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14,411 'Android' stories May 2011 - November 2015
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Breaking news for Android. Get the latest on apps, carriers, devices, and more!

Android is Google’s mobile operating system, launched in September 2008, although its history technically began with the release of the Android alpha in November 2007. To this day, Android powers the majority of the world’s smartphones and comes in several different flavors across many phone makers.

Table of contents

What is Android?

Android Inc.

Android, before it was Android, was a company called Android Inc. That company was founded in Palo Alto, California, in 2003 by a crew of four: Andy Rubin, Rich Miner, Nick Sears, and Chris White. The company and its project was acquired by Google in 2005 for a sum of more than $50 million, although the exact number is unknown. The company’s founders joined Google as part of the deal.

In its infancy, Android was an operating system built not for touch screen smartphones like the iPhone, but rather BlackBerry-like devices with physical keyboards. It’s well documented that after Apple shocked the world with the iPhone, ahead of its nearest competition by at least a couple years, Google and Android Inc. had to go back to the drawing board to build something competitive.

Adoption by third-party makers

It didn’t take long after the launch of the iPhone for various manufacturers to enter the market with their alternatives — and Google’s Android immediately became the obvious platform of choice for just about everyone except Microsoft. HTC was the first manufacturer on board, and introduced the T-Mobile G1 running Android in September 2008. Soon after, HTC, Motorola, Samsung, and carriers like Sprint and T-Mobile jumped on board to form the Open Handset Alliance.

Android makers across the world

Iconic Android handsets

There have been thousands of Android phones released since Android’s inception, but some have been more important to the platform’s history than others. There was the original T-Mobile G1, as mentioned, but there was also the HTC One Google Play Edition, Moto G, Samsung Galaxy S4, and others. Some of the most iconic Android handsets include:

  • HTC G1
  • HTC Nexus One
  • Samsung Galaxy S, S2, S3, S4, and their successors
  • HTC Incredible S
  • Samsung Nexus S
  • Samsung Galaxy Nexus
  • Samsung Galaxy Note
  • Nokia 8
  • BlackBerry KeyOne
  • Google Pixel and its successors

In more modern times, there are several Android smartphones makers that popped up across various niches and in several international markets. Huawei is a dominant Android maker in China and many European markets, while Samsung is by far the most popular maker in the United States by far — effectively creating a duopoly with Apple. Today, there are dozens of major device makers contributing to the Android ecosystem.

Full list of Android OEMs

History of major Android versions

Android has seen countless software revisions over the course of its life, but in modern times the OS usually sees a major release on an annual cadence. In the earlier days, Google famously gave its major software releases dessert-themed codenames, but retired that practice in 2019 with the release of Android 10.

VersionNameReleaseDevices
2.3GingerbreadFebruary 9, 2011Nexus S
4.0Ice Cream SandwichOctober 19, 2011Galaxy Nexus
4.1Jelly BeanJuly 9, 2012Nexus 7
4.2Jelly BeanNovember 13, 2012Nexus 4, 10
4.3Jelly BeanJuly 24, 2013Nexus 7 (2013)
4.4KitKatOctober 31, 2013Nexus 5
5.0LollipopNovember 3, 2014Nexus 6, 9
5.1LollipopMarch 9, 2015Android One
6.0MarshmallowOctober 5, 2015Nexus 5X, 6P
7.0NougatAugust 22, 2016Nexus 5X, 6P
7.1NougatOctober 4, 2016Pixel, Pixel XL
8.0OreoAugust 21, 2017Pixel, Pixel XL
8.1OreoDecember 5, 2017Pixel, Pixel XL
9PieAugust 6, 2018Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
1010September 3, 2019Pixel 3, 3a
1111September 8, 2020Pixel 4

List of major Android OS platforms

While Android proper is certainly the most widespread of Google’s Android operating systems, the company has also launched many offshoots of the main OS over the years. There’s Android Auto, Android Wear (now Wear OS), Android TV (now rebranded to Google TV), as well as versions of Android built for tablets and Android Things (now defunct).

Android Wear 1.4 rolling out OTA w/ new firmware change log, removal of battery life graph, more

Avatar for Abner Li Nov 8 2015 - 5:34 pm PT
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The Android Wear companion app received an update to version 1.4 over the weekend, and these 1.x updates to the phone app are usually a sign that a new update is coming to the watch(es) as well. Tomorrow will see the introduction of Tag Heuer’s long-awaited luxury entry, so the stars might be aligning for more than just hardware announcements in the morning…


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Google’s OnHub gets its first OTA software update w/ minor improvements

Avatar for Stephen Hall Nov 8 2015 - 4:56 pm PT
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Google’s OnHub launched a few months ago, and now the expensive router is getting its first software update. It’s not clear at this point if the update is also rolling out to the newer ASUS model quite yet, but the original TP-LINK router is definitely getting it as has been confirmed by one owner on Google+.

There doesn’t seem to be anything groundbreaking here, as many of the things listed on the change log are just improvements to what’s already there. There is “improved client device naming,” optimizations for the antenna, “expanded use of 5GHz channels,” and more.

Interestingly, as noted by Android Police, the update seems to have been able to install itself on the router without requiring a reboot. As those who own pretty much any desktop OS, a Chromecast, or an Android phone will know, this is a really nice feature to have.

Here’s the full change log, as can be found on Google’s website.

Some highlights of this software update include:

  • Improved client device naming
  • Antenna optimizations
  • Expanded use of 5GHz channels
  • Improved port forwarding performance
  • General stability improvements

Nexus 6P’s ‘visor’ back camera glass is spontaneously cracking for some users

Avatar for Abner Li Nov 7 2015 - 1:59 pm PT
2 Comments

via <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/3rwc6p/nexus_6p_back_glass_window_has_just_spontaneously/cwryfvl">Reddit</a>

It seems like smartphones can’t be released anymore without some kind of serious flaw popping up.

Nexus 6P owners are reporting that the glass panel covering the phone’s cameras are suddenly cracking, with one user reporting having left the device screen up on a table followed by a loud, spontaneous, “snap”. Picking up the device they found the glass cracked and a pile of glass shavings left on the table. Among two users who shared images, the damage looks remarkably similar…


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BlackBerry PRIV heading to Verizon

Avatar for Cam Bunton Nov 7 2015 - 7:50 am PT
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Verizon has confirmed through its official Twitter handle that the BlackBerry PRIV is heading to its store shelves soon. The Portrait-slider doesn’t have a specific release date or price on VZW yet, but you can sign up to register for updates on Verizon’s store page.

[tweet https://twitter.com/VerizonNews/status/662727973351526400 align=’center’]

Verizon is the second big carrier to officially offer the PRIV for sale. It’s biggest competitor, AT&T started selling the device yesterday, getting a jump start on ‘Big Red’. It’s too early to tell how well the launch is going for the once smartphone king from Waterloo, but early reaction from tech fans has been positive.

The PRIV features a large 5.4-inch dual-curved Quad HD AMOLED display, and a hexa-core Snapdragon 808 processor paired with 3GB RAM. It has 32GB of storage as standard (expandable up to 2TB), 18MP OIS-equipped camera, 4k video recording and a 2MP front facing camera. It also features the trademark physical keyboard and costs a princely $699 from BlackBerry’s online store. It’s hard to imagine that Verizon will offer it any cheaper.

Here’s why images in some camera apps on the Nexus 5X are upside down

Avatar for Abner Li Nov 7 2015 - 7:12 am PT
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<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fenchtose.lenx&hl=en">LenX app</a> using older camera API

While taking pictures with third-party camera apps on the Nexus 5X, some users may notice that both the preview displayed by the phone and the image captured are upside down. While this error could easily be attributed with initial Marshmallow incompatibility on the part of the app developer, both software and hardware are to blame…


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Unreleased HTC One X9 purportedly shown off in sketchy press image leak

Avatar for Cam Bunton Nov 7 2015 - 4:52 am PT
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Update: A new leak corroborates the front design of the A9, although the back makes it look a lot like the Huawei Nexus 6P. Image at the bottom of this post.

Having recently launched the iPhone-lookalike One A9, HTC looks set to release yet another One-series phone. A leaked press image on Weibo suggests that HTC will be releasing a new phone with BoomSound speakers in tow. The One X9 poster uses typically vague strap lines like ‘pursuit of brilliance’ and ‘packed with city smarts’, right in line with what we expect from most manufacturers. Given its in English (and assuming it’s genuine) it hints at a launch in English-speaking markets…


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9to5Toys Last Call: New HTC One M9 (unlocked) $300, Bluetooth earbud deals, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Nov 6 2015 - 2:05 pm PT
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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

 

Open-box HTC One M9 32 GB 4G LTE (unlocked): $300 shipped (Reg. $500+) | eBay

Bluetooth Earbuds: Powerbeats2 (open-box) $80 (Reg. $150+), QY8 Sweatproof $19, more

FreedomPop 7″ Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 WiFi + Cellular Tablet – 100% Free 4G LTE Wireless Internet: $60 shipped (Reg. $140+) | Sam’s Club

Sony Xperia M4 Aqua 16GB GSM/LTE unlocked black: $200 shipped (Reg. $250) | Amazon

Samsung Galaxy S5 Unlocked: $300 shipped (Reg. $400+) | eBay

LG G Pad V410 AT&T GSM Unlocked 7-Inch 4G LTE 16GB Tablet: $80 shipped (Reg. $150+) | eBay

Review: How Amazon Echo changed my life + $130 special price ($50 off) for Amazon card holders

Sam’s Club One-Day Sale: iPhone 6s/Plus $100 off, iPad Air 2 64GB/128GB $150 off, PlayStation 4 $300, more

Meijer Black Friday ad: Xbox One/PS4 bundles $300 w/ $50 credit, much more

eBay calls on Black Friday shoppers to decide which products will get discounted this year

Amazon’s Black Friday Deals store is now open for business

Everything we know so far about this year’s best Black Friday deals and promotions

More new gear from today:

Bluetooth Speakers: Inateck Aluminum $30 (Reg. $43), SOL Republic Deck $40 (Reg. $50+)

More deals still alive:

Acer 13-inch Chromebook 2.1GHz/2GB/16GB SSD: $209 shipped (Reg. $249)

New products & more:

Don’t Panic’s latest iPad Air 2 case is an astute all-in-one solution for every angle

New Fallout 4 launch trailer hits with a fresh look at gameplay and more

 

Google has finally added holiday hours to Google Maps

Avatar for Stephen Hall Nov 6 2015 - 12:58 pm PT
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After many years of people trusting Google Maps far too much and accidentally driving across town to a store that ended up being closed, Google has finally added the ability for companies to designate holiday hours on Google Maps. Whenever you open up the Maps app and click that little drop-down to see hours for the week, you’ll now see a designated section for these special hours. And if a company hasn’t provided these, you’ll see a warning suggesting that the normal hours might not be right…
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ASUS ZenFone 2 Deluxe ‘Special Edition’ arrives in the US at $399 w/ 128 GB of storage

Avatar for Stephen Hall Nov 6 2015 - 12:17 pm PT
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We already heard about the ZenFone 2 Deluxe when it was announced for India a few months ago, but now the phone is available in the United States in the form of a “Special Edition” model. It’s not all too different from the standard ZenFone 2 (which is actually a pretty decent phone for the money), but it adds to the package a couple of fancified back covers and 128 GB of flash storage.

Its specs are pretty much identical to the ZenFone 2. There’s an HD IPS 5.5-inch display, 13-megapixel/5-megapixel rear and front cameras, respectively, and a 2.3GHz 64-bit Intel Atom processor with 4 GB RAM and 4G LTE. The Special Edition inherits dual-SIM capabilities, and sadly, you’ll probably be stuck with Android 5.0 Lollipop for a while with this phone.

We’ve found the phone for $399 at Amazon, Newegg, and B&H Photo Video, but it doesn’t seem to available quite yet at the time of this writing.

Samsung’s enormous Galaxy View now available at several online retailers

Avatar for Stephen Hall Nov 6 2015 - 11:29 am PT
1 Comment

Samsung’s enormous Galaxy View tablet miniature television was made official a couple of weeks ago, and now it’s starting to appear at a variety of retailers across the web. If for some reason your home needs one of these behemoths, you can now grab the View at Amazon, B&H Photo Video, Best Buy, as well as Samsung’s site, all starting at its $599 MSRP.

With the View, you’ll get an  18.4-inch full HD 1080p display, the Exynos 7580 octa-core 1.6 GHz processor, 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage, which can be expanded an extra 128GB via microSD. There’s also a 5,700mAh battery, stereo speakers, Bluetooth 4.1, and a 2.1-megapixel front facing camera. The Galaxy View runs Android Lollipop out of the box, sadly.

 

Moto X Style/Pure vs. Moto X Play/DROID Maxx 2 — Which is the best value? [Video]

Avatar for Cam Bunton Nov 6 2015 - 9:53 am PT
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Motorola debuted two new phones at its event back in the summer, the Moto X Style (or Pure in the US) and the Moto X Play, which recently saw release as the DROID Maxx 2 in the States. Since I’ve already reviewed the X Play, I wanted to see if the X Pure/Style would be worth the extra money to customers looking to buy…


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HTC’s new One A9 now officially available to buy in stores and online

Avatar for Cam Bunton Nov 6 2015 - 7:35 am PT
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HTC has announced that its latest device, the One A9, is now officially available to buy in stores and online. The phone comes in Opal Silver, Carbon Gray, Deep Garnet and Topaz Gold and can be purchased direct from HTC, AT&T or Sprint, and is also available as an unlocked international version on Amazon.

The smartphone has caused a little controversy since being announced just a few weeks ago. Many think it looks too much like an iPhone and HTC did itself no favors with the 1984-inspired advertisement. Still, the phone sounds promising enough, even if it is more expensive than we’d like.

The $400 (for a limited time) handset has a full HD 5-inch AMOLED display which HTC claims is bright, even in sunlight. It’s equipped with a fast fingerprint scanner, and is coated in 2.5D edge-to-edge Gorilla Glass. Inside, there’s an octa-core Snapdragon 617 processor with 3GB and 32GB internal storage. Because it runs Marshmallow 6.0, you can use the expandable storage for more than just storing media. You can extend storage up to 2TB via MicroSD and us it to store app data too. Other key specs include a 13MP camera with sapphire cover lens, 1080p video and autofocus on the back and a front facing UltraPixel camera.

If you’re dead set on getting HTC’s latest phone, you have a few purchasing options. You can buy it from AT&T for $99 on a two-year plan, or $17.34 on the Next 30 plan. On Sprint, the phone is $0 up front and $20 per month on a two-year lease. On Amazon, there are several unlocked international models available. The 16GB phones cost $488.90, while the 32GB ones are $529. HTC’s site still lists the phone as available on pre-order for $399, but that price will be upped to $499 shortly.

With the new Nexus line & Android 6.0, Google wants you to talk to your phone more than ever

Avatar for Abner Li Nov 6 2015 - 6:37 am PT
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Google’s long stated vision, if not obsession, is turning your smartphone into the Star Trek computer. A key part of the computer on the Enterprise is that the primary means of interaction is through voice. The entire process mimics more asking a person a question rather than the ‘typing out what you want to know into a search box’ process that has made the Google so well known.

To meet this goal, the company has been continually doing massive research and investments into speech recognition and machine understanding. The latter is Google’s Knowledge Graph, announced in 2012, that understands concepts and their relationships between things.

These massive investments in speech recognition and Knowledge Graph ultimately culminated with Google Now. If ever there was a thing that paralleled the Star Trek computer in real life, it would be Now and its ability to provide verbal responses to verbally-asked questions. Now, Google is pushing the tech even further with Marshmallow and the new Nexus devices…
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Google Play Services 8.3 released, brings one-tap Google sign-in, efficient wearable sync, more

Avatar for Cam Bunton Nov 6 2015 - 4:07 am PT
1 Comment

Google has updated its Play Services to allow developers to make use of some very useful new enhancements to the overall experience of using Android. Google Play Services 8.3 includes updates to the way users sign in to apps, as well as new functionality for app invites, wearable data layer APIs and improvements to location services…


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BlackBerry PRIV to get Marshmallow update in the new year

Avatar for Cam Bunton Nov 6 2015 - 3:11 am PT
0 Comments

BlackBerry‘s long-awaited entry in to the Android market is finally here, albeit with an already-outdated version of Google’s operating system. BlackBerry PRIV goes on sale today and runs Android 5.1.1 Lollipop out of the box. Having already committed to Google’s monthly security fixes, BlackBerry has also confirmed that Marshmallow will be pushed to the new devices in 2016.

Speaking to Android Central, BlackBerry’s Global Director of Device Portfolio Planning, Gareth Hurn said that plans were to push Android 6.0 Marshmallow to the PRIV “sometime in the new year“. While those quoted words don’t give us a specific time-frame to aim for, AC’s Richard Devine was left with the impression that it would be sooner rather than later. More importantly, he was left with the clear thought that BlackBerry is serious about this foray in to the world of Android phones.

With the phone finally available for sale, it’ll be really interesting to see how the general consumer market accepts it. Will previous BlackBerry-loyalists jump onboard again now that the hardware is matched by relevant software? Or will it be the same physical QWERTY-addicted current users who use it as an excuse to jump to Android?

In the US, you can order the BlackBerry PRIV from ShopBlackBerry.com or from AT&T. In the UK, you can order on contract from Carphone Warehouse, or order direct from BlackBerry.

Moto G gets ‘Turbo Edition’ in Mexico

Avatar for Cam Bunton Nov 6 2015 - 1:29 am PT
1 Comment

CORRECTION: Motorola got in touch with us to say that the Turbo Edition, like the regular Moto G, has a 720p screen. So, not quite as tempting for the bump in price.

Over the past few years we’ve seen a rise of affordable smartphones offering a great experience to buyers. The original Moto G was, arguably, the phone that kicked it off, right at the bottom end of the market. This year, we saw the arrival of the 3rd generation which still offers a lot of bang for your buck. In Mexico, Motorola just released an even better model. It costs a little extra, but looks like it’ll easily be worth the outlay…


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Android 6.0 Marshmallow now rolling out to HTC One M8 Google Play Edition

Avatar for Chance Miller Nov 5 2015 - 4:04 pm PT
1 Comment

Following the revelation that Android 6.0 Marshmallow is currently running on just 0.3 percent of devices, the update appears to have started rolling out to at least one more device this evening. According to a handful of postings on the XDA Developer forums, the Google Play Edition HTC One M8 has started receiving Android 6.0.


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Report: Google wants to design its own smartphone chips to more directly compete with Apple

Avatar for Chance Miller Nov 5 2015 - 3:17 pm PT
1 Comment

According to a new report from Amir Efrati of The Information, Google has recently been in discussions with microchip manufacturers about having a deeper involvement in the design of chips used in Android devices. Google hopes to help create a more uniform offering of Android phones by taking part in the chip design process with a company like Qualcomm.


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Galaxy Tab 3 w/ FreedomPop service (pre-owned) $60, Bluetooth receiver $10, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Nov 5 2015 - 1:33 pm PT
0 Comments

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

FreedomPop 7″ Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 WiFi + Cellular Tablet – 100% Free 4G LTE Wireless Internet: $60 shipped (Reg. $140+) | Sam’s Club

Add Bluetooth to your speakers or car w/ Aukey’s Wireless Receiver: $10 Prime shipped (Reg. $20)

Sony Xperia M4 Aqua 16GB GSM/LTE unlocked black: $200 shipped (Reg. $250) | Amazon

Samsung Galaxy S5 Unlocked: $300 shipped (Reg. $400+) | eBay

LG G Pad V410 AT&T GSM Unlocked 7-Inch 4G LTE 16GB Tablet: $80 shipped (Reg. $150+) | eBay

Review: How Amazon Echo changed my life + $130 special price ($50 off) for Amazon card holders

Sam’s Club One-Day Sale: iPhone 6s/Plus $100 off, iPad Air 2 64GB/128GB $150 off, PlayStation 4 $300, more

eBay calls on Black Friday shoppers to decide which products will get discounted this year

Amazon’s Black Friday Deals store is now open for business

Everything we know so far about this year’s best Black Friday deals and promotions

More new gear from today:

Displays: LG 34″ UltraWide $585 (Reg. $699+), Acer 34″ Curved QHD $866 (Reg. $1,050), plus 4K UHDTVs

More deals still alive:

Acer 13-inch Chromebook 2.1GHz/2GB/16GB SSD: $209 shipped (Reg. $249)

Audio-Technica’s best selling ATH-M50x headphones in black: $119 shipped (Orig. $170), more

Sling TV is giving away a 2nd generation Chromecast when you pre-pay for three months ($35 value)

New products & more:

Unboxing and Review: Halo 5 Xbox One Limited Edition Console Bundle [Video]

Bosch made a robo-farmer that looks straight out of a galaxy far, far away

Pebble Time Round available at Best Buy, Target, and online retailers on November 8th

Avatar for Stephen Hall Nov 5 2015 - 12:56 pm PT
0 Comments

The Pebble Time Round was announced in September, and now — just a bit over a month later — it’s about to finally be available at stores across the United States. Pebble says that the watch will be available at Best Buy and Target stores in the US on November 8th, and will also be available online at Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, Target.com, and Pebble.com on the same day…
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One month on, Android 6.0 Marshmallow is running on just 0.3% of Android devices

Avatar for Stephen Hall Nov 5 2015 - 12:08 pm PT
10 Comments

It’s been about a month now since Android Marshmallow started rolling out to a variety of Android devices (mostly just the Nexus line), and according to this month’s distribution numbers, only 0.3% of Android phones are running the latest version. That’s just plain depressing.

And what’s worse is that the other numbers across the board haven’t really improved all the much since last month, either. Last month, 23.5% of Android users were running last year’s OS, Lollipop, and now 25.6% have managed to go to a build of either 5.0 or 5.1. An amazing 37.8% of Android users are still on KitKat…
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Review: Google’s Nexus 6P is a solid smartphone worthy of your money [Video]

Avatar for Dom Esposito Nov 5 2015 - 10:16 am PT
5 Comments

This year Google decided to change things up a bit and release not one, but two new Nexus devices, with different builds, and different price points to satisfy a wider range of people. So there’s the LG-made Nexus 5X that starts at $379, which I recently reviewed, and then we have the Huawei-made Nexus 6P that starts at $499. These two options aren’t very far apart in terms of pricing, but the difference between them is pretty significant in a few areas…


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Fallout 4 companion app ‘Pip-Boy’ now available for Android and iOS

Avatar for Stephen Hall Nov 5 2015 - 6:56 am PT
0 Comments

The much-anticipated Fallout 4 from Bethesda is just around the corner (it’s scheduled to hit stores on November 10), and of course a companion app chock full of mini games and cross-platform interaction with the full game is now available. Even though the majority of the app’s functionality doesn’t even work without the full game (which, obviously, isn’t out yet), this app is already pulling almost unanimous positive reviews on the Play Store.

With Fallout Pip-Boy, your Android or iPhone (yes, it’s also available on Apple’s platform),can interact with Fallout 4 on your Xbox One, PlayStation 4 or PC. Even when you aren’t near your game system, Pip-Boy keeps track of your character’s status on the go. Among other things, the app lets you see your stats, inventory, map, and radio. There’s also a bunch of mini games (your holotape games) that are at your disposal, that you can play right from within the app.

The app is free on the Google Play Store, and you can grab it on the iOS App Store as well. Oh, and if you’re in the fewer than 1% of mobile phone users that rocks Windows Mobile, there’s surprisingly an app available for you too (although it doesn’t seem to be available yet)

There are a couple more Fallout 4-related apps available on the Play Store, as well, including the C.H.A.T. app that you we told you about earlier this week and the Fallout Shelter mobile game.

Makers of ‘Zero Reflex’ offering $10k to the first person to complete it

Avatar for Stephen Hall Nov 5 2015 - 6:34 am PT
0 Comments

A new game called Zero Flex, a “psychedelic evader,” has hit the Google Play Store — which, alone, might not be newsworthy. There are hundreds of games that come out on the Play Store every day. But what’s different about this one is that its developers are claiming that the first person to legitimately complete the game will receive $10,000. That’s one way to promote your new game in an overcrowded sea of mediocre games.

I downloaded the game, and I can’t get more than 15 seconds in. This reminds me a lot of Super Hexagon, but far harder. Without in-app purchases (which, yes, the app does offer), I can’t see how this would be possible for even the most hard-core of gamers.

Considering the not-so-walled garden of Android and the possibility that an iPhone might be jailbroken, Exordium Games has made it clear in the contest rules that you must complete the game legitimately without any hacks. The game has 60 challenges, and if you manage to get through them, you’ll be given the option to contact Adminde.

You can read the full rules of the contest over at Exordium Games’ website, and yes, it’s also available on the iPhone via the App Store, as well as on PC via Steam.