Tag: Android

The Google Play Music app for Android has an update rolling out that brings new features to everyone.  The bulk of the version 7.9 build is aimed at the future, namely Android O so a lot of the attention and focus of this release is to be found once O rolls out to everyone.  That includes things like Notification Channels, a new feature that will be coming in Android v8.

For today however, there is a new Search History feature that you can access on devices today that will give you access to your music search history.  This history includes any music, album or artist searches you have done either from the Play Music app or site.

Google has released an update to Google WiFi that, along with the latest firmware for your WiFi or OnHub devices, will allow you to enable IPv6 to your ISP.  For those who are not familiar with IPv6, it is a more advanced version of IPv4 (which you are likely using now) that uses 128-bit addressing of devices.  The theory is you can get more devices on the Internet because there is significantly more IP addresses available with v6.  The lack of IPv6 has been a contention point for many who use Google WiFi or OnHub as it is more secure and is somewhat of a checkbox requirement for a contemporary network device.

The update to bring IPv6 is a combination of firmware for the physical device itself, which is build 9460.40, and the updated app which is in the Play Store.

After a significant number of leaks and rumors, the OnePlus 5 was officially announced yesterday by the Chinese company.  The phone will go on sale on June 27th and will be available in two variants:  a 6GB RAM/64GB Storage model for $479 or a 8GB RAM/128GB Storage for $539.  Both of these price points represent an increase in price over the OnePlus 3T but the OnePlus 5 is a higher spec’d phone too.

Those specifications include being powered by the Snapdragon 835 octa-core processor which has four cores running at 2.45 GHz  & four running at 1.9 GHz.  This is coupled with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM depending on the model you purchase and 64GB or 128GB of storage.  The rear facing camera is a dual-camera configuration that is capable of shooting up to 16MP photos while the front facing selfie camera is also a 16MP shooter.

Today’s Deal is on the well appointed LeEco LE S3.  This 5.5″ aluminum chassis dual-SIM phone is down to $139.99 today at Amazon, a savings of $60.  The LE S3 is powered by the Snapdragon 652 with 4×1.4 GHz cores & 4×1.8 GHz cores.  It is coupled with 3GB of RAM and has 32GB of storage.  It is has a 3000 mAh battery to keep you going through the day, a fingerprint scanner and 16MP camera.

The phone is sold unlocked and will work with GSM carriers here in the US like AT&T and T-Mobile.  Here’s a rundown of the supported frequencies and bands.  Be sure to check with your carrier for support.

• GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2
• HSDPA 850 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
• LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700), 17(700)

For those on Sprint or Verizon, sorry, the phone doesn’t support CDMA.

Nokia’s acquisition of Withings is now complete and we are starting to see the first changes.  This morning, the Nokia Health Mate app started rolling out to users, updating it from the Withings app under the same name.  The app changes are not just in name or the icon on your Home page.  Nokia has done a major revamp of the UI for the app but all of the features of the Withings app are still there for you to access.

Nokia moved all of the navigation in the app to the bottom, giving you a Home, Dashboard, a Leaderboard for activities you are competing against each other, your devices and your profile.  All of this is wrapped in a beautiful white, Material Design inspired UI that looks much more modern than the last update from Withings.

Microsoft’s continual updating of Arrow Launcher, the company’s Android launcher app, has been impressive and for the most part, have been significant updates.  That’s no different with the latest update, version 3.6.  This update to Microsoft Arrow Launcher brings a handful of refinements and improvements to the launcher.  Perhaps the most interesting one for the majority of users is the ability to hid or show the system status bar.

The System Status bar is the bar at the top of the display where you see your clock, Wi-Fi indicator, battery indicator and so forth. Arrow Launcher now gives you the option in Settings>General Settings to turn this on or off.  This is a great feature if you want to have a more clutter free view of your home screen.