Tag: Android

Microsoft has rolled out a sizable update to the Microsoft Groove app, their music streaming and subscription service.  The update brings a lot of changes to the app that frankly, catches it up to other services that are out there.  This update is rolling out now so if you have the app installed, expect the OTA today or tomorrow.

The biggest new edition is that you can explore relevant artists, albums and songs for a particular genre.  This not only allows you to see your favorite artists but also expose you to some that you may not have heard of before.  It is a great way to discover new artists in your favorite kind of music.

Rovio, the developer team behind the Angry Birds franchise, has pushed out a big update to Angry Birds 2 for Android.  The update brings 80 new levels to the game, Hamsterdam and Mississpiggy River chapters.  There are also improved treasures with bigger awards for players.  Perhaps the most noticeable change is the completely new home screen in the game.

The new home screen completely changes from the old, world map view that has been in the game since its initial release.  Now you see all of the birds in your flock in the center of the screen.  The world map, the arena and the daily quest are all large icons on the right side of the display.  It is a much cleaner and simpler design.

Google’s health and activity tracking app, Google Fit, saw a minor update yesterday but it contains a big fix for users.  To be clear, this is not the update that brings a lot of new features to the app to support Android Wear 2.0 devices.  That update is expected once the 2.0 devices get out there, which starts on Friday, February 10th.  So for those of you who have Fit installed, don’t expect to see a lot of changes visually.

The big change is a bug fix that had to do with mileage estimates from the app.  When you were on a walk, run, biking or I’ve found it even in skiing, there were times that the mileage estimates were off.  Sometimes they were off by a little bit, sometimes by a lot.  This update appears to address those issues based on an evening walk I made last night after updating.

There is an update to Google Photos for Android that is now in the Play Store that addresses a bug with Casting your photos.  Late last week, the photo app was updated but users began experiencing a problem with it continually prompting for Google Cast credentials and a PIN, even for users who didn’t have a Cast nearby.  On Monday a small patch went out that disabled Casting in Google Photos and the update today fixes that bug and re-enables the feature.

If you were one of the users impacted by the Casting bug, you certainly need to download this update as soon as it is available on your account.

Today’s Deal over at Amazon is on the zippy Samsung EVO MicroSD card.  The 64GB version of the card is down to $21.99 today while the 32GB model is only $10.99.  If you are looking to expand the memory of your Android phone or other devices, these are solid performing cards that can keep up with an impressive 48MB/sec throughput.

Whether you pick up the 32GB or the 64GB version, both cards are UHC-1 certified so you can record Full HD to them as the write speed is fast enough.  The cards will be supported by the vast majority of Android phones as well as other recording devices (like a GoPro) but be sure to double-check the specification requirements of your device before you make a purchase.

For those of you who are Amazon Prime customers, you get free shipping on the cards.  Head over to Amazon to get all the details.  Prices are good while supplies last.

Microsoft has rolled out an update to the Microsoft Teams app that has a lot of new features and improvements for organizations who use it for collaboration.  The update’s biggest improvement is Single Sign-On (SSO) so that users of Office 365 will be able to sign in easier to Teams if they are already signed into other apps on their phone.

OneNote files can now also be shared in Teams.  If a OneNote file is being shared, it can be viewed in conversations.  Previously OneNote files couldn’t be viewed in Teams.