Items tagged with nougat
Android 7.x Nougat was first made available nearly a year ago; August 22nd 2016 to be exact. Since that time, we’ve seen a slew of new smartphone ranging from budget devices to mid-range models, to chest-thumbing flagships like the Galaxy S8 and LG G6. However, despite the fact that Android is the most popular operating system on the planet, the number of devices running the most recent publicly available version is relatively small. Google recently updated its developer portal, which indicates that Android Nougat is installed on just 13.5 percent of all devices. At this point, the most popular version of Android among all devices is Marshmallow, which is holding firm with 32.3 percent. Lollipop...
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When it comes to smartphones, not everyone needs a $700+ flagship like the Galaxy S8. While it may look amazing and have excellent all-around performance, most consumers can just get by with an affordable smartphone that will allow them to surf the web, send texts, and perhaps even make a phone call — yes, people still talk on their phones. That’s where ZTE comes into focus with its latest budget smartphone: the Max XL. While it likely won’t win any performance benchmarks, the Max XL packs in a lot of features and aggressive pricing. First and foremost, the Max XL is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 processor paired with 2GB of RAM. You’ll find a stingy 16GB of internal storage, but you can...
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Google is looking to give more power back to parents when it comes to the devices they provide to their children. It’s easy for children to think that a personal smartphone or tablet is their way of bypassing restrictions that might be imposed by mean old mom or dad, but “Family Link” makes it clear who holds the upper hand at all times. Family Link makes it possible for you to create a managed Google Account for each of your children, which can then be controlled by you or your spouse/significant other. Once enabled, Google says that you will be able to set your own “digital ground rules” when it comes to many aspects of device usage. For starters, you can approve or block — on a per-app basis...
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At CES 2017, NVIDIA launched its next generation SHIELD TV, which it claims has three times the compute performance of garden variety media streamers on the market and can interface with the Google Assistant. In addition, the new SHIELD TV has support for Spot, which are tiny microphone-equipped devices that you can scatter throughout your house (similar in concept to the Amazon Echo Dot). The new NVIDIA Shield TV is also running Shield Experience Upgrade 5.0. Thankfully, NVIDIA hasn’t forgotten about existing Shield TV owners, as it today announced that Shield Experience Upgrade 5.0, which is based on Android 7.0 Nougat, is now available for legacy devices. As an aside, it’s a bit amusing that...
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When Google set out to develop and market its first Phone by Google branded device - not co-branded with a partner - and spiritual successors to its legacy Nexus brand, the company drew a line in the sand. Not only was the target to develop smartphones that demonstrated best of breed functionality and performance for the Android platform, but these devices would have features and capabilities not found in other Android devices on the market. To date, very few other smartphones, save for the LG V20 for example, are running Android 7 Nougat and there are only a handful of phones on the market currently that support Google’s Daydream VR headset technology. Google Daydream VR is a compelling...
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A pair of spiffy Android handsets are about to be upgraded to Android 7.0 Nougat. One of them is the stunningly beautify and affordable Honor 8 by Huawei (check out our full review here), a phone with a 15-layer glass backside construction that captures light and creates unique looking effects. The other is the HTC 10, a flagship smartphone powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 System-on-Chip (we also have a full review of that one). Huawei teased the Android 7.0 Nougat update a few days and today made it official. The over-the-air (OTA) update is being rolled out "sequentially," according to a translated press release. Honor 8 owners should be on the lookout for an update notification letting...
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After weeks of waiting and what seemed like an endless barrage of beta updates (it was really just a handful), Samsung is finally ending its Android 7 Nougat program for its Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge handsets. A final release that will be polished and ready for mass consumption will be served up to Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge owners next month in the form of version Android 7.1.1.Samsung opened its "Galaxy Beta Program" to eager Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge owners on November 9. It was intended to give users a feel for Nougat with Samsung's latest user interface and to gather feedback on performance, reliability, and usability, which it would use to shape future revisions. Samsung served...
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Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge owners waiting patiently for an Android 7.0 Nougat update for their handset may feel the way Bill Murray did in the movie Groundhog Day in which each new day was the same as the last. Only instead of reliving each day from start to finish, Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge owners are stuck reading about new Android 7 beta updates for their smartphones with the promise that a final build is right around the bend. Eventually that cycle will be broken. In the meantime, there is a fourth beta of the Nougat update available.We won't rub salt in the wound by saying (yet again) that this is an indication that a final release can't be far off. We will just imply it instead...
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Sony announced back at the end of August that it was working on Android 7.0 Nougat software updates for several of its Xperia handsets and it has been a waiting game ever since. For Xperia XZ and Xperia X Performance owners, the wait is over—Sony has begun rolling out Nougat to those handsets while reiterating plans to bring the newest version of Google's mobile operating system to a collection of other phones, too. If you own an Xperia XZ or Xperia X Performance handset but aren't seeing the Nougat update yet, hang tight, it's coming. Sony says the rollout is happening in phases so not every Xperia XZ and Xperia X Performance owner will receive Nougat at the same time. In the meantime, Sony...
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While shoppers are busy trampling over each other in pursuit of the hottest Black Friday deals, HTC 10 owners can sit back and wait for a treat that is arriving at no cost. It's Nougat, the delicious Android 7.0 update that is being pushed out today to unlocked HTC 10 devices. It's not clear how HTC might be staggering the release, but the company did confirm that testing is finished and that it is rolling out Nougat starting today.The caveat here is that only unlocked HTC 10 handsets are getting the update. While HTC was able to complete what it calls TA (technical assistance) testing, wireless carriers that tack on their own software bits will have to perform additional testing before certifying...
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If you have one of Lenovo/Motorola’s Moto Z or Moto Z Force flagships in your possession, you’ll be happy to know that the Android 7.0 Nougat update will soon be on its way to your smartphone. Motorola announced that the over-the-air update will commence this week for customers. Besides bringing all of the OS improvements and features that you'd expect with Nougat, Motorola also announced that both the Moto Z and Moto Z Force are Daydream-ready. There are very few Daydream-ready smartphones on the market today, with the most high-profile offerings being Google's Pixel and Pixel XL. "Daydream offers an unprecedented opportunity to dive into a kaleidoscope of experiences," writes Motorola. "With...
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Samsung earlier this month started inviting users to beta test Android 7.0 (Nougat) on their Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge devices, but those are not the only handsets it is focusing on. Earlier this week Samsung started cooking up Nougat for its Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge devices, and now it has begun developing the latest version of Android for its Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy Tab S2 as well.That level of activity is always seen among Android device makers. The Android camp is notoriously fragmented due in part because of the multiple certification processes and all the testing that is involved, both by the device maker and wireless carriers that sometimes install their own custom software. Be...
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Samsung has opened up beta registration for testing an early build of Android 7.0 Nougat on its Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge devices (unlocked version). That means Samsung is one step closer to releasing an official Android 7.0 update for its flagship phones after having begun internally testing the latest version of Google's mobile operating system in mid-September.It may seem like Samsung is dragging its feet in getting an official Android 7.0 update out the door for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge owners, but these things take time. On top of all the testing and certification that is required, Samsung has been a bit preoccupied the past month dealing with the Galaxy Note 7 debacle that led to...
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Earlier this month, we brought you a report on two new flagship Huawei smartphones that just so happen to be arriving at a time when Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is going down in flames. Huawei’s upcoming Mate 9 series will be available with 5.9-inch displays, and will come in both standard and dual-edge display variants. The more premium of the two, codenamed “Long Island”, has just been leaked by notorious gadget fiend Evan Blass. The official name of the device is the Mate 9 Pro, and as you can see from this image below, it’s quite a fetching smartphone. It also bares more than a passing resemblance to the Galaxy S7 Edge and Galaxy Note 7. Given the angle of the images provided, it’s not clear if...
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Android 7, aka Nougat, has been rolling out primarily to Google's Nexus and new Pixel phones, as well as a few Motorola handsets, but a new Nougat contender has entered the fray, hot off the press from LG. The LG V20 is the follow-on to last year’s LG V10 and a current follow-up to the modular LG G5 that we reviewed recently. LG’s V series focuses on high quality, premium, larger-format designs that are feature-rich and the new LG V20 very much sticks to that mantra. Sporting a large 5.7-inch QHD display with 2560X1440 resolution and powered by Qualcomm's venerable Snapdragon 820 SoC (System on Chip), the V20 brings with it a few tried and true tricks from LG's V's series, coupled with a...
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If you been dying to get your hands on LG’s new V20 Android 7.0 flagship, the wait will soon be over. AT&T and T-Mobile today both announced that they will begin offering the phone on October 28th. AT&T plans to sell the LG V20 on NEXT for $27.67 per month for 30 months, or $34.59 per month for 24 months. If you work out the math, that gives the smartphone a retail price of $830. For its part, T-Mobile hasn’t given any exact pricing details for the LG V20, but has indicated that those that purchase the smartphone will receive a free pair of Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay H3 headphones, which have an estimated value of $150. “LG’s V20 raises the bar again, and Android fans are gonna flip...
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It's always with eager and hopeful anticipation that Android device owners wait to find if and when a major new version of Google's mobile operating system is headed to the their handset. Well, if you're rocking a semi-recent Motorola phone, the odds are in your favor. That's because Motorola published a list of more than a dozen handsets that will be receiving an update to Android 7.0 Nougat. "Are you ready for the sweetest OS update yet? It’s one that speaks your language (particularly if you speak fluent Emoji), offers the ability to seamlessly switch between apps with just a double-tap, more efficient notification controls and improved battery and data saver features. We’re happy to confirm...
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Exactly one week from today Google will unveil a handful of electronic devices. Among them will be a pair of new flagship smartphones, the Pixel and Pixel XL, otherwise known by their internal codenames Sailfish and Marlin. Rumors have been circulating about both new phones for months, and now we have our first look at what appears to be an official press render of the smaller handset (Pixel). The folks at VentureBeat obtained the photo along with a confirmation that Google will in fact unveil the Pixel and Pixel XL at its hardware event on October 4, though there's no mention of the source of the leak (someone at Google, no doubt). That's not really a surprise, given the amount of information...
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Though Samsung's been a bit preoccupied with its global recall of Galaxy Note 7 devices, it hasn't forgotten about owners of Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge smartphones. The South Korean handset maker is in the process of testing firmware upgrades to Android 7.0 (Nougat) for both phones, though there's no mention of a specific release date just yet.Rolling out major firmware updates is not a quick and easy process. There's a lot of testing that's involved, both on the part of the handset maker and the wireless carrier, as both often times add their own custom software and features to the mix. That means several rounds of testing and validating, while simultaneously juggling newer smartphone releases.That's...
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Image Source: Flickr (Roman Boed)The wait for a new round of flagship smartphones from Google is almost over, folks. As was expected, Google will unveil its new Android 7.0 (Nougat) phones on October 4, as indicated by a Twitter post, landing page where you can sign up to be notified for more information on the new devices, and invitations to a press event that it's begun sending out the members of the press. One thing to keep an eye on its the branding Google decides to use for its next flagship devices. The aforementioned teasers all show Google's "G" logo, but previous reports suggested the Mountain View firm will ditch its Nexus nomenclature and introduce its new devices as Pixel handsets...
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At long last, LG's latest flagship V20 phone is here with Google's deliciously new Android 7.0 Nougat in tow. It's a notable release not just because its another high-end handset from the South Korean electronics maker, but for its place in history as the introductory Android 7.0 device, a distinction many assumed would belong to a Nexus gadget. The LG V20 is a premium handset powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 processor with X12 LTE. It has a 5.7-inch QHD (2560x1440) IPS main display and, as often rumored leading up to its launch, a secondary IPS Quantum display with a 160x1040 resolution. The secondary display is a carryover from the V10, only here it's twice as bright with a 50 percent larger...
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[Image Source: Houang Stephen/flickr]If you were a fan of the ASUS-made Nexus 7 tablet, which was released way back in 2013, then it looks as though Google finally has a worthy successor in the pipeline. According to famed (and usually right on point) gadget leaker Evan Blass, the tablet will arrive later this year. Blass posted the following in a tweet: Google's Huawei-built 7-inch tablet, with 4GB RAM, on track for release before the end of the year.— Evan Blass (@evleaks) September 5, 2016 Huawei is no stranger to Nexus-esque Google hardware, as the company built last year’s Nexus 6P, which was well received by reviewers and the enthusiast community. The only details that Blass was able to...
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