Category: Google

Earlier this week I posted a Public Service Announcement to remind everyone to keep their eyes open for updates to their favorite apps as Google and other developers prepare for the release of Android Marshmallow next Tuesday.  It seems now that is happening in earnest and Google Messenger is the first app I’ve found in my updates that explicitly calls out Marshmallow support.  The update is version 1.5 for those of you keeping score at home and it is available now in the Google Play Store.  If you already have Google Messenger installed on your Android phone, it make take a day or two to hit your account.

For those not familiar with it, Google Messenger is the SMS/MMS app from Google that came standard as part of Lollipop but is now a stand alone app.  You can read my review of it here.

Google Messenger for Android – Free – Download Now

At the Google event earlier in the week, we heard about the new Nexus Protect program for the first time.  The program covers your new Nexus 5X or Nexus 6P against manufacturing defects or inflicted damages on the devices for 2 years.  Now Google has pushed the button and the MyNexusProtect is now live.  While you can’t make claims or really do much more than search details on the site, this eventually will be the portal by which customers who sign up for the service when they get their new 5X or 6P can make claims.

Yesterday as part of the Google event, the company laid out a lot of the changes that are coming to Google Photos.  One of those big new features was support for Chromecast which will allow you to share your photos via a cast and even allow you to navigate your photos while others are viewing an image on the television.  That update, version 1.6 for those keeping score at home, has now been published to the Google Play Store and available for download.  You can even cast photos that you haven’t backup yet.  It’s an great new feature that anyone with a Chromecast will appreciate.

Google Photos – Free – Download Now

Yesterday’s Google event threw out a lot of facts and figures that could have easily been missed if you were distracted at any moment during the 1 hour plus presentation.  If you haven’t had a chance to view it by-the-way, you can do so here.  One interesting number that was thrown out yesterday is actually very telling about where the personal computing industry is today.  Google announced yesterday that there are 1.4 billion active Android users in the world today with a new 400 million active users added since May of last year.  That figure is important because it is only 100 million shy of the once all dominant Windows platform.

Paul Thurrott has some great insights on this over at his site if you want to research this a bit more.

There was an undertone at the Google event yesterday that didn’t necessarily go unnoticed but certainly wasn’t put to the fore.  Google is serious about Project Fi.  For those who don’t know, Project Fi is the mobile service that Google launched in April of this year and it uses a unique combination of existing carriers (T-Mobile and Sprint) as well as always on Wi-Fi to make calls and consume data on your device.  It is a pay-as-much-as-you-use plan meaning that if you have a 3GB data plan and only use 1GB, you only pay for that 1GB, not the entire 3GB like traditional carriers.  With the base package of $20 giving you unlimited calls and text then just $10 per gigabyte of data, the plan is cost effective when you compare it to other carriers.

To this point Project Fi has been invitation only and only available on the Nexus 6.  Google, wisely, has wanted to control the number of people on the service so they can better manage expectations and experiences.  After yesterday however, it is clear that Google is committed to Project Fi with the addition of the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P but also the payment plan you can sign up for on these devices when you sign up for Project Fi.  While it certainly isn’t the flood gates opening, it is more than the trickle of invites that have been committed to so far.

With two new Chromecast devices announced today by Google, it is only fitting that the app for Android has been updated as well.  The updated app is available now in the Google Play Store and it brings a huge number of updates to support better content searching and apps that can use Chromecast already installed on your device. The update is version 1.12.32 for those keeping score at home and is designed for both Android phones and tablets.

Chromecast for Android – Free – Download Now