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Motorola has been selling flagship devices under the Moto X brand since 2013, but the time has come to move on, according to VentureBeat. Lenovo is allegedly moving on two whole letters in the alphabet to "Z." So, this year Motorola might be pushing the Moto Z instead of the Moto X.
The once beloved ES File Explorer was revealed recently to be little more than a Trojan Horse, used to get adware installed on thousands of devices with one update. This was apparently just the beginning. Users have started compiling a spreadsheet of apps that sneak the same adware-infused charging lock screen onto your device. There are already about 20 of them. Google, where are you?
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We got a sneak peek at an unreleased Google app called Spaces a few weeks back, and now Google has announced the official release of the app. Spaces is a group sharing app for Android, iOS, and the web that lets you create a new space for each topic to keep discussions focused. The app is rolling out today, so you can't download it just yet, but it won't be long now.
Koush had to take his device mirroring tool Vysor off the Chrome store last week after H.264 owner MPEG-LA came calling with a big bill. It seems the H.264 decoder in Vysor entitled MPEG-LA to royalties on Koush's free app. Well, after a weekend of coding, Vysor is back with a new decoder and a subscription option.
The original Vector was a hit when it came out a few years ago, and now the developer has released Vector 2. The gameplay is similar to the first one, but the upgrade system is much more extensive. It's actually a little confusing. Such is the cost of progress, I suppose.
HTC recently announced that owners of the M8 and M9 on AT&T were finally getting their upgrade to Marshmallow. That's great, but what if you haven't gotten the OTA yet or you modded your phone? Well, now there are RUU files for manual updates.
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There's a new version of the Play Store beginning its slow rollout, and it's all about all those beta apps you've signed up for. You can see when you're in a beta, leave/join them, and even provide direct developer feedback from the Play Store client. Anyone who's in a lot of betas will want this update, and we've got the APK ready for download.
As we reported yesterday, Google recently opened up the Google Dialer app to virtually all phones running Marshmallow. Great! Everyone was happy for a few hours, and then the other shoe dropped. It turns out this was not intentional on Google's part, and the Play Store listing no longer allows installing on non-Nexus phones. What's more, sideloading is blocked in the latest build.
If you go looking for Koush's Vysor today, you won't be able to find it. Koush has announced that he had to pull the screen sharing app because of codec licensing. Despite being more or less ubiquitous, the H.264 codec isn't a free standard. Koush was contacted by MPEG-LA and told he'd need to license the decoder in Vysor for $0.20 per user. Koush opted to pull the tool from the Chrome web store instead, but he's on the hook for previous downloads.
Are you interested in picking up an LTE tablet, but the prospect of spending your own money on it is giving you cold feet? Well, T-Mobile customers can get one for free this weekend... sort of. The LG G Pad F 8.0 is usually a $240 tablet, but it's free after mail-in rebate right now.
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The Google dialer is what ships on all Nexus phones, but OEMs usually create their own vastly different dialer app. Beginning with the v2.05 update, you can install Google's version on most other phones too. This update rolled out a few weeks ago, but it seems that people are still just noticing, so let's get this all out in the open.
The unlocked HTC 10 is just starting to show up on doorsteps, and HTC has an update ready to go. The OTA started rolling out a few days ago, but now there's also a full RUU for manual flashing. HTC only lists this as a bug fix update, but the changelog includes more detail.
Google Play supports all manner of payment options these days, but for many, carrier billing is still the easiest. You don't have to input any payment details or log into an external account. You just buy things and pay for them on your monthly bill. However, it requires carrier support. Customers on five more carriers will have the option now, according to Google's support site.
Fans of Sony's Android phones have long touted the advantages of Stamina Mode, which was a bit like Doze Mode before Marshmallow was a thing. However, Google's requirement that OEMs not fiddle with Doze caused Sony to take Stamina Mode out of its Marshmallow builds. Sony promised it would come back, and now it has in the latest beta update.
Verizon has been tweaking its plans recently to compete with the low-cost carriers like T-Mobile, and now that includes its prepaid offerings too. Verizon's new prepaid plans are cheaper, have a bit more data, and includes calling to more places. They go into effect on May 15th.
NVIDIA launched the original SHIELD Tablet nearly two years ago in 2014, then it refreshed the device with a lower price point at the end of 2015 as the Tablet K1. However, it has yet to mention a true successor to the tablet. A new NVIDIA device has just hit the FCC, and it looks like a new SHIELD Tablet, if the documents are to be believed.
If you've never heard of payday loans, consider yourself lucky. They're an absolutely vile form of lending with annual interest rates that often creep over 1000%. Until now, Google has allowed these companies to advertise their services on its AdWords platform. Effective July 13th, you won't see ads for these services from Google. Believe it or not, there are people who think publicly defending this industry is a good idea, and they're all over the comments on Google's post.
Hey, Google just released a new app. This is usually the sort of thing you, as Android users, are interested in. This time is a little different, though. Google has released Gboard, a keyboard for iPhone with built-in search. Why are we talking about an iPhone app? Because you can bet something similar will come to Android soon enough.
NVIDIA started rolling Marshmallow out to the original SHIELD tablet a few months ago after getting the K1 up to date late last year, and now the company is moving the SHIELD to the latest and greatest version. The v4.1 update from 6.0 to 6.0.1 is rolling out now with emoji, security patches, and more. Well, unless you have the more expensive US 32GB LTE SHIELD. Then you're still stuck on Lollipop for some reason.
A wave of dread washed over fans of Sunrise Calendar when it was acquired my Microsoft in 2015, and indeed that dread was justified. Microsoft ended update support for Sunrise in late 2015, and now we know when the app will shut down for good. The big day is August 31st, so you'll have to find an alternative before then.