It’s been a very interesting week in the world of Android, with everything from juicy rumors, to product announcements, to billion-dollar acquisition talk. After a break for the holidays, Google has issued major updates to some of its apps; Xiaomi introduced its “epic” Mi Note and Mi Note Pro phablets; Project Ara was in the spotlight, while Glass was sent back to the drawing board; Samsung officially unveiled the Galaxy A7, while rumors swirled around the Galaxy S6 and a potential acquisition of BlackBerry; we heard some worrying reports about Sony; HTC revealed that the next One is coming March first; and, finally, Lollipop 5.0.2 hit several new devices.
Welcome to Android Authority this week.
Video roundup
Here’s Jayce’s video take on the events of the week.
Inside AA HQ
This week we all recovered from the grueling CES, and, for some of the guys who attended the show in Vegas, from the dreaded “CES flu.” But the tech world knows no break, and no sympathy for the travails of tech bloggers. And, you know what, we love it that way!
One of the events that got us talking this week was the launch of the Mi Note Pro, and since we got some questions about it… yes, we will absolutely review it as soon as possible.
With CES still in our rear mirror, we’re thinking of the mother of all mobile events, MWC. This year, the Barcelona show is taking place a bit later than usual, in the first week of March, and HTC has already reserved the Sunday before the grand opening for the launch of its next One flagship. Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and Sony’s Xperia Z4 are also likely to show up, making for a very exciting show. Six weeks to go!
Following our pilot last week, we aired the first episode of our Friday Debate podcast. Bear with us as we go through the inevitable teething pains, and feel free to tune in every week to the written companion of the podcast, the Friday Debate post.
Want a chance to win a hot Android gadget? Why wouldn’t you? This week we are giving away a OnePlus One smartphone.
The stuff you shouldn’t miss
Here are some interesting posts for your Sunday reading:
- Explainer: Gary explains why the latest Android security scare may not be that scary after all
- How to: Buying phones from China: what are some good stores?
- Hands-on: Matthew played with the LG Fx0, and these are his impressions
- Tech talk: You’re going to hear about the Snapdragon 810 over the next months. Get to know it here
- Roundup: Andrew gives his educated guess on all the HTC One M9/Hima rumors
- Explainer: Rob surveys the latest developments in wireless charging
- Opinion: Samsung has a tough year ahead, thinks Simon
- Opinion: Still dismissing Xiaomi? Read this piece
Top news of the week
And here are the top news in the Android world this week:
Google apps updates
- Google Now Launcher update brings Material Design tweaks to KitKat and Jelly Bean
- Google Classroom makes its way to the Play Store
- Google Translate just got smarter: Word Lens and instant voice translations in latest update
- Google Maps update brings much needed navigation sharing
Xiaomi’s week
- Xiaomi unveils Mi Note and Mi Note Pro: 5.7-inch high-end goodness
- New Xiaomi accessories: the ultra-compact Mi Box Mini and the swanky Mi Headphones
- Mi Note Pro vs Note 4: specs comparison
- First hands-on images of the Xiaomi Mi Note surface
- Facebook and Xiaomi explored investment opportunities without yielding any results
Project Ara
- New MDK for Project Ara released ahead of second developer conference
- Google wants to help you customize your Project Ara device with the Ara Configurator app
- Google will launch Project Ara market pilot in Puerto Rico later this year
Samsung: Tizen, BlackBerry, and Galaxy S6
- Samsung officially launches 6.3mm thin, 5.5 inch, octa-core Galaxy A7
- Report: Samsung aiming to optimize TouchWiz to “Nexus 6 level”
- Report: Galaxy S6 to feature improved touch-based fingerprint sensor
- Samsung reportedly in talks to buy Blackberry for $7.5 billion
- Samsung launches sub $95 Tizen phone for India
Sony woes
- Sony reportedly looking into new ventures, partnerships and sales for their mobile division
- Sony is closing all of its Canadian retail stores within the next 2 months
Lollipop updates
- Some Moto G devices starting to receive Android 5.0.2 Lollipop
- Android 5.0 Lollipop update for Samsung Galaxy S5 arrives in the UK
- Nexus 7 (2013) and Nexus 10 Android 5.0.2 factory images arrive
Glass no more, for now
The new One is coming
Sound off
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Happy Sunday!
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