Category: Android Tablet

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

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.

The Weather Channel app for Android has been updated with a new and important feature as we go into winter and what is typically the cold & flu season here in the US.  The app has a new Health Module that provides you details about the pollen, breathing comfort and flu conditions in your area.  It’s a great addition, especially for those who suffer from allergies or have breathing difficulties under certain weather conditions.  The update is version 5.10.0 for those keeping score at home and is available now in the Google Play Store.

Weather Channel for Android – Free – Download Now

With two new Chromecast devices announced today by Google, it is only fitting that the app for Android has been updated as well.  The updated app is available now in the Google Play Store and it brings a huge number of updates to support better content searching and apps that can use Chromecast already installed on your device. The update is version 1.12.32 for those keeping score at home and is designed for both Android phones and tablets.

Chromecast for Android – Free – Download Now

While it has not been included in the Android Marshmallow beta testing, all indications are that the Nexus 7 (2013) will be getting the update once it is released next week.  The 7″ tablet built by Asus certainly falls within the 3 year support window that Google has for their devices and given that specifications of the Nexus 7 (2013) meet the minimum criteria, there should be no reason it won’t be updated.

While all of the Angry Birds hype these past few months has been on Angry Birds 2, the franchise itself still has a lot of older games that are just as fun.  The 2nd oldest in the series, Angry Birds Rio, received a somewhat rare update today, bringing with it 20 new Amazon River themed levels to the game.  The update is version 2.5 for those keeping score at home and it is available for both Android phones and tablets.  It is a freemium game so it won’t cost you anything to download but there are plenty of in-app purchases to further yourself along should you chose to do so.

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