Category: Android

Microsoft has once again pushed out another big update to their Android launcher app, Arrow Launcher.  The update is in the Play Store now and has a number of improvements and new features.  In fact, there are three big features that users of the launcher will likely enjoy immediately.  First is the ability to customize the icon and name of individual apps.  All you have to do is long press the icon and it will pop-up a menu that gives you these options.

Next is an all new backup and restore feature.  This gives you the option to save your app layout and settings and restore them if you need to reinstall the launcher.  This is a huge win as you no longer have to recreate your home screen layout if you delete and reinstall the app.  This is something many other launchers do so it is great to see Microsoft bring the feature to Arrow Launcher too.

Today’s Deal over at Amazon is on the well appointed entry level Asus ZenFone 3 Max.  The 5.2″ phone has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage but what is really impressive is the battery.  It comes with a whopping 4100 mAh battery for all day performance.  Right now you can pick up this phone for $149.

The ZenFone 3 Max is powered by the Mediatek MT6737M quad-core processor running at 1.25 GHz.  It has a 5.2″ IPS display and as mentioned, has 2GB of RAM.  The 16GB of storage can be expanded thanks to the Dual-SIM/MicroSD slot.  You can add an additional 256GB of storage with a card.  The phone runs Android Marshmallow and it is unclear if Nougat will be coming to this phone.

The phone is sold unlocked and works on GSM carriers here in the United States like AT&T and T-Mobile.  Sorry Sprint and Verizon customers, the phone doesn’t support CDMA.

Camera wise, the rear shooter is a 13MP auto-focus unit with flash while the front selfie camera is a 5MP shooter.

The ZenFone 3 Max is in silver and if you are an Amazon Prime customer, shipping of this phone is free to you.

Head over to Amazon to get all the details.

Earlier today, Google launched a new app aimed at helping youngsters be creative.  The new Toontastic 3D app looks like a lot of fun and it allows kids (and adults) to create stories and turn them into 3D cartoons.  You can read more about it here but if you have creative young people in the house, it’s worth a look.  But that’s not really the point of this article.  It is the install options for Toontastic 3D.  If you go to the site and click the “get the app” link, you will get a splash screen with links to the Play Store and iTunes Store.  No biggie right?  Read the test of that splash screen.

Download Toontastic 3D for your tablet, phone, or Chromebook

So we all know that Android apps are coming to Chrome OS and this, as far as I am aware, is the first genuine advert that a Chromebook, i.e. Chrome OS, is an install option.

Google Maps has a big update rolling out that brings a nicely integrated car sharing booking element to it.  The ability to see ride share services like Uber and Lyft has been in Maps for a while now but if you wanted to actually book an Uber, you had to go to the Uber app to do it.  No more.  Now you can link your Uber account to Google Maps and can book your ride right from within the app.  Further, you can see the location of your driver within the app and you don’t even have to have the Uber app installed on your phone for all this to work.

What you do need however is the latest build of Google Maps.  That is version 9.43.2 for those keeping score at home and it is currently rolling out to the Play Store.

Today’s Deal is on the solid performing and well priced Honor 5X from Huawei.  The 5.5″ phone is available in a Gold finish today for $169 on Amazon which is a great price on this solid mid-range phone.  It has an all metal and glass construction, has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage.  That storage can be expanded up to an additional 256GB thanks to the MicroSD slot built into the phone.  Powering the phone is the octa-core Snapdragon 616 processor running at 1.4GHz coupled with the Adreno 405 GPU.  The 5X is a dual-SIM phone which is great for those who travel and has 13MP rear camera and a 5MP selfie camera.

The Honor 5X is sold unlocked and works with GSM carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile here in the United States.  Sorry Sprint and Verizon customers, this phone won’t work on your network.  Here are the GSM and LTE bands of the 5x:

• HSDPA 850 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
• LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800)
• LTE band 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 12(700), 17(700)

After wrapping up the beta program for Android Nougat last week, Samsung has pushed the button and started sending out the OTA update for the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge.  The first to see the update will be those who participated in the beta as they will be moved to the stable build.  After that, unlocked variants of the S7 lineup will get the update.  The news of Nougat hitting the S7’s is certainly good news.  Samsung has been lackluster at best in getting major OS builds out in a timely manner but in the case of Nougat, it took about a quarter.  That’s pretty reasonable given the amount of changes and testing that has to happen for a major update.

Long with all the goodness that Nougat will bring to the S7 and S7 Edge, Samsung is also doing some minor UX updates and other under-the-cover fixes to add stability and performance.  If you don’t remember all that is in Nougat, you can catch up on it here.