Category: Android Marshmallow

Yesterday as part of the Google event, the company laid out a lot of the changes that are coming to Google Photos.  One of those big new features was support for Chromecast which will allow you to share your photos via a cast and even allow you to navigate your photos while others are viewing an image on the television.  That update, version 1.6 for those keeping score at home, has now been published to the Google Play Store and available for download.  You can even cast photos that you haven’t backup yet.  It’s an great new feature that anyone with a Chromecast will appreciate.

Google Photos – Free – Download Now

There was an undertone at the Google event yesterday that didn’t necessarily go unnoticed but certainly wasn’t put to the fore.  Google is serious about Project Fi.  For those who don’t know, Project Fi is the mobile service that Google launched in April of this year and it uses a unique combination of existing carriers (T-Mobile and Sprint) as well as always on Wi-Fi to make calls and consume data on your device.  It is a pay-as-much-as-you-use plan meaning that if you have a 3GB data plan and only use 1GB, you only pay for that 1GB, not the entire 3GB like traditional carriers.  With the base package of $20 giving you unlimited calls and text then just $10 per gigabyte of data, the plan is cost effective when you compare it to other carriers.

To this point Project Fi has been invitation only and only available on the Nexus 6.  Google, wisely, has wanted to control the number of people on the service so they can better manage expectations and experiences.  After yesterday however, it is clear that Google is committed to Project Fi with the addition of the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P but also the payment plan you can sign up for on these devices when you sign up for Project Fi.  While it certainly isn’t the flood gates opening, it is more than the trickle of invites that have been committed to so far.

As I put in my what to expect from the Google event post yesterday, the company announced today that Android Marshmallow will start being delivered to existing Nexus devices starting next Monday, October 5th.  This date was somewhat confirmed prior to the event thanks to leaked documents but with it being official from Google, we are set.

The devices that will be receiving the update OTA starting Monday will be the Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 7 (2013), Nexus 9 and the Nexus Player.  The Nexus 4 and the Nexus 7 (2012) will not be receiving the update as I posted yesterday which has caused some anger, particularly for the Nexus 4.

As expected, the Google Store has now been updated and you can pre-order your new Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P today.  The new phones were announced today at the Google event (which you can watch here) and both will be shipping with Android Marshmallow.  Both phones are expected to ship later on this month.

Earlier this afternoon I posted the full specs of the Nexus 5X and now its time to tell you about the Nexus 6P.  The Nexus 6P is the larger of the two devices, coming in with a display of 5.7″ and is expected to be announced be available for purchase tomorrow at the Google event in San Francisco.  The 6P is expected to start at $499.99 and will be the first Nexus device to offer 128GB of on-board storage should you want to go that route.  The Nexus 6P certainly has the specs of a flagship but like the 5x, there are some things that make me scratch my head a bit.

You have to love leaks.  While we less than 24 hours away from the Google event tomorrow in San Francisco, it looks like the full specs of the new Nexus 5X, one of two devices Google is expected to announce tomorrow, have been leaked for the world to see.  It’s not a bad device overall and with a starting price expected to be at $329.99, it should certainly get at least a look by those looking for a well designed and developed 5.2″ device.  A lot of what are in these specs we already knew or thought we knew but it’s nice to have a bit more confirmation.  Probably more interesting is the few things the 5X won’t have on it.