Category: Android

One of the key features that has been missing from Instagram for, well really forever, has been the ability to log into multiple accounts.  For individual users, that may be no big deal. But for those of us who have a personal account and a corporate account for example, you are constantly having to log into one account then to the other.  It is a bit of a time suck and when you are in a hurry, undoubtedly you enter in your password wrong.

There seems to be light at the end of this particular tunnel.  Over the weekend, Instagram started rolling out a beta version of their Android app that allows you to sign into multiple accounts in the app at once.  Once you have your accounts in the app, you simply toggle between them much like you can do with the Twitter app for Android today.  This new feature is in beta so it isn’t something everyone can go download but after the break I outline how to get in on the action.

In addition to the sale on the Nexus 5X I posted on earlier this morning, Google is also running a great deal on the Nexus 9 tablet.  Right now you can get the 8.9″ tablet for $200 off with the base configuration starting out at just $199.  That price point puts this flagship tablet that is upgradeable to Android Marshmallow in line with some less-than-flagship tablets.  It is a steal really for such a great device.

The sale is on any configuration and color.  For example, the Wi-Fi only 16GB version is $199 while the Wi-Fi/LTE 32GB version is $399.  If you wanted a 32GB Wi-Fi only unit then you can pick that up for only $279.

Nexus 9 – Starting at $199 (SALE) – Google Store

For you blessed few who have actually got your hands on the OnePlus X, today is a good day for you.  OnePlus has announced in their user forums that a new update to OxygenOS is now available for your device.  The update is build 2.1.3 and it is primarily focused on solving some SD card issues that have plagued the new, budget friendly device.

We’ve heard your feedback and have spent some time focusing on improving the user experience for SD card. We are not done yet so please expect more updates and feature additions to come in the next couple of OTAs, but here’s what’s included in this one:

• SD card related improvements including:
  • UX improvements
  • exFAT SD card support
  • Ability to move apps to and from SD card
  • Fixed reboots caused by removing SD card in an active state

This is certainly good news and users of the OnePlus X should get this OTA update quickly.  It is recommended that you update to it as soon as possible.

I have been an AT&T customer since 1997.  The only time I wasn’t actively using a mobile device on AT&T was when I lived in England and even then I kept my account so when I did move back I would be able to get a SIM and up and going within minutes.  When the opportunity came up to review Project Fi, I was unsure because after such a long time with one carrier, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to bother with the messiness of switching.  So I met the review halfway.  I kept my old number on AT&T and when I set up Project Fi on my Nexus 6, I requested a new number.  The thought was, if things went pear shaped, I could simply shut off the Fi service and nobody would be the wiser (as I had just forwarded my old AT&T number to my new Fi number).

I will be cancelling my AT&T service at the end of this month.

After using Project Fi for the past month, in multiple locations throughout the United States, I have been so overwhelmingly pleased with the service and quality of data throughput that I will not be looking back.  Indeed in some locations, I have had virtually no signal on AT&T while I have had 3G coverage with Fi.  Add to that a powerful and informative dedicated app along with a pricing model that just makes sense, you have what I think is the model that should be scaring the poop out of the major carriers.

What Is Project Fi?

I’ll start by giving everyone a little bit of background on Project Fi, a side project that Google started last year.  It is what is known as a Mobile Network Virtual Operator, or MNVO. Google doesn’t actually own the cell towers or physical equipment. Instead, they purchase service from an established carrier and rebrand it.  In the case of Google, the bought service from both T-Mobile and Sprint, assuring that they would have coverage for their customers.  This is not a new concept here in the United States or in Europe but what makes Project Fi unique is how Google has gone about doing this with the Nexus 6, Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P.

In those three devices, Google has built in the ability to switch between the T-Mobile GSM network and the Sprint Spark (CDMA) network on-the-fly.  Which ever has the stronger signal in the area you are in at the time wins.  Doing this is nothing short of engineering gymnastics. To get a device to switch antennas and carrier modes actively is extremely difficult.  Then Google went one step further.  In the Nexus devices it will switch between these two carriers and Wi-Fi.  So now if you have strong, good quality Wi-Fi it will leverage that for your calls and if that signal starts to drop, it will seamlessly hand the call of to one of the carriers so you don’t lose the call.  You, as a user, don’t have to do anything to make this happen.

This monumental engineering effort is why you don’t see a generic Project Fi SIM for every device.  To really take advantage of the service, you have to have the multiple array of antennas in the device and the software engineered for the handoffs between the carriers and Wi-Fi.  That is no small feat.  You can also see where there is a lot that could go wrong with this process and user experience and call quality would suffer.  That has not been the case at all since I have moved to Fi and in fact I would contend that data throughput and voice call quality has been superior to my other carrier everywhere I have been with the service.

Google wants you to use Android Pay and through the rest of this year, when you use the tap-and-pay app, Google will contribute to special needs educations projects here in the United States.  How is that for incentive to give the app a try on your NFC enabled Android device?  The announcement came on the official Android blog and basically how it works is that on any transaction you make and pay with using Android Pay, the company will donate $1 to special needs education projects.  The cap is set at $1 million total.

Teachers spend nearly $500 out of their own pocket each year to outfit their classrooms with enriching projects and programs. Since each student learns differently, let’s support special needs classrooms across the country to make education more inclusive for every kid.

This type of promotion hits home for me personally.  Both of my sisters are educators and I have several friends who are special needs educators.  Chances are you know someone who is in education or likely someone who is in special needs education.  You can read more about the program that Google is supporting here.

If you have been looking at getting a Nexus 6, head over to NewEgg today.  Right now they have the 32GB version of the device in stock for only $288.99.  That is a 56% savings off the original price of the Google flagship device from last year.  The version that the online retailer is offering is in white and there is no other color option and to top it off you will get free standard shipping on your order.

To give everyone a reminder, the Nexus 6 is powered by the Snapdragon 805 processor and coupled with 3GB of RAM and has 32GB of storage (it is not expandable with an SD card).  The display is a 5.96″ 1440 x 1960 display with about 493 PPI.  When you order the unit from NewEgg it will come with Android Lollipop as that was the original build of this device but you can upgrade it to Android Marshmallow and gain all the benefits of that great version of Android.

Nexus 6 32GB in White – SALE $288.99 – NewEgg