Lollipop, Lollipop, Lollipop! That is this week’s battle cry as Google unleashed the full fury of sweetness unto the Android world. And following closely are device makers who are already starting to roll out the update for their lucky smartphones. Of course, that’s not all that happened this week, so let us take a very short stroll down memory lane in this edition of Android Community’s Weekly Digest, covering the period from November 10 to November 16, 2014.
Android 5.0’s reign begins
After Nexus cometh the OS. Now that some Nexus 9, Nexus Player, and maybe even some Nexus 6 devices are enjoying the warm hands of their owners, the software that runs on these is now going out to owners of older Nexus devices. Google has started the rollout of the Android Lollipop update to users, but naturally not all will be receiving theirs at the same time. But for the impatient and the adventurous, the Android maker has also made available Factory Images and Binaries for some of those devices. The Nexus 5, the Nexus 10, and the WiFi-only versions of both 2012 and 2013 Nexus 7 got theirs first, with the Nexus 4 following shortly. Unfortunately, the mobile versions of the Nexus 7 2012 and 2013 editions still haven’t gotten their candy love.
OEMs are now also in a race to get the update out the door. Although LG first announced its rollout to the LG G3, it was the new Moto G that actually got Android 5.0 first. This was closely followed by the Moto X just after the Nexus images started their trek. Custom ROMs are also joining on the fun, with young OmniROM getting its first Android 5.0 port started. In the meantime, Sony continues to tease its developer and modder fans with Android 5.0 AOSP images, though this isn’t the final Sony-flavored version to land on users’ devices soon.
NVIDIA drops a triple whammy
Also this week, NVIDIA bridged the worlds of Lollipop and gaming together. It announced, again, that Android 5.0 will be coming to its SHIELD Tablet later this month, possibly by November 18 at the earliest. But that is the part that we already know about. NVIDIA has expanded the selection of titles for its SHIELD platform, with the addition of Half-Life 2: Episode One as a SHIELD exclusive, also bundled for free with every new 32 GB LTE version of the tablet. There are also other new games available on Google Play Store that cater only to devices bearing a Tegra K1 chip, including the high octane space fighting game Strike Suit Zero.
But wait, there’s more! NVIDIA has also formally launched GRID, its on-demand game streaming service. It’s like GameStream, which lets you stream games from your PC to your SHIELD device, but this time you have the power of NVIDIA GPU servers to deliver your triple-A gaming needs to your mobile device. There are 20 titles already in the catalog, including Batman Arkham City, Borderlands 2, and Psychonauts, with many more to come. The NVIDIA GRID service will be available for free for SHIELD Portable and Tablet owners until June 30 next year.
YouTube goes beyond videos
Putting rumors finally to rest, YouTube has indeed launched its more music-oriented services and offerings. YouTube users, both on mobile and on browsers, will now be greeted by a new Music section for them to peruse their favorite tunes, of course with moving pictures included. There’s even YouTube Mixes, a curated playlist of popular hits by artists, to help you get started.
But YouTube Music wasn’t really the entire focus of those early rumors, but the new YouTube Music Key is. This is the YouTube streaming subscription service you have been waiting for, or not. Music Key is still in beta, so do expect some kinks and changes to come. But for those willing to take the early plunge, you can avail of the service for a limited time discounted price of $7.99 a month. Otherwise, the regular subscription will go for $9.99. The YouTube Music Key subscription does already include Google Play Music, so you kind of get two for the price of one.
Devices
Smartwatches make another round this week, with the GPS-empowered Sony SmartWatch 3 making its way to Google Play Store along with the classy ASUS ZenWatch, the latter curiously out of stock immediately. The public is treated to a working prototype of the modular Project Ara smartphone, and it can even play Angry Birds aside form taking your blood oxygen levels. OnePlus will be trying again next week to face the onslaught of the pre-order hordes, but will it survive unscathed this time?
Others:
• Meizu MX4 is Q3 2014’s best performing smartphone
• Walmart takes on the Chromecast, somewhat
• LG releases Aka, smartphones with personality
• Saygus takes another jab at the smartphone market
Games:
This week has also seen a lot of gaming news aside from NVIDIA’s thrice sweet announcement. Samsung has revealed the target date and price of its Gear VR headset and has even shown an odd-looking 360-degree camera to go along with it. The XCOM: Enemy Within expansion to the popular strategy and tactical game has finally landed on Google Play Store, but with a rather hefty price tag. King has returned with another Candy Crush title, this time with the added sweetness of Soda.
Others:
• Father.io and 363R Trigger blend Augmented Reality and FPS
• Dungeon Hunter 4 descends into the depths
• Assassin’s Creed Unity gets a mobile helper
• Chromecast gaming becomes family-friendly
Apps
The Google update madness might be over, but this week isn’t less interesting because of it. Samsung has revealed several new thrusts, one of which is Flow, which, for all intents and purposes, tries to compete with Apple’s newly revealed Continuum feature. But for those a bit more interested in how AirDroid does things, version 3 has been teased with a Material re-Design and could be well on its way. And finally, Google strangely releases an SMS/MMS-only Messenger app.
Others:
• ex-iPhone users have an iMessage deregistering tool
• Adobe-owned Aviary photo editor makes a new release
• Humble Bundle to distribute its own Android app itself
• iRig HD-A turns your Sammy phone into a guitar recorder
Updates
This week has seen a fair share of update in apps. The Android Wear app of course becomes Material but also has new features in tow. Swiftkey’s support for Chinese languages goes in to beta. And Google Search app now adds searching for content inside apps.
Others:
• CyanogenMod 11 M12 rolls out, not yet Lollipop
• Facebook privacy policy in plain English
• HTC Blinkfeed gets in with the times
• Motorola Connect has more (watch) faces to show
