Tag: Android

The Google Play Movies & TV app has been updated with several small but important improvements.  The update build, version 3.15 for those keeping score at home, brings improved movie watching controls that are more intuitive and similar to other apps.  Gone is the banner style controls that were on the bottom of the display and it is replaced with a progress style bar that indicates how far along you are in a movie.  To fast forward, simply slide your finger across that progress bar and a single frame will pop up above your finger to show you that scene.  To start playing again, simply lift off the screen.

The Android N Developer Preview 4 was released earlier this afternoon and now those registered in the Android Beta program are seeing the OTA come to their devices.  The update brings build NPD56N to your Nexus device and weighs in at a lightweight 168MB.  The update brings all of the fixes and enhancements to the beta that I outlined earlier and, of course, brings the final API set to the device.

Microsoft has once again updated their Android launcher app, Arrow Launcher, with some nice improvements.  The update, version 1.4 for those keeping score at home, brings several improvements in user controls.  For example, you can now hide page headers, a feature that many users of the launcher had requested.  Users can also hid SMS preview on the People and Recent page.  This change is done in the Settings of the launcher.  Both of these changes represent the fact that Microsoft is indeed listening to users of their apps as both were heavily requested changes.

Good news for those of you who have an unlocked HTC 10 here in North America.  A new software update is rolling out to you that brings several fixes and improvements along with the June Android Security Update.  The new build, version 1.80.617.1 for those keeping score at home, is rolling out now and should be hitting all devices over the course of the next few days.  The update is actually pretty big all-said at just over 300MB and as most users will know, after you download it and install it, your phone will be restarted.

A few weeks ago I posted my first impressions of the Huawei built Nexus 6P.  I covered a few of the highlights of the device that I had found to be exceptional in using the device but didn’t go into a lot of detail because this more detailed review was forthcoming.  Now that I have been using the 6P as my primary phone for the last 2 weeks, I can say without question it is the best smartphone I have used to date.  It is the complete package and has everything that you would expect a flagship device to have:  Speed, an excellent display, a solid camera and all day battery.  But that’s really just the high level stuff.  There is so much this phone offers and with Android N on its way for it, a Nexus 6P isn’t a bad choice in phone even if it is a few months old.

Microsoft has officially – and finally – released an official Xbox app for Android.  The new app, which is more-or-less a replacement for the current Smartglass app (which you can still use), brings you an all new Home experience with an activity feed, see trending content, find friends and other Xbox centric activities all from your phone or tablet.  For those of us who have the console, this new app is very much a welcome addition and shows, again, Microsoft’s commitment to their “mobile first” strategy by offering apps on both Android and iOS in addition to their own beleaguered Windows Phone platform.  Up until this point, you could only get the app for Windows Phone.