Another week has gone by and things have rather been silent in the Android world, save for a few wrinkles and moans of exasperation in some corners. Can you guess why? Yep, it was Apple’s turn to take the stage but even Cupertino could not deny the presence of Android. Or could it? Regardless of intentions, Apple had two surprises for us this week. In the meantime, Sony seems to be flip-flopping a bit and while LG launched its much awaited and much hyped G4 flagship in the US, some mysterious things are happening with it on AT&T and T-Mobile. Weekly Android Community’s Weekly Digest for June 8 to 14, 2015.
Apple’s surprises
At Apple’s WWDC early this week, it announced what everyone was already expecting anyway: Apple Music. And while the music radio slash streaming service has all the bells and whistles you might expect, Apple surprised us by announcing the would be availability of Apple Music on Android. Oh, and on PCs as well. This is a definitely rare move by a company that normally closes off non-Apple devices and platforms from its party.
That said, Apple Music might not be its first Android app. To prove that it isn’t conceding the platform wars, the company very subtly revealed the existence of the Move to iOS app. This Android app will wirelessly and securely migrate your data, photos, contacts, messages, and even suggest equivalent apps from your Android phone to your brand new spanking iPhone, should you start swinging that way. It’s quite similar to utilities provided by Motorola, Sony, or Samsung, except it goes in the other direction. Launch of either apps, however, are still to be revealed.
Sony’s bewildering products
It almost feels as if Sony is trying to dig its own grave, or at least set the stage for exiting the mobile market, just as it had done with PCs. Instead of putting its best foot forward to prove that it has what it takes to still make it big in the market, it seems to be making one embarrassing move after the another. Forger that the Xperia Z4 or Z3+ is a disappointing “flagship”. It seems to be exhibiting the worst case of overheating we’ve heard of in any Snapdragon 810 device, which includes the HTC One M9, LG G Flex2, and XIaomi Mi Note Pro. Even NTT DoCoMo, who is the first in Japan to launch the Xperia Z4, cautions users about heat problems when using their devices. The silver lining perhaps is that Qualcomm might be also to blame, though we’ll still have to see as the drama unfolds.
The Xperia Z4 isn’t alone in adding to Sony’s shame, however. The Japanese OEM just recently launched the Xperia M4 Aqua, an otherwise decent rugged mid-ranger save for one critical flaw, at least in the 8 GB model. That low storage variant comes out of the box with only less than 2 GB of usable space for other apps and data, leaving little room for actual use. Having a microSD card slot, which can only support up to 32 GB only anyway, is not an excuse. There’s a 16 GB model of the Xperia M4 Aqua, so it is puzzling that Sony would still out this model, knowing there’s very little space left.
LG’s mysterious G4 auto-updates
LG announced the US rollout of the LG G4 and, as expected, all major carriers are on board. There are even time-limited promos to be had, including free covers, new leather colors, free memory cards, and free batteries. Depending on where you buy the smartphone from, of course. Now the promise of the G4, especially its photography prowess, can truly be put to the test of the masses. Also some good news, the LG G4 turns out to be quite repairable, with an 8 out of 10 score from iFixit.
One thing that mars this otherwise happy occasion is the report that those on AT&T and T-Mobile are suddenly getting updates that install automatically without user confirmation. The update doesn’t seem to be critical and the silence of the carriers only compound the matter. As a firmware update, the phone automatically reboots once the update has been installed, surprising users and locking them out for a short while. Provided everything goes well. We already suspected carriers and even OEMs might have such powers, but seeing them in actual use is a bit worrying.
Samsung’s future Note
Samsung may have not announced a new device, but the rumor mill is filled to the brim with the things that the OEM may or may not have in the future, both near and distant. For its Galaxy Note 5, which is expected to be unveiled in September, Samsung might be planning some novel features for the phablet. It might very well be the first smartphone to utilize the new USB Type-C standard. Aside from the (finally!) reversible port, the new USB port also allows two-way flow of power, meaning your phone can potentially charge other devices when needed. The downside? Type-C is still too fresh to be adopted everywhere, so you will most likely have to live with an adapter for a while. Another possible new feature, though probably further into the future, is an ejectable S-Pen. Just say the word and the stylus will pop out, hopefully just enough for you to easily slide it out. The jury is still out on the practicality of this feature.
And speaking of future, a new patent granted to Samsung in Korea reveals its latest vision for a foldable tablet and smartphone in one. This time, the idea is that the tablet folds into three, ending up in a smaller and possibly pocketable size not unlike the Galaxy Note Edge in form. Samsung does seem to have some pieces in place to make this a reality, but we won’t be surprised if it takes a year or two before it does.
Wrap-up
Surprise, mystery, and suspense. That’s what the past days have been like The next few ones won’t be straying far, with action and adventure just around the bend. E3 2015 is up next and we’re sure to hear a lot of Android-related news from the world’s largest gaming event. So better warm up those thumbs. Or index fingers, if you prefer to swipe.
