Category: Nexus 6

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

The Project Fi team has just sent an email out to subscribers that a new Android Marshmallow update is being released for the Nexus 6.  The notification comes on the same day that T-Mobile announced a Marshmallow update for the Nexus 6 on their network and as I speculated, a Project Fi specific build likely wasn’t far behind.

There had been a lot of rumors since the release of Marshmallow that users of Project Fi would have issues getting connectivity. Specifically that the switching mechanism with the new Fi SIM, Marshmallow and the Nexus 6  meant that users could not switch from T-Mobile or Sprint on-the-fly, a key selling point of Project Fi.  Thus, to this point, an update had not been sent to subscribers.  That has meant that Project Fi customers have remained on Android Lollipop.

I have been running Marshmallow as a Fi user but I receive the OTA update on my Nexus 6 while I was still on AT&T (my device is unlocked and was purchased from Google directly).  When I switched over to Fi, I had no issues at all and in fact have found the service to be very reliable and faster than AT&T here in Denver. Ironically I reached out to Fi support earlier today asking about this very issue to which I was told that they had not had any issues reported to them. Yet we now have a new Marshmallow build.  Curious much?

If you have been wanting to get on board with Project Fi, now you can do it without having to wait for an invite.  For the next 24 hours, when you go to the Fi site, your invitation will be instantly approved so you will be able to sign up and start using Google’s virtual mobile operator platform.  The news came via Twitter just a bit ago and it is all being done as part of the celebration by Google on the shipping of the Nexus 5X today.

The #Nexus5X ships today–so Project Fi is giving out instant invites for 24hrs to celebrate http://t.co/t3N7V4FaOC pic.twitter.com/qmpUVHttlS

— Project Fi (@projectfi) October 19, 2015

To remind everyone, to use Fi you will need to have a Nexus 6, Nexus 6P or Nexus 5X to take full advantage of the program.

Sign Up for Project Fi

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.

A day after T-Mobile announced they were releasing security updates for the Nexus devices on their network, Google has now published the Factory Images for the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 7 (2013) Wi-Fi and Nexus 9 on the Android developer site.  The images are available for anyone to download and install assuming they have root access to their device and are familiar with the procedure.  Those who had rather not go through the process can simply wait and the update will be coming to the devices in the coming days via OTA.   The build number, for those keeping score at home, is LMY48M and is an update to Android Lollipop as you would expect.

For those who have the AT&T version of the Nexus 6, it’s a good Wednesday morning for you.  The Lollipop 5.1.1 update is starting to roll out from the US carrier, following in the footsteps of Sprint and US Cellular who have already released the update (see my article on why I think Android Lollipop updates are broken and this delay is a good example).  The update is coming via an over-the-air (OTA) update and is 81MB in size according to the AT&T site. Interestingly, the site also points out that the OTA update will slowly ramp up over the course of the week.  That means if you check for an update on your Nexus 6 and don’t see it, try again later as it may just not be to you yet.