Category: Google

The Google Play Movies & TV app has been updated today and while on the whole it is a minor update, there is a nice improvement to the Wishlist feature that comes in this build.  The update is build 3.11.5 for those keeping score at home and it is in the Google Play Store now.  If you already have the app installed, you should see the OTA update in the next day or two at the latest.

From a bug fix perspective, Google has improved the playback reliabilty of the app so you should see some improvements as you play back on your devices.  In testing for this post, the pause/start function while watching a movie or television show is much smoother than before and starts up quicker.

But as I said, the big news is Wishlists.  More on that after the break.

Google Play Movies & TV for Android – Free – Download Now

Google has released an update to their news and magazine app, Google Play Newsstand, that has enabled notifications from the app.  The update is version 3.5 for those keeping score at home and it is available now in the Play Store.  The app, which is also the app where you read any magazine subscriptions you have through the Play Store, has slowly been evolving over the past year and it looks like it might finally be poised to replace the Google News & Weather app – or it is getting there at least.

When you install the update you will have the option to enable notifications on the first run (you can always go back and enable or disable them in Settings).  Once enabled, you will see notifications for those items you have set up. These can be News alerts from major news events or form those you have setup in the app, magazine issue updates and Deals and Offers.

If you use Google Play Newsstand for magazines, you know that you have been able to get new magazine issues notifications for a couple of months now.  This update just expands it out to include news information.

Google Play Newsstand – Free – Download Now

It has taken 4 months but Android Marshmallow has finally broken through the 1% barrier on installed devices.  The news comes from the monthly Platform Version report from the company and while the news is good that the latest version of Android is starting to hit more device, it still has a mountain to climb to reach the Lollipop install based.

According to the report, Marshmallow is now on 1.2 of all devices that hit the Google Play Store in the past week.  This is up from .7% in January, a sizable 58% increase, but still a whopping 32.9% behind Android Lollipop.  The previous version of Android sits at 34.1% overall which is up from last month.  Android KitKat remains the leader at 35.5% but it fell by .6% from the previous report.

The user friendly Google OnHub app and wireless routers have received a significant update today, bringing with it one of the most requested features in the user forums:  Guest Networks.

To this point, when you had guests over and you wanted to give them access to your wireless network, you had to give them your main network password.  It wasn’t ideal and for many who looked at the device, it was a turn off.  With the update of both the OnHub app and the router’s firmware, you now have the option to create a guest network which you can easily control from the app.

You can read my review here of Google OnHub.

As expect and right on time, Google has posted the February security update for Android Marshmallow today.  The update takes the 6.0.1 build to version MMB29Q and it is now available for flashing on the Factory Images page of the developer site.

There are a lot of security fixes in this update, the biggest of which is a fix for remote code execution which was discovered in January.

The most severe of these issues is a Critical security vulnerability that could enable remote code execution on an affected device through multiple methods such as email, web browsing, and MMS when processing media files. The Remote Code Execution Vulnerability in Broadcom’s Wi-Fi driver is also Critical severity as it could allow remote code execution on an affected device while connected to the same network as the attacker.

Google points out in the security bulletin that they are not aware of any customers being impacted by this issue but is encouraging users to update as soon as the build is available to them.

Earlier in the week, along with the Nexus 5X price drop, Google dropped the price of the Nexus 6P in Gold by $50.  That put the 32GB model at $449 while the 64GB model is at $499.  Now you can get that same pricing over at Amazon too.

The price matching at Amazon is not something new and generally after a week or two of exclusivity at Google, they match the price so their customer base can get the same price.  It’s a smart move from Amazon as their customers can use gift cards (or a combination of cards and credit cards) to pay for the device. The Google Store for now is credit card.

Nexus 6P – 32GB – $449 at Amazon

Nexus 6P – 64GB – $499 at Amazon