Blackberry Priv is Now Available on T-Mobile

If you have been waiting for the Blackberry Priv to come to T-Mobile then today is a very good day for you.  The flagship device from the company (and perhaps the savior of it all?) has come to T-Mobile and is available for Zero down on a 30 month payment plan for $30 per month or an outright purchase of $719.99.  The pricing is in line with what is offered by AT&T, the carrier who had the device exclusively since it’s launch so don’t expect a savings on it.

While the Blackberry Priv has had some mixed reviews, overall the device has done well in the market.  Currently it is running on Lollipop 5.1.1 but it is expected to receive its Marshmallow update this quarter.  Given that Blackberry has positioned the Priv as a secure and privacy friendly device, it is regularly updated with security patches and fixes and that should continue even after the Marshmallow update.

Blackberry Priv – T-Mobile

Spotify Adds Video Content To Music App

Spotify has upped the ante and has added video content to their app, still named Spotify Music.  The update comes after months of speculation and an announcement last summer that the company would be moving beyond just music.  The update is hitting Android this week while iOS users of the service will have to wait an additional week.  Now when you open the app, you have a video section that allows you to view content from a range of providers.  Right now the content is limited but it is expected to grow as other providers get signed up.  Right now you can get content from ABC News, Adult Swim, Comedy Central, NBC Entertainment and ESPN.

Spotify – Free (In-App Purchases) – Download Now

How To Fix Gmail Notifications in Marshmallow

One of the things that I love about Android Marshmallow is Doze, the battery saving feature of the OS that I believe is one of the killer features of the release.  But for some users, Doze and App Sleep have proven to be a little bit to sleepy, especially when it comes to Gmail.  Multiple users have reported in various forums, websites and communities that they are having notifications for Gmail not happen if their device is in Doze.  The reason behind this is pretty straight forward.  Google has enabled battery optimization for Gmail so when your phone is in Doze it does not listen for email and thus, you don’t get notified.

There is a way however for you to prevent this from happening which is to turn off the optimization for the app on your Android Marshmallow powered device.  In fact, the How To I’m going to outline can be applied to any app that you have installed on your phone or tablet, not just Gmail.  But, and you probably figured this out already, by disabling battery optimization, you lose some of the battery saving benefits of Doze on your device.  Essentially this How To is going to show you how to bypass Doze so proceed with caution.  If you override to many apps, you will still see a lot of battery drain while your device is sitting idle, unplugged on your desk.

Google Play Games Dropping Google+ Requirement

Over the weekend on the Android Developers Blog, Google announced a significant change is coming this year to Google Play Games.  To this point, if you played a game on your Android device and signed into the service, it required you to have a Google+ ID to do so.  It created a multi-step process for users and is a bit of a hold over from when Google tried to push everyone and everything through Google+.  At some point this year, Google is going to eliminate this requirement and gamers will be able to sign in one time per account and any new games they start playing, they will be automatically signed into the service.

We’re taking steps to reduce sign-in friction and unnecessary permission requests for players by moving the Games APIs to a new model. The new interaction is:

  • Players are prompted to sign-in once per account, rather than once per game

  • Players no longer need their account upgraded to Google+ to use Play Games services

  • Once players have signed-in for the first time, they will no longer need to sign in to any future games; they will be automatically signed in

  • Note: Players can turn off auto-sign-in through the Play Games App’s settings

It is certainly going to make it much easier for players to sign into the service, especially on new games where they can just get to playing immediately without having to go through the whole sign in process repeatedly.

Samsung Chromebook 2 On Sale For $185 at Amazon

To start your Monday morning & work week, how about a great offer from Amazon on the Samsung Chromebook 2.  This 11.6″ Chromebook was introduced in October of last year and up to this point has retailed for $249.99.  Today you can get it for $185.99, a savings of $64.00, while supplies last.  The Samsung Chromebooks have been some of the most highly rated units available for Chrome OS with this updated version of their original product receiving similar praise.  Sporting a 11.6″ HD LED 1366 x 768 display, the Chromebook 2 has 2GB of DDR3L SDRAM and 16GB of onboard storage.  It is powered by a 2.16 GHz dual-core Intel Celeron processor, has 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi support and has 9 hours of battery life.

Samsung Chromebook 2 – SALE $185.88 – Amazon

%d bloggers like this: