Google Quietly and Oddly Pushes Lollipop 5.1 Update to Android One Devices

android oneThe 5.1 update isn’t a typo. It’s real and it’s already available on entry level Android One devices designed for emerging markets.

In the nomenclature of updates, it’s a fairly large jump from 5.0.2 to a full 5.1, though we don’t have an official changelog on whats included. AndroidPit published a list in December on what was coming in 5.1. They expect we’ll see the Silent Mode return alongside improvements to performance, RAM utilization, and radio management.

It’s just somewhat odd that Google would launch a decimal point update like this with virtually zero fanfare, though it’s interesting to see what phones Google selected first to receive the new software. Android One is one of the few areas that Google can almost completely control the software experience on a smartphone. It’s an area where even the Nexus experiment can falter when carriers get involved in support. Continue reading “Google Quietly and Oddly Pushes Lollipop 5.1 Update to Android One Devices”

T Mobile price cut on the LG Optimus L90!

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Are you looking to save some dough on a new phone? T Mobile just cut the price of the LG Optimus L90 from $168.99 all the way down to $49.99! The LG Optimus L90 features a 4.7 inch qHD screen, a quad core 1.2GHz processor, LTE ready, a front facing camera and a 5mp rear camera with LED flash.

The LG Optimus LG90 is running Android 4.4 Kit Kat with 1 GB of ram and a 4GB expandable memory slot.  The back cover features self healing powers if you scratch it although if you gouge it with your car keys it may not heal. Not a bad little phone for $49.99 to have as a back up phone or for someone who is new to the smart phone world!

Grab the LG Optimus L90 here from T Mobile!  Continue reading “T Mobile price cut on the LG Optimus L90!”

The Long Awaited Moto 360 Smartwatch Review – It’s Just OK…

One of the most popular posts we published last year was the announcement for Motorola’s boundary breaking watch the Moto 360.

Now that we’ve spent some time playing with it, has it lived up to the hype? No. It has not, and here’s why…

Shop the Moto 360 on Amazon.
Shop the Moto 360 on Google Play.

Microsoft FINALLY brings Tablet Optimized Office Apps to Android!

After we saw a demo of an iPad running Office apps, Android fans wondered, rather vocally, when we would also get to take part in the business grade festivities.

Oh sure we had an Office Phone app for basic viewing, editing, and formatting, but it lacked proper tablet support.

Microsoft office word document for android tablet app somegadgetguyAll that changed yesterday when Microsoft’s Word, Excel, and Powerpoint tablet apps were finally approved on Google Play. Each service is an individual app, and downloading the apps is totally free. When not linked with an Office 365 subscription, the apps function as viewers, and wont allow you to edit docs or spreadsheet. Though with unlimited cloud storage coming to OneDrive with an Office 365 subscription, it’s not a bad value when compared to other cloud storage solution.

Linking to Office 365 opens up a full world of document and presentation creation and editing, very similar to what we saw on the iPad version. The full toolsets of Office are included, with advanced formating and formula support, and are well optimized for touch screen use. Tied directly into Office Online, OneDrive, and can be linked to DropBox, it’s a fairly robust ecosystem for sharing and collaborating.

Microsoft office excel for android tablet app somegadgetguy

As they’re beefy services, the download sizes are pretty large. Expect all three apps together to clock in at around 370MB. There’s also an issue with compatibility. Most of the tablets I ave lying around are not yet approved to install the apps. No Asus Transformer, no NVIDIA Shield, even the newer Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 was a no go, so my first impressions were performed on a Nexus 7.

Still it’s a great collection for Android, and now Windows Tablet and Phone fans can start the waiting game as we should see touch optimized Office apps arrive with Windows 10.

Microsoft Word on Google Play
Microsoft Excel on Google Play
Microsoft Powerpoint on Google Play

Review: Samsung Galaxy Tab 4, 10.1 on AT&T – LTE on an Android Mid-Ranger

I’m really happy to see more tablets offering LTE connectivity at a wider range of prices. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 is targeting consumers shopping in the mid range, how does it stack up to the competition? Let’s take a look!

Shop the Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 LTE on Amazon.

Smartwatch Review: Martian Notifier – Notifications on an Analog Watch

The smartwatch market is still wide open, with a spectrum of options for what you can wear. While some watches focus on strapping a phone to your arm, Martian’s approach is far more conservative. Let’s see how it holds up in a growing wearable market.

Shop the Martian Notifier on Amazon.
More info on Martian Products.

Review: NVIDIA Shield Tablet and Game Controller (AT&T LTE Variant)

NVIDIA delivered a lean, mean, gaming machine. Now with the LTE version available, is the Shield still a good value for the price? Let’s go hands on with this Android gaming slate!

Shop the Shield on Amazon.
Shop the Shield Controller.
Shop the Smart Cover.

Review: Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 Pro – 13.3 inches of Android with a Projector!

This thing is HUGE! Wrapping up a couple weeks with the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 Pro, I was really curious to see how such a large slate would affect productivity. On paper, it’s a terrific collection of specs and features, with a truly novel option in including a projector, so let’s see how it performed real world!

Shop the Yoga Tab 2 Pro on Amazon.
More info on Lenovo Products.