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Google has published their 2nd annual security report for Android as the company continues to fight malware and other end user harming apps in the ecosystem.  The report highlights some of the activities that Google has gone through in the last year to protect customers, including some 6 billion scans on installed apps per day.  When it comes to security, there is always room for improvement but clearly Google is taking the safety of users serious on their mobile platform.

Today in Brussels, the European Commission formally laid out charges of antitrust against Google for the Android mobile operating system.  In the complaint, the EC outlines that Google has made several anti-competitive moves with the Android operating system with regard to how apps are bundled with it, using Google search as default and prevented phone manufactures from building competitive operating systems based on Android.  If the charges are upheld, Google faces significant fines including up to 10% of their revenue in the EU.

Over the course of the past couple of years, we have gotten use to seeing apps with a Material Design look, especially those from Google themselves.  However some of the apps they produced have not been made over in Material Design and up until today, Google Analytics was one of them.  This morning the company started rolling out an update that brings a completely revamped look to the app to Android devices.

Let’s get your first question out of the way:  Why am I posting a review on a tablet that is over a year old?  Fair question.

The why is pretty simple.  If you are looking for a well spec’d, well designed tablet for under $300, the Nexus 9 remains one of the best options on the market today.  Yes you could go with a Pixel C but that $300 barrier comes into play.  Yes you could get another brand tablet for less money but when it comes to a pure Android experience, the Nexus 9 is very hard to beat.  And while I certainly focus a lot of attention on the latest devices and apps, there are times where something just a little bit older still does an amazing job at a lower cost than their replacement devices today.

So justifications made, I have no hesitation in recommending the HTC built Nexus 9 if you are looking for a sub-$300 tablet that performs exceptionally well and is going to be around for a while given that you can already load the Android N beta onto it.  I’ve been using one for the past several weeks and it is wonderful device that performs well for those who need a reasonably sized tablet.