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Last month's platform distribution numbers were a bit of a surprise in that Lollipop hadn't even broken the 0.1% threshold required for inclusion in the data. That changes this month, but adoption is still slow. Android 5.0 is showing up at 1.6% usage share, with very little movement elsewhere.
Are you ready to buy some new games at a very reasonable price? Are you ready to support charity while you do it? Do you like cartoons? If you answered yes to any of the above, have we got something for you—the new Humble Mobile Bundle features a ton of games from Cartoon Network and it's a good selection.
Verizon has been known as an enemy of timely software updates for many years—centuries maybe, I haven't been keeping track. That makes today quite unusual. The Samsung Galaxy S5 on Verizon is getting an update... to Android 5.0 Lollipop. It's the first US variant to see the update. Weird!
HTC promised to get Android 5.0 Lollipop through the approval process and out to the HTC One M7 and M8 in the US no later than 90 days after release. US product manager Mo Versi even officially started the timer when Lollipop was delivered by Google. Now Versi says that won't happen after all.
It was just yesterday evening that we complained about Google's apparent inability to get updates rolled out to the 2012 and 2013 Nexus 7s with cellular data, and now here we are. Google has posted sytem images based on Android 5.0.2 for both devices. How about that?
Owners of the Sony Xperia L have something to celebrate today. No, it's not actually all of their birthdays on the same day, possibly because of a breach in the space-time continuum. TWRP is now officially available on the Sony Xperia L.
Prepaid carrier Cricket Wireless has been pushing its inexpensive tax-inclusive plans and $5 auto-pay credits recently, but it just rolled out some new plans that make the deal even better. Its two cheapest plans are getting more data, and there's a new limited time deal on a larger bucket of bytes.
Is it the age of the smartwatch yet? I don't know, but developers are sure acting like it is. You can hardly turn around without seeing another new watch face or utility for Android Wear. Google still hasn't made it particularly easy to find new Wear apps, but we're keeping track of all the best new stuff, and here it is.
The Ouya raised $8.6 million on Kickstarter, and to its credit, the promised $99 Android-powered game console was delivered and works as described. The problem is that it just wasn't very good in the grand scheme of things. The outlook on Ouya hasn't been particularly positive, but maybe that's about to change. The Wall Street Journal reports that Chinese retail giant Alibaba has swooped in with a $10 million investment
The name "Naughty Kitties" is not particularly descriptive. Is it some sort of game or a seedy strip club? It's a game this time, and actually a rather fun one. It bills itself as a combination of endless runner and tower defense, but it's more strategic than you might think.
So, you've got a lot of stuff that doesn't fit on your phone? If you're lucky enough to have a microSD card slot, that's easy to fix. Amazon's Gold Box deal today features Sony flash storage, but not just microSD cards.
Microsoft's Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps have been in preview on Android for a few months, first as an invite-only preview then as an open one. Now Redmond appears to be moving forward with the real deal—the preview label is gone, and the final versions are rolling out.
Google has seen fit to bestow upon us this evening Chrome Beta v41. This version of Chrome will add pull to refresh to almost all web pages. No more will there be wailing and gnashing of teeth due to the lack of an easily accessible refresh button. There's some other stuff too, but how 'bout that refresh?
We've heard a lot of back and forth about the Snapdragon 810, the first high-end 64-bit ARM processor from Qualcomm. First there were rumors that overheating caused Samsung to drop the chip from its Galaxy S6, then LG said the 810 was fine in the G Flex 2. Now, however, Qualcomm says the 810 will not be powering "a large customer's flagship device" this year. That almost certainly means Samsung.
Maybe you're snowed in today or maybe you just don't want to do any work. No worries, there are some apps and games that can keep you occupied, and the prices aren't bad either. See, there are sales, and we've got them all listed right below.
Mobile carriers like to play fast and loose with the word "unlimited" when it comes to data plans. They're often technically unlimited, but only fast enough to be useful until you hit a certain barrier. MVNOs operated by TracFone including Net10 and Straight Talk were a little more shady than most, and that led to today's FTC announcement of a $40 million fine against the company.
The Nexus 6 is a very expensive phone compared to the last few Nexus devices. However, it also makes fewer compromises. If you are close to pulling the trigger now that supply is starting to (kind of) catch up with demand, T-Mobile has a deal going that might push you over the edge—it's brought back the $48 discount code for both storage options.
Sony has been releasing new flagship smartphones every 6-8 months recently, but that comes at a cost. Now the Nikkei business daily says Sony is planning to scale back its workforce. After cutting 1000 employees in October, Sony is expected to announce a new round of 1000 job cuts in the smartphone division to be completed by March of next year.
Samsung's Pro series tablets are getting a little long in the tooth these days, but it's hard to pass on the deal being offered at Groupon today. You can get a refurbished Tab Pro for as little as $174.99, but you have mere hours to decide.
Twitter is preparing to roll out two new features today in the form of group direct messaging and in-line video recording and editing. The group DMs are new for Twitter, but that video thing looks an awful lot like Vine.