Tag: Android

After several months of beta testing, the OnePlus team has finally released their Android Marshmallow based OxygenOS 3.0.2 build.  Based on the forum post made by the OnePlus team, the OTA update is just now rolling out and it will be done incrementally so it could be up to 48 hours before your OP2 sees the update hit it.  Once it does, you will have a Marshmallow 6.0.2 base along with all the goodies that come with it and the ones that OnePlus has baked into OxygenOS.

I began tech writing back in 1998 and over the course of those 18 years I have reviewed well over 100 different phones, tablets, PCs, Chromebooks and the like.  When it comes to phones, I’m a bit jaded admittedly.  I tend to not get caught up in all the hype of new phones or even phones that are a few months old because, let’s face it, the next new phone is on its way.  That is certainly the case for the Nexus 6P.  The Huawei built Nexus phone has been out since September of last year and you can almost certainly bet that its replacement will be here about that time this year.  But of all the phones I have used over the course of my tech writing, the Nexus 6P may be the most complete package to date.  It is shockingly good on almost every level.  Here are some of my initial thoughts on it as I prep for a larger, detailed review later this month.

The wait for the latest flagship from OnePlus is only 15 days away.  The company announced on the Weibo site that the OnePlus 3 will launch on June 15th at 10AM local time in an online VR experience.  OnePlus has made a name for itself with its “flagship killer” devices in the past, the OnePlus One and the OnePlus 2, and based on the rumors of what is expected to be in the 3, they will likely continue that killer stance.  Based on the TENAA report on the device, it should have a Snapdragon 820 SoC processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of Storage and a 5.5″ Full HD Display.

For those of you who own the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 on the Verizon network, it is a good morning for you.  The carrier has begun rolling out the Android Marshmallow update for the tablet today, bringing the latest major version of Android to it.  The updated build, according to Verizon’s support site, is MMB29K.T817VVRU2BPE1 for those keeping score at home and it will come to you as an OTA update.  You can expect about a 1GB download which you will need to do via Wi-Fi and once you have the download, the installation will take about 20-30 minutes and require a reboot.

A few weeks ago at Google I/O we saw the announcements from Google on Google Allo and Google Duo.  For those who may not recall, Allo is the new messaging app from the company that brings a significant amount of personalization and leverages Google’s machine learning on the back end to allow you to get quick replies that are more personal to you.  Duo is the company’s new one-on-one video app that allows you to make video calls seamlessly with other people, even if they are on iOS.

A few days after I/O, Google set up Allo and Duo in the Google Play Store so that you could add them to your Wishlist.  They moved it up a level now and you can pre-register for both apps in the Store today.

Google Map is receiving another update for Android users with this update more or less aimed at those who do a lot of walking or bicycling.  The updated build, version 9.26 for those keeping score at home, brings the ability for you to search for other places to stop along your walking or biking path.  Say, for example, you need to stop at the pharmacy while you are biking home, you can search for a CVS or Walgreens along the way and build in that stop on your commute home.  If this sounds familiar, it should.  Google Maps had this feature for those who drive but it was not available for those who were walking or riding.  Give the number of people who walk or ride bikes to and from work, especially in urban areas, this was a real miss up to this point.