Tag: Android

The original NVIDIA Shield Tablet has been issued a major update that brings, amongst other things, Android Marshmallow 6.0.1.  The update is identical to the update that was released a few weeks back for the Shield Tablet K1 and it has all of the same updates in that release.  With the update to Marshmallow, you will have the March Security update for the OS as well.  The update is a hefty one at around 1GB so expect the download to take a few minutes and the update in total to take about 30 minutes.

Android Central is reporting that Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge users on AT&T are starting to see the May Android security update come to their devices.  The update brings a handful of updates that I highlighted when it was released on the 2nd of this month but don’t expect to see any new major features with it.  Interestingly, the AT&T support pages for the S7 series has not been updated yet to reflect this update has been released.  Android Central users in their forums are reporting seeing the update on both devices.

Over the course of the last 3 weeks or so, really since the Apple earnings call, my Twitter and Google+ feed have been full of posts and articles on how the death of the iPhone, and by extension Apple, is near.  They point to the ever increasing growth of Android across the globe, the poor showing of Apple in their last quarter, the lackluster iPhone SE (which I reviewed for Gear Diary) and the rumors of what may well be a lackluster iPhone 7.  In a word, bollocks.

I’m an Android user.  I love Android.  I left iOS a couple of years ago for a reason.  I didn’t like the ecosystem, I found iOS buggy and limiting and ultimately, after a breach of their 2-factor authentication that left my devices locked forever, I had enough.  I have found a breath of fresh air in Android.  I enjoy the flexibility it offers both as a platform and in devices and while it is far from perfect, it gives me the things that I wanted.  But just because I’m an Android user doesn’t mean that I hate anything and everything iOS.  I have always advocated that users find the tool that works best for them.  If that is Android, great.  If that is an iPhone, great.  As long as it meets your needs, that’s ultimately the goal.  It is not a zero-sum game.

Google has moved another baked in OS service to the Google Play Store today as they continue to uncouple some apps and services from the base Android image.  Google Exchange Services has, to now, been a part of Android and was only ever updated when there was a new update to the platform.  This move to make it stand alone will improve the chances of it getting updated more quickly than it has in the past.  It also means that anyone can use Gmail to get their Exchange mail, something that previously was only available to Nexus device users.

The latest update to Google Calendar is one that frequent conference call users will want to update to as soon as it is available. Seriously.  Stop what you are doing and see if you have the update.  I’ll wait….. Okay, so here is the deal:  Before now, when you had a conference call scheduled in Calendar, you could have it dial the number easy enough (it would just switch over to your Phone app) but if that conference call had a passcode, you had to enter it manually.  That’s no big deal if you are sitting at your desk.  But if you are driving or otherwise using your phone one handed, that can be a bit of a pain.  No more.  The latest update will allow you to select the passcode for the call (if it is in the invite) and the Phone app will automatically dial it for you when your call is connected.

Android Pay’s continued growth and support by the banking industry marches on with an additional 55 new banks adding support for the service.  While the majority of the new banks are Credit Unions and small in size, it is good to see them added for those who do not have a major US bank in their area.  Equally, the list is no where near complete but it feels like we are close to the point where there are more banks than physical locations that have touch-to-pay terminals.