Category: Android Tablet

Google’s push to make their apps a robust communication and productivity solution is continuing.  We saw the big announcement on Monday about Google Hangouts being updated and now Google Slides has been update too.  Why is that a big deal?  This update to Google Slides brings the ability for you to present your slides to a Hangouts video call audience that you have in your calendar.  Simple and seamless presenting without having to go through the pain of a separate app or service.  This update to Google Slides is version 1.2.312.15.35 for those keeping score at home.

Google Slides – Free – Download Now

The official Google for Android app has been updated with some minor but important updates.  The latest build, version 5.1.16.19.arm for those keeping score at home, mainly focuses on speed improvements and reliability enhancements but there are hints of new features being on the horizon.  What those updates are exactly clear but to make sure you don’t miss them, be sure to update your Android phone and tablet with this update.  As a reminder, the Google for Android app is the foundation for Google Now that gives you relevant information about your location, your agenda and other tidbits of information that is important to you.

Google for Android – Free – Download Now

Google Hangouts is getting a big update today that all users of the social messaging app will want to get hold of for their Android phone, tablet and wear devices.  The updated version 4.0 is expected to be released to the Google Play Store today and with it comes a streamlined look and feel, simplified controls and improved speed.  Google indicated on their blog today that the new Google Hangouts will be available today and has started to roll out.  If you are not seeing it on your devices, give it time.  It will take a bit of time to hit everyone.

Google Hangouts for Android – Free – Download Now

While there are plenty of note taking and task management applications available today, one of the best and leading applications is Evernote.  It’s multi-platform agnostic and you can get to your notes and to-do’s offline as well as online no matter what device you happen to be using.  This now includes your Android Wear device.  Evernote for Android Wear is an extension of your Evernote app on your Android phone and allows you to quickly and easily create notes and to-do’s, and find notes be it your most recent or notes that you have created near the location you happen to be in at the time.  It is also fully integrated with Google Now so you use voice commands to create notes and reminders while on-the-go.  If you are an Evernote user (I have been since 2011) and want to be able to get to notes quickly from your Android Wear device without touching your phone, this is the app for you.

Evernote for Android Wear – Free – Download Now

All indications are it has been a busy week for the Google team.  Earlier today I told you about the update to Google Photos and Google Play Music that brought some improvements and fixes.  Now in the Google Play Store there are updates for Google Chrome and Google+ for Android available.  Both of these absolutely fall into the bug fix and performance improvement category so don’t look for any new functionality or features.  But, as always, you should update to the latest versions of Google Chrome and Google+ to keep up-to-date.

The Google Chrome build is version 44.0.2403.128 while the Google+ build is version 6.0.0.99065591 for those keeping score at home and like playing version number bingo.  The updates are for both Android phone and tablet devices.

Google Chrome for Android – Free – Download Now

Google+ for Android – Free – Download Now

Google has released an important bug fix update for the Google Play Music app for Android.  The update also brings some improvements around finding streaming radio stations for those in the United States.  This latest update is build 6.0.1951S.2109908 for those keeping score at home and for those taking bets on who can come up with the longest release version number 🙂  The update comes just a couple of weeks after the last update which was more-or-less a bug fix release after the initial launch of the streaming music service back in June.  While Google Play Music is free to use, for a $9.99 monthly subscription you get ad-free unlimited streaming and downloading of music from the Google Play Store.

Google Play Music for Android – Free – Download Now