Androidifying

I don’t know how many times I have said it, but I will say it again, “power efficiency is everything on mobile.” Normally we focus on the power efficiency of the CPUs and GPUs at the heart of our smartphones and tablets (for example when the  new Cortex-A73 CPU core design was launched), however there is more to power  efficiency than just the System-on-a-Chip. Android is an eco-system, a combination of hardware, software and online services. OEMs like Samsung, LG, Sony, HTC etc make the hardware; Google, Amazon, Microsoft etc. provide the services; but the software is made by “everyone.” By that I mean that the apps we run on our smartphones can be battery friendly or battery killers. To  help with app optimization Basemark has launched the latest version of its  Power Assessment Tool (PAT) . You have probably heard of Basemark in connection with its benchmarking tools like Basemark OS II or  Basemark ES 3.1 , however the company does more than just write benchmark apps. At its he

Just a few short hours ago, word broke that Canadian customers on the Rogers network were finally getting Marshmallow pushed to the 2014 Galaxy Note 4, and now new news has hit for American customers with a Galaxy S5 – also from 2014 – on Verizon. Sprint had previously been the first out of the gate with its variant mashing Marshmallow in early April , and just last week T-Mobile’s version was gifted with the soon-to-be-outdated Android build. The Verizon OTA has been given the build code MMB29M.G900VVRU2DPD1 and is now being sent to users. As the update has just now been made available, it typically takes several days or even weeks before it is pushed to all devices on the network. Those seeking to speed-up the process can try to hit the Settings menu, navigate to About Device, and then click on “Check for Updates”. Still, even this manually check is not a sure-fire way to trigger the update in which case the only real choice is just to wait patiently. Alternatively there are s

After the false start from last week , Sony has officially introduced the Xperia E5. There are not many surprises to talk about here. The rumors were accurate, with the notable exception of the Xperia E5’s screen, which is 5 inches, instead of the 4.6 inches that leaked benchmarks had us believe. That means the Xperia E5 will match almost spec for spec the Moto G4 Play , a phone that we expect to be quite cheap. The Xperia E5 will be powered by MediaTek ’s MT6735 chipset, a quad-core SoC that competes directly with Qualcomm ’s Snapdragon 410. You get 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, and the screen is HD LCD with a pixel density of 294 ppi. Other main specs include 13MP and 5MP cameras, NFC, LTE Category 4, and a 2,700 mAh battery. Xperia E5 is garbed in a basic plastic design and will be available in either black or white, eschewing the distinctive green or orange of higher-end Sony phones. Sony will sell the Xperia E5 in select markets in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin

India has been in the news a lot recently, especially given Tim Cook’s visit and the subsequent, near-immediate fallout . As far as Android goes however, there is a lot doing among local OEMs, such as Micromax and its subsidiary, Yu Televentures. Today saw a new addition to the Yu family in the form of the pun-packingly named, Yu Yunicorn. The phone has some very nice specs, including a 5.5-inch Full HD (1920 X 1080) display with Gorilla Glass 3, a MediaTek Helio P10 Octa-core SoC (4 cores running at 1.8GHz, 4 cores running at 1.4GHz), 4GB of RAM, 32GB of on-board storage, a 13-megapixel rear camera with dual-LED flash and a front facing 5-megapixel camera. Also included is a 4000mAh battery, 4G LTE, a home button-mounted fingerprint sensor, a metal frame, and a hybrid microSD/dual SIM slot. The phone is only 8.5mm thick and features a metal frame and back panel. Three colors will be available: Rush Silver, Graphite, and Rush Gold, with the last having initially limited availabilit

The cloud is nice and all, but it still can’t beat local storage in terms of speed and convenience. If you want to add a few extra gigs to your device, be it a phone, tablet, camera, or even laptop, check out today’s Amazon Gold Box deal. Amazon has solid discounts on select SanDisk memory products . The most interesting deal sees the price of the 200GB SanDisk Ultra microSD card go down to $59.99. That’s $20 lower than the previous price and the lowest this product has ever gone on Amazon. We’re looking at a Class 10 microSD card, with read speeds of up to 90 MB/s. User reviews of the card are overwhelmingly positive, with a 4.6 stars average across more than 8700 reviews. Buy the SanDisk Ultra 200GB MicroSD card for $59.99 If you want something cheaper, the 128GB model (standard packaging) is also discounted, down to $40, a discount in excess of $30. Buy the SanDisk Ultra 128GB MicroSDXC for $40.09 You should also take a peek at the SanDisk USB sticks and external hard drive

There is a thin layer of divisiveness between aging hardware and software updates. While OEMs prioritize newer devices and then look to older ones, those who are sitting solid with the smartphones of old are left in wait. Things get even more difficult with carriers in certain areas are updating but not yours. For Canadian customers using a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 on the Rogers network, your time to shine is now in mind: Android 6.0 Marshmallow is now rolling out to your device. The update is around 1.5GB in size and will bring with it the latest build of Google’s mobile OS, 6.0.1. Marshmallow, originally released last October to Nexus devices, contains numerous enhancements to the Google experience, including Now on Tap, which lets users scan their screen for relevant information and make it more productive, Doze, which seeks to better manage battery life during downtime, and granular App Permissions that give users more control over which app has access to what feature. Rogers s

Tablet sales may be on the wane , but LG is not ready to give up on this once-hyped product category just yet. LG just launched the third generation of the G Pad series in South Korea and the tablet is already available from several Canadian carriers. The LG G Pad III comes with an 8-inch Full HD LCD display. We’re looking at a 16:10 aspect ratio, instead of the more common 16:9 or 4:3. That should make it a good compromise for users who want a great experience when watching videos and reading or browsing. LG bills the G Pad III 8.0 as a great device for reading e-books. A dedicated “Q” button on the side puts the tablet in reading mode. The mode dims out the blue light emitted by the screen, which is known to inhibit sleep. If using electronic devices in bed tends to keep you awake, you may want to try this feature – it works for all activities, like browsing or using Facebook, not just reading. The G Pad III 8’s other specifications are forgettable. There’s an unnamed 1.5GHz