Category: Android

The roadmap of when Samsung is going to be releasing their Android Marshmallow updates to devices has been leaked, again, with some revised or clarified dates.  Phone Arena first posted on this earlier today and the news is good for those who have a wide range of Samsung phones from the past couple of years.  While the leak is by no means a 100% confirmation, it is an indicator of where they company is on development and which devices are going to see the update eventually.

In an effort to curb malicious software and inappropriate adverts, Google emailed developers yesterday outlining several new policy changes and revamped Developer Policy Center.  The update informs developers that they have 30 days to make sure their apps or compliant or risk a warning or their app being removed from the Google Play Store outright.  Basically it means by April 1st, developers need to make sure their apps are in line with the new rules.

Microsoft has released an update to OneDrive, their cloud storage app & service, for Android that brings a much improved photo sync capability to your phone or tablet.  The updated version is build 3.9.1 for those keeping score at home and it is available now in the Google Play Store.  The entire update seemingly is focused on helping you make sure that the photos you have on your device get sync’d up, not just those you take with your phone’s camera.  Let me explain.

The wait for Asus owners to see Android Marshmallow come to their devices trudges on but it looks like next quarter is the light at the end of the tunnel.  According to a post made in the Asus Zen Talk user forums, a long list of devices are expected to see the Android 6.0 update in Q2 2016.  That means really anytime from April through to the end of June.  Yes that’s a big window but it is at least a target and it is likely, given the number of devices they plan to update, Asus will roll them out over the entire quarter.

For baseball fans, it is a great time of the year.  Spring Training has started and the season is just a little over a month away from starting.  One of the best sports app out there – and it has been for a long time – is MLB.com At Bat.  It provides a huge wealth of information during the baseball season on your favorite team, players and from around the league and if you love the National Pastime, this app is a must have on your devices.

The league has issued an update to the Android version of the app, build 5.0.0 for those keeping score at home (see what I did just there?) and is available now in the Google Play Store.  The biggest part of this update has to do with the general look of the app.  The update has a far more Material Design look to it than in the previous builds and that new look flows for both the phone and tablet UIs.  With so many apps now following the Material Design look, the MLB app felt a little out of place towards the end of last season.  Now it looks the part a bit better but doesn’t lose it’s baseball look either.

I am a big racing fan. Each Fall, usually in October and November my sports watching goes to nearly zero. Baseball and racing are done until March the next year. One series I love to watch is IndyCar. The US-based open wheel series has struggled for many years but competition is better now than it has been for decades. New aero packages after the death of Dan Wheldon in 2012 (which, ironically, he was testing for the league during the 2011 season) have tightened up the racing and with F1 winner Juan Montoya returning last year (and winning the Indy 500), the 2016 is shaping up to be one of the best.

Along the way, IndyCar has done a great job of continually improving their app for Android.  The app, designed for both Android phones and tablets, brings all of the season information as well as news and highlights from your favorite driver and team.  While the 2015 version of the app was solid, the recently released 2016 version has built upon that platform.  There is a huge amount of information on the series, teams and drivers to be found in the app which will keep you completely up-to-date with all the happenings of the series.  If you like the IndyCar series, this app is really a must have for you.  It is on par with having MLB at Bat for baseball fans.  It’s essential and dare I say a required download.