Category: Android Tablet

YouTube Gaming for Android devices has been updated and while the update is a “.1” release, the feature set really makes it worthy of being a 2.0 version.  Nevertheless, the new 1.1.20.3 build for those keeping score at home, brings a huge number of updates to the broadcasting gaming platform.  The biggest news in this update is the support for live streaming of your mobile games from your Android devices.  If you are running a device with Android Lollipop or Android Marshmallow, you can now live stream or record your mobile games.  You host your stream with your device’s front facing camera and the app leverages your device’s microphone for audio.  Essentially this allows you to more easily share mobile games than ever before or frankly from any other game streaming platform.

YouTube Gaming – Free – Download Now

Google has dropped an update to the Google Keyboard app in the Google Play Store that should be a welcome update for users of Gesture Typing in the app.  The update brings significantly improved word accuracy & completion for those who use Gesture Type (swiping your finger across the keyboard to spell words instead of typing them) as well as those who do traditional typing on the keyboard.  The update is version – wait for it – 4.1.23043.2297020 for those keeping score at home and like to play Google Version Bingo.  The update hit the Play Store yesterday and if you are using Google Keyboard or have it installed on your Android phone or tablet, you should see the OTA update over the course of the next couple of days.

Google Keyboard for Android – Free – Download Now

The Google Play Store has just launched a .10 Cent sale on a dozen games for Android phones and tablets.  The games feature multiple titles for Chillingo but also have a few from Electronic Arts.  If you have wanted to pick up a few games to try out, now is a good time for sure.  There is no word on how long the sale will be lasting so if you want pick up any of the games listed after the break, better jump on it now.

Google Play Store .10 Cent Game Sale

Google is rolling out a new update to the Google Drive for Android app that will add the ability for users to request permission to access a file or folder on your Drive account.  Today you can easily share content on your Drive by sending a link to someone via email, Hangouts, etc.  As Google puts it, “This release adds the ability for people using the Drive Android app to request access to Drive content links―received via email, Hangouts, etc―to which they don’t already have access.”

Google Drive for Android – Free – Download Now

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.