Author: Clinton

Over the past couple of weeks I have been using the BLU VIVO IV Android phone as my primary device.  While I still remain skeptical of the Android platform for a lot of reasons (I’m not a fan of the UI for example), that could not detour me from this phone.  BLU, a US-based company, has an outstanding device in the VIVO IV.  It is sexy slim, solidly built and has some outstanding features that make this $299 phone (I picked mine up for $199 from B&H) one everyone should consider if they are looking for an affordable phone.  While the BLU VIVO IV isn’t perfect, a lot of what I didn’t like about it can be adjusted through other apps available in the Play Store.  It means you may have to do some customizing to get it the way you want it but performance wise, you are not going to be disappointed.

Alright peeps, this one has a short fuse but is one to jump on if you are in the market for a new Android phone.  Now through 10:59 AM Central Time (US) today, you can pick up the Motorola Moto X 2014 Android phone with 32GB of storage for $349.99.  That is a $200 savings from the regular price of $549.99.  There is no special coupon code or anything of that sort.  Simply go to the Motorola Moto X website, build your own and the price will be applied to your device.

The Swarm for Android app has received a huge update this week, bringing a whole new line up of stickers to the app and a new sticker book.  The update will vary in version number depending on your device.  In my case, my KitKat running BLU VIVO IV is on version 2015.05.04.19 for those keeping score at home.  The update brings back many of the elements of Foursquare before the company decided to split up the apps last year.  Swarm is the dedicated check-in app while Foursquare is the local content app (which is pretty good BTW).  When they did this split, things like Mayorships and stickers went away from a collecting point-of-view.  While Mayorship still hasn’t returned, you can now at least see in one place all of the stickers you have earned (use to be called badges) in one place, the Sticker Page.

Swarm for Android – Free – Download Now

Microsoft has released another update to Outlook for Android today, bringing improved navigation and several bug fixes to the app.  The update, version 1.2.5 for those keeping score at home, is available now and is highly recommended for those who are using the email app.  While the improve navigation elements actually were release last week in version 1.2, they have been smoothed out a good bit in this update.  You shouldn’t see the hesitation many users were experiencing when moving between accounts or from mail to calendar or people for example.

Microsoft Outlook for Android – Free – Download Now

For owners of the Google Nexus 9 Android tablet, today is a good day.  The over-the-air update to Android Lollipop 5.0.2 is now rolling out and you should check your device to see if you have it available.  Navigate to Software Update under About Device and you can check for the update there (or if it is already downloaded to your device, you’ll be prompted to apply the update.

Now for those of you scratching your head and thinking, “But didn’t Google release Android 5.1.1 for other devices, including the older Nexus 7 tablet?”  Why yes, yes they did.

Today Microsoft has released a new update to their suite of Office for Android apps.  The update applies to the tablet versions of these apps (remember, you have to use Office Mobile for your sub-7″ devices) and impacts Word, Excel and PowerPoint.  There are a lot of things that have been improved but the biggest news is support for Android Lollipop 5.x, the latest flavor of Android.  The updates are version 16.0.3930.1010 for those keeping score at home and that version number applies to all three apps.

Excel for Android Tablet – Free – Download Now

PowerPoint for Android Tablet – Free – Download Now

Word for Android Tablet – Free – Download Now