Today Samsung announced the new Galaxy Note 5 and it is an awesomely powerful phablet. The 5.7″ HD display device will be available starting on August 21st and will come in a 32GB and 64GB storage flavors for $739.99 and $839.99 respectively. Preorders are being taken now at most mobile providers here in the US including AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint along with retailer Best Buy.
All joking aside, the updates to the Transit App for Android are great. The latest build, version 3.7.3 for those keeping score at home, has a lot of bug fixes for some annoying things that were in the app. For those who aren’t familiar with it, Transit App gives you public transportation, Car2Go information and other transportation information for you where you are and how to get where you are going. It services a long list of cities around the world and it is my go-to app when it comes to figuring out when my next bus or train is leaving for a destination (I’m one of the maybe 3 Americans who doesn’t actually own a car by choice).
Besides all the bug fixes in the release, and there are plenty, I have to give the Montreal based company a lot of credit. They can certainly poke fun at themselves. The release notes along are worth the update just so you can read them. Again and again.
Google’s push to make their apps a robust communication and productivity solution is continuing. We saw the big announcement on Monday about Google Hangouts being updated and now Google Slides has been update too. Why is that a big deal? This update to Google Slides brings the ability for you to present your slides to a Hangouts video call audience that you have in your calendar. Simple and seamless presenting without having to go through the pain of a separate app or service. This update to Google Slides is version 1.2.312.15.35 for those keeping score at home.
The official Google for Android app has been updated with some minor but important updates. The latest build, version 5.1.16.19.arm for those keeping score at home, mainly focuses on speed improvements and reliability enhancements but there are hints of new features being on the horizon. What those updates are exactly clear but to make sure you don’t miss them, be sure to update your Android phone and tablet with this update. As a reminder, the Google for Android app is the foundation for Google Now that gives you relevant information about your location, your agenda and other tidbits of information that is important to you.
Illium Software has rolled out a key update for those who use eWallet for Android. The update, version 8.0.7 for those keeping score at home, brings a whole lot of bug fixes and improvements that should increase the overall usability of the app. For those who are not familiar with it, eWallet for Android is a productivity app that stores your password and other secure information in a 256-Bit encrypted “wallet” that you can sync with all of your devices and PC or Mac. It has been my go-to wallet app since… well forever really. I started using eWallet back in my original Pocket PC days. It’s a solid app that I have no hesitation in recommending.
Fitbit for Android has been updated today with some improvements for those of us who participate in the daily or weekly challenges. The update brings an improved end-of-challenge experience along with a new rematch feature. The new build is version 2.9 for those keeping score at home and is available now in the Google Play Store. It is only a 20MB download so updating over your data connection shouldn’t be much of an issue.
The Android Wear companion app for Android phones has been updated today but it certainly falls in the category of minor update. The new build, version 1.3.0.2139573 for those keeping score at home, is an update to the 1.3 build that was released a few weeks ago. There are not any new features or functionality to be found in the update but there are certainly tweaks and fixes that should make the app and the updating of your Wear device a bit more reliable.
For those of you patiently-impatiently-patiently waiting for the OnePlus 2 here in the United States and Canada, your wait just got a little longer. In their forums today, OnePlus confirmed that the release of their latest flagship phone has been delayed by 2-3 weeks.
The production of the OnePlus 2 is in full swing and we’re excited to get the OnePlus 2 in your hands. However we do want to tell our users in North America that due to production schedules, shipping to the States and Canada will commence 2-3 weeks after shipments to Europe.
The news will certainly be disappointing to those who are waiting to buy the phone.