Category: Android Phone

Electronic Arts last week released the all new Need for Speed No Limits game for Android.  The latest game in the franchise is the first that has been designed for mobile first and leverages the talent of the FireMonkey team at EA who created the ever popular Real Racing 3.  This latest game has a lot going for it with outstanding graphics and game play.  There are a few gotchas though, least of which is the freemium model where you have to pay real cash at some point to get further along in the game.  The good news – after playing it pretty extensively all weekend, you can get pretty far into the game without having to make that investment.

Need for Speed No Limits – Free (In-App Purchases) – Download Now

The good news about Android Marshmallow updates keeps on coming.  We know that Nexus devices are getting the update next Tuesday while the HTC One M8 and One M9 will get it before the end of the year.  Samsung has a list of devices to and now we can add Motorola to the list of OEMs who are committing to the update.

Today on their blog, Motorola released the list of devices they plan to offer the Android Marshmallow update to over the coming weeks and months and it is a pretty nice list all-said.

LG has pulled back their rumored LG V10 today, showing a 5.7″ QuadHD device with some pretty impressive specs.  The new LG V10 will come with Android Lollipop (I’m assuming it will be upgraded to Android Marshmallow at some point) and features dual front facing cameras and an always on feature on the display to allow users at a glance to see information like battery remaining, weather and of course the time.  When the display is on, this becomes the app launcher in what LG is calling a second screen.

Working independently, the Second Screen can be set up as an “always on” dis- play to enhance the V10’s productiveness all without impacting battery life. Set the Se- cond Screen to display the weather, time, date and battery icon when the main display is off. With the main display on, the Second Screen can be set to convert to a dedicated launching area for shortcuts or your favorite apps. What’s more, when you’re enjoying a movie or game on the V10, the Second Screen will notify you discreetly without block- ing your view when a call or text comes in. Ignoring the notification won’t distract you from your enjoyment or you can pause whatever you’re doing to respond.

It is a somewhat unique answer to getting the maximum amount of information to users without cluttering things up on the display.

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

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

As I put in my what to expect from the Google event post yesterday, the company announced today that Android Marshmallow will start being delivered to existing Nexus devices starting next Monday, October 5th.  This date was somewhat confirmed prior to the event thanks to leaked documents but with it being official from Google, we are set.

The devices that will be receiving the update OTA starting Monday will be the Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 7 (2013), Nexus 9 and the Nexus Player.  The Nexus 4 and the Nexus 7 (2012) will not be receiving the update as I posted yesterday which has caused some anger, particularly for the Nexus 4.