Things are starting to settle down on the Lollipop front as some devices start receiving their just desserts. That means that now is a time for change and, sometimes, change doesn’t go as smoothly as planned and bumps in the road can make the journey a wee bit uncomfortable. Plus some hidden surprises along the way, with Nokia making a surprising comeback and Huawei giving in to users’ demand. This is your latest edition of Android Community’s Weekly Digest, covering the period from November 17 to November 23, 2014.
Android 5.0 growing pains
Android 5.0 is still quite new in the wild, to it’s only natural to expect some rough edges even after Google’s own internal testing. While some of the fears we had pre-release didn’t exactly materialize, as Chainfire was quickly able to provide rooting solutions for the new Nexus line, some warts cropped up else where. Tech site AnandTech reported benchmarks showing that the full disk encryption (FDE), enabled by default on the Nexus 6, resulted in drastic data read/write performance hits. Considering FDE is only enabled by default for new devices running Android Lollipop, of which the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 are really the only ones so far, it isn’t a big deal yet, but could be in the near future.
While not exactly Android’s fault, AT&T is having some teething pains as well. Apparently, some devices that they have on stock were shipped with “incorrect software”, leading the carrier to ship back those devices to Motorola. And that incorrect software? Apparently, some of those devices were running on a test build of Android 4.4 KitKat, instead of Android 5.0, definitely no small error. That the Nexus 6 coming from the carrier comes with a truck load of bloatware isn’t going to help AT&T’s case in the court of public opinion.
Nokia’s Dance
Nokia did some talented juggling this week, playing with people’s hopes, expectations, and maybe emotions. The former mobile phone giant unequivocally stated that it has no plans to return to the smartphone biz. At least that’s the official statement. Of course, it’s a reasonable strategy considering their plummet in the industry and Microsoft’s acquisition of its mobile business. Its hands might be tied, legally at the very least, from making and selling any new smartphone. But then just a day later, Nokia announced the Nokia N1, its first real tablet (the company has had many “handheld tablets” in the past), almost competing with the Nexus 9, though with a smaller 7.9-inch QHD screen and an Intel chip powering it. Whether it will be Nokia’s return to glory or yet another short-lived market experiment is something we’ll have to observe when, and if, the tablet goes to market.
Meizu MX4 Pro, Huawei Ascend Mate2
Chinese manufacturers are taking some spotlight this week, starting with Meizu’s unveiling of the Pro version of its MX4 flagship. While disappointingly not the Ubuntu Phone that some might have been waiting for, the Meizu MX4 Pro does bag some of the specs and buzzwords modern smartphone users would like to hear, including a 5.5-inch 2K display, an octa-core Samsung Exynos 5430, 3 GB of RAM, fingerprint sensor, “retina” audio, and a 20.7 megapixel Sony IMX220 rear camera sensor. With all the features crammed inside its metal alloy case, perhaps some will be willing to overlook how much it looks like an iPhone 6 Plus from the front.
After getting some online tongue-lashing from its users, Huawei has reconsidered its decision to not upgrade the Ascend Mate2 to Android 5.0. Whatever technical or practical reasons they had to keep the giant phablet on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean was thrown out the window after its users put it on the hot seat for so quickly abandoning its US debut smartphone. So the Ascend Mate2 will get updated and will even be skipping Android 4.4 KitKat in the process, but it won’t happen until sometime in the first half of 2015. Better late than never.
Devices
Unorthodox devices and gadgets aren’t unheard of in our industry, and last week we’ve seen quite a handful of them. Topping the news is Samsung’s alien-looking “Project Beyond” camera, enabling future Gear VR developers and users to capture 360-degree video, either for watching later or for real-time streaming. Unfortunately, Samsung has not yet announced if and when this will be available to the general public, though it did reveal the other week that developer units of the Gear VR will be shipping next month. Speaking of unavailability, that same situation might be spelling trouble for Google Glass. Developers are starting to see the lack of solid retail dates as a sign of Google’s lack of commitment to its own wearable device, causing some to make a silent exodus from the scene or, at the very least, express some doubt as to its future.
Others:
• Samsung plans to go on a smartphone diet
• Intel launches fashionable and expensive MICA smart bracelet
• Cyanogen, Inc. ties the knot with Micromax
• Amazon Fire TV Stick is here and gone again
Apps
Razer has long been known to be working on a wearable device for gamers, but to date it has not yet revealed when it will come out. That date, however, might soon be upon us, as the Nabu’s companion apps have already been pushed to Google Play Store. Or maybe Razer just wants to further torture its waiting fans. “Ephemeral” messaging Snapchat isn’t content with making your messages disappear, now it also wants to make the money in your wallet disappear. Well, sort of. Partnering with Square, it has introduced Snapcash, which lets you send money to your chatmates easily. And this time, there is no self-destruct mechanism. Given the messaging service’s notoriety for security, however, some might question the sanity of this new offer.
Others:
• Whatsapp tries to become trustworthy, implements end-to-end encryption
• Jolla comes out with Angry Birds Stella launcher
• Nokia finally puts Z Launcher into public beta
Games
Holidays are coming, so don’t be surprised to be flooded by new titles, updates, and bargains. This week, Gamevil has released Darkness Reborn, the MORPG sequel to its Dark Avenger game, both with multiplayer and single-player content to appease both types of gamers. The award-winning indie tactical RPG Banner Saga also finally lands on Android. Kingdom Rush takes a look back, way back, with Kingdom Rush Origins, the latest installment to the popular tower defense franchise. And SOULCALIBUR is on a discounted price until December 4, if playing fighting games on a touchscreen device is your type of thing.
Others:
• Far Cry 4’s companion app isn’t what you think it is
• Dodo Master lets you save the life of an extinct bird
• Football Manager Handheld 2015 makes your football dreams come true
Updates
The race for Android Lollipop continues! As promised, NVIDIA has started the rollout of the update for its SHIELD Tablet users, with SHIELD Portable hopefully not far behind. The update brings in, of course, Android 5.0, but also a new Dabbler painting app, a new SHIELD Hub, and, last but definitely not least, support for GRID game streaming. Google is doing its own update spree with the release of Play Services 6.5. This latest update to Google’s core system adds a new toolbar for Google Maps users, fine-grained control over Google Drive file syncing, Google Fit improvements and more.
Others:
• Google Keep becomes a family affair
• Amazon lands on your wrist too
• Microsoft Office Mobile continues to expand, adds Dropbox support
