Android 6.0 | Mobiles365

AT&T finally sends Android 6.0 Marshmallow to 2015-released ZTE ZMax 2

Posted on December 21, 2016 by Adrian Diaconescu

Before the ZMax Pro made all those headlines with its almost absurdly low price, surprisingly modern fingerprint reader, decent build, massive screen and overall respectable specs, ZTE joined AT&T last year in releasing a similarly dirt-cheap ZMax 2 Android phone.

This was obviously far less exciting, although still a solid budget affair for a few months, costing at one point just $60 with GoPhone prepaid service while featuring a 5.5-inch 720p display, quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB expandable storage, 8MP rear-facing camera, and 3000mAh battery.

No longer a very smart buy at $60 in “certified like-new” condition from America’s second largest mobile carrier, the ZTE ZMax 2 is at least rewarding its devoted early adopters with a long overdue official Android 6.0 Marshmallow update.

Granted, that’s now more than a year old, not to mention antiquated by the recent rollout of versions 7.0 and even 7.1 Nougat. But for a previous-generation low-ender, it’s actually a pleasant surprise, guaranteeing a relatively smooth user experience for the remainder of its discreet life.

All you need to do to bid adieu for good to (even more) archaic Lollipop software is clear at least 1.1GB internal storage space and make sure you have plenty of battery juice before approving the over-the-air AT&T Marshmallow download and installation. Enjoy!

The post AT&T finally sends Android 6.0 Marshmallow to 2015-released ZTE ZMax 2 appeared first on Pocketnow.

Better late than never: T-Mobile quietly sends Marshmallow update to entry-level LG Leon

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Adrian Diaconescu

Does anyone remember a little phone called LG Leon that T-Mobile started carrying back in May after a low-key international debut the month before? Anyone? Anyone at all?

Well, LG ‘members, and the same goes for America’s leading “UnCarrier”, which undoubtedly worked closely with T-Mo and pretty hard too for a presumably microscopic number of users to feast on Marshmallow goodies.

Granted, they’re not as fresh and delicious as Nougaty treats, but for a humble device like the 4.5-inch LG Leon, released with Android 5.0 Lollipop pre-installed, they probably have the whiff of a little slice of heaven.

Mind you, this ain’t just an uncharacteristically small handheld by today’s standards, but also horribly low-res (480 x 854 pixels), far from a multitasking beast (with 1GB RAM inside), and generally rather laggy, courtesy of an ancient Snapdragon 410 processor.

Once promoted to Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow though, Google security improvements and all, Magenta’s Leon may begin to feel like a smart phone again, smoother, more functional and longer-lasting between charges than ever. Look for the over-the-air update today, and count your blessings if you receive it, even if there’s absolutely no chance you’ll also get Nougat. Ever.

The post Better late than never: T-Mobile quietly sends Marshmallow update to entry-level LG Leon appeared first on Pocketnow.

SD Association issues new ratings for running apps off of SD cards

Posted on November 29, 2016 by Jules Wang

With Android allowing for Adoptable Storage and the integration of SD cards into the actual flash disk on the phone, you’ll want to make sure that the microSD card you’re using is fit to be attached as part of the device’s internal storage in order to run apps direct from the card.

Well, the Secure Digital Association is out with a new specification, SD 5.1, that introduces the Application Performance Class. Yes, another class rating beyond Speed Classes and UHS Speed Classes, but this one is important if you’re storing more than your pictures, songs and video on your card.

The new rating guarantees that an SD card can maintain a minimum amount of constant input-output accesses per second.

The new and only Class A1 rating sets a standard for read rates of 1,500 IOPS, write rates of 500 IOPS and sequential streams of at least 10MB/s. More ratings will be created as cards and requirements become faster.

Of course, UFS 2.0 cards are also coming into play and they’re already speedy enough to be used in Adoptable Storage. It’s a matter of how much consumers are willing to pay in the technology’s commercial infancy.

The post SD Association issues new ratings for running apps off of SD cards appeared first on Pocketnow.

Verizon sends long overdue Marshmallow update to carrier-locked BlackBerry Priv

Posted on November 7, 2016November 7, 2016 by Adrian Diaconescu

There’s a new major software update officially rolling out over-the-air to the Android-powered BlackBerry Priv on Verizon, but alas, it’s not the fresh, scrumptious Nougat confection Google’s hardware-making and carrying partners should really start supporting one of these days.

Instead, productivity and security-obsessed subscribers to the nation’s largest wireless service provider can barely leave obsolete Lollipops behind now to finally jump on the Marshmallow bandwagon.

This same Android 6.0.1 goodie pack has been delivered to GSM unlocked variants of the BlackBerry Priv way back in April, with T-Mobile and AT&T relatively quick to join the OS-enhancing festivities in June and July.

It’s hard to understand exactly what took Big Red so much longer to “optimize”, and we don’t even want to think about the operator’s possible Nougat timeline. Commercially released last fall, the AMOLED touchscreen/QWERTY keyboard Snapdragon 808 hybrid device will no doubt qualify for 7.0 system improvements… sooner or later, featuring a plentiful 3GB RAM, 32GB expandable storage, 3,410 mAh battery, 18MP rear camera, and Quad HD display resolution.

BlackBerry’s last in-house-designed phone still costs $408 outright on Verizon, or $425 unlocked through the Canadian OEM’s e-store. October security patches are apparently included in the newest VZW software update, as well as Wi-Fi Calling functionality, Now on Tap cards, runtime permissions, an improved keyboard prediction engine, minor launcher tweaks, advanced camera controls, and DTEK app enhancements.

The post Verizon sends long overdue Marshmallow update to carrier-locked BlackBerry Priv appeared first on Pocketnow.

Believe it or not, Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow arrives on Samsung Galaxy S5 mini

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Adrian Diaconescu

Still having trouble letting go of a not-so-distant past when 4 to 4.5-inch smartphones were not only the industry norm, but also a power user’s top choice? While Samsung ruthlessly abandoned diminutive Android flagships last year by skipping the Galaxy S6 mini, and never looked back, it turns out the GS5 mini isn’t completely forgotten yet.We told you not to lose hope for a tardy but more than welcome Marshmallow update several months ago, and finally, the rumors are proven true today with reports ...

The post Believe it or not, Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow arrives on Samsung Galaxy S5 mini appeared first on Pocketnow.

Surprise: OnePlus X already gets official Marshmallow update with OxygenOS 3.1.2

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Adrian Diaconescu

We know, we know, it’s been long enough. Roughly a year since both the OnePlus X and Android 6.0 were released to the general public, similarly hard to come by off the bat. The affordable mid-range 5-inch phone and Lollipop’s sweet OS successor tried their best to go wide in the first half of 2016, but then OnePlus decided to

The post Surprise: OnePlus X already gets official Marshmallow update with OxygenOS 3.1.2 appeared first on Pocketnow.

Android Marshmallow is coming to the OnePlus X next week, Nougat for OP3 also nigh

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Adrian Diaconescu

The reformed OnePlus, wholly focused on high-end smartphones and solid software support now, is definitely looking to tone down its controversial marketing ploys, but when it comes to public communication, there are no radical changes in the pipeline.That’s a great thing, mind you, considering Pete Lau and Carl Pei’s very transparent policies implemented ever since the Chinese OEM was born in ...

The post Android Marshmallow is coming to the OnePlus X next week, Nougat for OP3 also nigh appeared first on Pocketnow.

Verizon brings OTA Marshmallow to OG Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5

Posted on September 21, 2016 by Adrian Diaconescu

Can you believe there are still so many respectable, relatively popular Android high-enders released in the past couple of years stuck with Lollipop, despite the successor of that OS flavor’s successor already gearing up for its first important maintenance update?Well, it’s true, painful as it may be, though ...

The post Verizon brings OTA Marshmallow to OG Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 appeared first on Pocketnow.

Sony officially flips Marshmallow switch for mid-end Xperia C4 phone

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Adrian Diaconescu

Please tell us you took Best Buy up on its Xperia C4 clearance offer last week. Yes, the phone is old, and its manufacturer still has trouble making money in the mobile arena, consequently killing off several mid-range product portfolios, most likely including the C line.But at $150, the 5.5-inch selfie expert was quite the bargain, and to better get that ...

The post Sony officially flips Marshmallow switch for mid-end Xperia C4 phone appeared first on Pocketnow.

Roughly six months late, AT&T updates Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge to Marshmallow

Posted on September 9, 2016 by Adrian Diaconescu

We get it, major software updates take time in the chaotic, loosely Google-governed, open-source mobile world. Especially when both third-party OEMs and notoriously laggy US carriers are involved in the “optimization” process.And yes, it makes perfect sense for the Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, Note 5 and S6 Edge+ to be ...

The post Roughly six months late, AT&T updates Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge to Marshmallow appeared first on Pocketnow.

Asus sends long overdue OTA Marshmallow goodies to standard ZenFone 2

Posted on August 31, 2016 by Adrian Diaconescu

Hardware choice is typically a good thing, and it’s an essential part of the very solid foundation on which the diverse Android ecosystem was created and continues to thrive on, but there is such a thing as too much choice.Call it brand dilution, lack of focus or fuzzy product release strategy if you will, but voice your frustration over it, as it inherently leads to OS fragmentation and tardy software support. Case in point, the six (not-so) different Asus ZenFone 2 models, the

The post Asus sends long overdue OTA Marshmallow goodies to standard ZenFone 2 appeared first on Pocketnow.

First-gen Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 begins receiving OTA Marshmallow after all (Update: 8.4 too)

Posted on August 26, 2016August 26, 2016 by Adrian Diaconescu

Maybe to better appreciate the software support efforts of a few unjustly criticized Android device manufacturers, false alarms like the one issued in Netherlands earlier this week are needed.It turns out Samsung never planned to leave the summer 2014-released high-end Galaxy Tab S stranded on a desert Lollipop island, already sending over-the-air Marshmallow goodies to the LTE-enabled 10.5-inch variant in Germany.Would the rollout have ...

The post First-gen Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 begins receiving OTA Marshmallow after all (Update: 8.4 too) appeared first on Pocketnow.

Google brings Project Fi’s brilliant Wi-Fi Assistant feature to all Nexus devices

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Adrian Diaconescu

Ever since it started working on Project Fi, Google made it clear it wasn’t looking to muscle wireless service provider veterans out of business. Instead, Big G is collaborating with the likes of Sprint, T-Mobile and US Cellular stateside, as well as Three internationally, in a bold attempt to unify the world’s wireless networks so you can enjoy higher speeds and better coverage ubiquitously at the lowest possible ...

The post Google brings Project Fi’s brilliant Wi-Fi Assistant feature to all Nexus devices appeared first on Pocketnow.

OnePlus X gets OxygenOS 3.1 community build based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow

Posted on August 22, 2016 by Adrian Diaconescu

The torment of at least a few adventurous OnePlus X users is finally coming to an end, as the latest Android iteration (technically, Nougat isn’t out yet) can be manually flashed at your own risk.Granted, we expected more from OnePlus, sooner and faster, with the upper mid-range 5-incher commercially launched last November, and clearly capable of running ...

The post OnePlus X gets OxygenOS 3.1 community build based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow appeared first on Pocketnow.

Samsung Netherlands says not to expect Marshmallow for first-gen Galaxy Tab S models (Updated)

Posted on August 22, 2016August 22, 2016 by Adrian Diaconescu

Update: There might still be hope for an exit out of the Lollipop purgatory soon, at least in Greece. Samsung’s regional Facebook admin just assured a concerned fan of the company’s commitment to deliver over-the-air M sweets to “the whole Tab S series.” Now we’re even more confused. Original story below.Credit where credit is due, Samsung did a relatively solid job thus far updating ...

The post Samsung Netherlands says not to expect Marshmallow for first-gen Galaxy Tab S models (Updated) appeared first on Pocketnow.