NVIDIA is giving its SHIELD Tablet users a holiday gift. The promised Android 5.0 update, and all the other goodies that it will bring, is now available for the taking for the LTE models of the device, claimed to be the first LTE tablet in the US to get the update. Simply head to your device’s Settings app to get to the System Update option. Don’t be surprised if it isn’t available yet immediately, as it does take some time for updates to completely roll out to everyone.
A quick recap of what NVIDIA is bringing to the table in this update. Of course, there’s Android Lollipop, with its Material Design, ART runtime, hardened SELinux, improved battery performance, multi-user support, and a whole lot more. The update also brings in a new version of Dabbler, NVIDIA’s physics-powered painting app, now sporting a new interface as well as new features like support for layers. The SHIELD Hub will also be getting a refresh, but more than just a visual update, the new app will also add support for GRID, NVIDIA’s game streaming service, free to SHIELD Tablet and Portable owners until June 30, 2015.
On the one hand, this is the perfect gift to give tablet owners this holiday. On the other hand, the holiday rush is probably the worst time to get stuck with a half-updated or, worse, broken device. So be sure to make a backup of your device before you start the update process, as this is quite a big one.
For those who don’t own one yet, now might be the opportune time to invest in this gaming tablet. On November 28, Black Friday, from 12:01 AM to 11:59 Pm PST, NVIDIA will be offering the 32 GB LTE model of the SHIELD Tablet at a discounted price of $399. That price already includes a SHIELD Controller, the “green box” games including Half-Life 2, Portal, and Half-Life 2: Episode One, and the GRID on-demand gaming subscription, a value of $488 in total.
SOURCE: @NVIDIA