About Ryan Whitwam
Ryan is a tech/science writer, skeptic, lover of all things electronic, and Android fan. In his spare time he reads golden-age sci-fi and sleeps, but rarely at the same time. His wife tolerates him as few would. He's the author of a sci-fi novel called The Crooked City, which is available on Amazon and Google Play.
Latest Articles
Google Announces New Update Policy For Nexus Devices Including Monthly Security Patches For 3 Years And Major OTAs For 2 Years From Release
Google is rolling out the Stagefright patch to Nexus devices as promised, but the bigger news alongside that announcement is a new update policy for Nexus devices. Going forward Google will release security patches for Nexus phones and tablets about once per month, which mirrors Samsung's recently announced Galaxy update program. Google is also making official the length of time you can expect to get Nexus updates.
I know you're probably sealed inside your panic room as you await a Stagefright patch to be released for your phone, but that doesn't mean you can't have some fun while the sky is falling. How about some new apps and games at reasonable prices? Just click through to see them all. Don't worry, everything is going to be alright.
T-Mobile is now solidly in third place among US carriers, having finally passed Sprint. It got there by offering consumer-friendly services and low prices, and today we've got a lot more of the latter. T-Mobile is running sales on several great devices like the Galaxy S6 and G4.
Sprint Announces A Ton Of Stagefright-Related OTAs For Nexus (Build LMY48I) And Galaxy Devices
We knew that Stagefright fixes were due to start rolling out this week, and it's Sprint leading the pack. Sprint already rolled out an update to the Note 4 earlier this week, but now you can add several more Samsung devices to the list, plus the carrier has confirmed LMY48I for Nexus devices will have the Stagefright fixes included.
Project Tango Development Kit Available Today In South Korea And Canada, Coming August 26th To 10 More Countries
We haven't heard a lot about Project Tango lately, but Google is still working with developers to advance this take on machine vision and sensing technology. As part of its ongoing efforts, the Tango development kit is finally being made available outside the US. It's out today in Canada and South Korea, and will come to ten more countries later this month.
Link Bubble Is 'Under New Management' And Getting A Big v1.5 Update With Drop Down Support, Colored Toolbars, And More
Chris Lacy's Link Bubble floating browser was a cool idea right out of the gate, but you might notice that development has been slow. Today Lacy explains that his little indie dev company simply doesn't have the resources to do what needs to be done with the app, so he's sold Link Bubble (and TapPath) to an unnamed US startup. What does that mean to you? For starters there's a huge update today.
Google has announced the expansion of Android One into yet another country. Now residents of Thailand will be able to pick up the i-mobile iQ II for 4,444 TBH (that's about $127). The specs are somewhat modest, but you get the latest and greatest version of Android and updates from Google.
[Hugely Tacky Conduct] HTC Pushed A Fantastic Four Notification Ad To The One M8 And M9
HTC has been experimenting with alternative revenue streams lately, and it was already walking a fine line. Ads started showing up in BlinkFeed a few weeks ago, but users could disable them. Now a large number of One M8 and M9 users have been served an ad in the notification shade. It was promoting a Fantastic Four movie theme, and people are not happy at all.
The Humble 'Games Workshop' Mobile Bundle Offers 9 Games (Including Lots Of Warhammer) For One Low Price With More On The Way
It's time for yet another Humble Mobile Bundle, so get your wallet out. No, really. Get your wallet out. You're going to want to buy this one. The Humble Games Workshop Mobile Bundle has nine games in the initial batch with more coming next week. If you like Warhammer, this is your lucky day. There are a ton of Warhammer titles in this one.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is getting an OTA update today, and it takes the device from 5.0 up to 5.1.1. That means a few small tweaks to the system, but there are also some important bug fixes, including one for the Stagefright vulnerability.
[Deal Alert] Get An Alcatel Onetouch Idol 3 And Onetouch Watch Bundle For $299 ($100 Off)
Alcatel is running a new promotion today for the back-to-school season, and it looks like a good one. For a limited time, you can get an Idol 3 smartphone and a Onetouch Watch for $299. The phone by itself is $250, so you're effectively only paying $50 for the watch.
[Deal Alert] Get The JayBird BlueBuds X Bluetooth Headphones For $109.99 From Massdrop
The JayBird BlueBuds X are possibly the best wireless earbuds you can buy without breaking the bank, and you can get a solid deal on a pair from Massdrop right now. They usually sell for $130-160 depending on whether or not you catch them on sale. Be aware, though, Massdrop is a little different than most online retailers.
Sony Announces The Xperia C5 Ultra With Front/Rear 13MP Cameras And A 6-Inch Edge-To-Edge Screen
The Sony Xperia C5 Ultra is a big phone. I don't mean to make any predictions about its popularity—I mean it's physically very big. The C5 Ultra is a 6-inch device, but the display goes all the way to the edges. Sony is also making a note of the 13MP front-facing camera with flash, but you might struggle to hold onto this monster of a phone while taking a selfie.
After leaking last week, Sony has made the Xperia M5 official. This device is the spiritual successor to the Xperia M4 Aqua, but it has a more impressive camera. The 21.5MP sensor is joined by Sony's customary waterproof design and a 5-inch 1080p display.
Sony's smartphone division isn't doing great right now, but the company is still pumping out devices like there's no tomorrow (and maybe there isn't). The mid-range Xperia M5 and C5 Ultra have been leaked in full by Hi-Tech.Mail.ru, and one of them has some interesting design ideas.
Supply Issues Force Cancellation Of North American YotaPhone 2 Despite Successful Crowdfunding Campaign
The dual-screen e-paper/LCD YotaPhone 2 has a sufficiently interesting gimmick that it was able to rack up almost $300,000 on Indiegogo last month. However, the Russian smartphone maker has reached out to backers to share some sad news. It is unable to get the North American variant manufactured in a timely manner, so it's cancelling the device entirely.
Hangouts does some things well, but letting you know when someone new is trying to contact you is not one of them. Google is rolling out several new invitation options to Hangouts that will make things much clearer. What's more, it looks like they're already live in the Android app.
The Android Chrome beta channel got v44 in early June, and now it's time for that version to filter down to the stable app. You should get the new version in the coming days via the Play Store, but we've also got the app on APK Mirror for the more impatient among you.