronic Arts last week released the all new Need for Speed No Limits game for Android.  The latest game in the franchise is the first that has been designed for mobile first and leverages the talent of the FireMonkey team at EA who created the ever popular Real Racing 3.  This latest game has a lot going for it with outstanding graphics and game play.  There are a few gotchas though, least of which is the freemium model where you have to pay real cash at some point to get further along in the game.  The good news – after playing it pretty extensively all weekend, you can get pretty far into the game without having to make that investment.

Need for Speed No Limits – Free (In-App Purchases) – Download Now

The good news about Android Marshmallow updates keeps on coming.  We know that Nexus devices are getting the update next Tuesday while the HTC One M8 and One M9 will get it before the end of the year.  Samsung has a list of devices to and now we can add Motorola to the list of OEMs who are committing to the update.

Today on their blog, Motorola released the list of devices they plan to offer the Android Marshmallow update to over the coming weeks and months and it is a pretty nice list all-said.

Android Marshmallow represents the 6th major update to the Android platform and while some have argued that it is not worthy of a full “dot-zero” version number, when you see the list of things that Google has added or addressed in v6.0, it starts to make sense. Android Marshmallow is certainly not revolutionary. It is an evolution of Android Lollipop, bringing with it a laundry list of improvements, enhancements and features that will make it a worthy competitor to iOS 9 from Apple and a worthy upgrade for users.

For the sake of saving you having to read 10,000 plus words, I’m not going to go over every single new features that is in Marshmallow. Rather, I’m going to focus on the key features that are likely to impact the most users or are going to have the greatest impact long term on the life of this version of Android. Likewise, I’m not going to try to answer the question of if your particular device will receive Android Marshmallow. I’ll give some guidance but it is nothing more than that. I, in other words, don’t know the answer on if your phone or tablet will see it.

Note that this review has been based on testing and usage of the Developer Preview 3 on a Nexus 6.