Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 Update Release Confirmed in the US

Today new Samsung Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 Lollipop update details and release date information emerged ahead of any formal announcement from Samsung, and ahead of carrier confirmations. Over the past few weeks we’ve seen the Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 update arrive in small regions outside the US, but new details have surfaced for those in the United States.

Earlier this year Samsung started rolling out Android 4.4.4 KitKat updates for many of its popular Galaxy devices, including the Galaxy S5, and while that update is still ongoing the company has already moved forward and are preparing for Android 5.0 Lollipop.

We’ve seen a number of leaks and software versions of Android 5.0 Lollipop for the Galaxy S5, and the update even started rolling out to Poland earlier this month as a small soak test before being released for major markets around the globe. Today though, the U.S. Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 update and release date have been revealed.

Initial leaks and rumors suggested the Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 update would arrive sometime in December, but with the month coming to a close it’s looking like owners will be waiting until 2015. However, the wait won’t be long as some leaked documents from a Samsung Mobile employee have confirmed they’ll start in early January.

Several leaks have shown off its features ahead of time, but within the next few weeks users won’t have to rely on leaks and rumors, as Samsung will start pushing Android 5.0 Lollipop to carrier versions of the Galaxy S5 in the United States in early January, then proceed with the Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note Edge, and eventually proceed to update the popular Galaxy S4 and Note 3 from 2013.

We’ve seen the Galaxy S5 get Android 5.0 in Poland and throughout Europe, but those in the United States are up next, and we’ll know more details extremely soon. One Samsung Mobile retail store employee has revealed the details on Reddit, as well as a screenshot showing the company plans to update handsets in select stores (like Samsung Mobile booths in Best Buy, or the mall) and train the staff ahead of the Galaxy S5 update rollout to all carriers in the United States. That email can be seen below.

The screenshot email and info validates his claims of an early January Android 5.0 Lollipop update for the Galaxy S5 and Note 4, but doesn’t have an exact date. That being said, part of the email was cutoff where the bottom mentions a reset starting on January 4th, possibly when Samsung will start pushing the update to demo smartphones in select stores, then the mass rollout from AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon and all other carriers will likely follow shortly thereafter.

Samsung is preparing to push the Galaxy S5 and Note 4 Android 5.0 update out in early January, then store employees are being instructed to accept the update and reinstall the Retail Mode app from the Play Store that highlights key features of the smartphone.

According to this verified employee the Galaxy S5, Note 4, and Note Edge are up first. Followed by the Galaxy S4, Note 3, and then the attention will turn to Samsung tablets, where those with a Galaxy Tab Pro or Tab S can expect Android 5.0 to arrive as soon as possible.

Of course, this doesn’t mean all carrier versions of the Samsung Galaxy S5 will get Android 5.0 Lollipop updates in January, as all carriers have their own testing phases, and delays are possible. That being said, it looks like Samsung is prepped and ready to start rolling out Galaxy Android 5.0 updates the entire month of January, and start the year off strong by updating many key smartphones and tablets to Google’s latest version of Android. Those with the device can learn more about it from our extensive Galaxy S5 How to Portal.

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6 Essential iOS 8 Cydia Tweaks

The iOS 8 jailbreak is officially out and available for all iPhones and iPads that are capable of running iOS 8. Here are five essential iOS 8 Cydia tweaks that deserve your attention.

The TaiG dev team is responsible for this latest jailbreak and they’re a recent addition to the jailbreak community, first breaking into the scene just recently with the release of an iOS 8.1.1 jailbreak, allowing users to jailbreak their devices running on the latest version of iOS at the time, but have since updated it to support iOS 8.1.2, which is the current up-to-date version.

The iOS 8 jailbreak from Pangu, however, is also still running strong on devices that are on iOS 8.1. The Pangu dev team is also a recent addition to the jailbreak community, breaking into the scene with their iOS 7.1.2 jailbreak back in June shortly after the update released from Apple.

If you haven’t had the chance to jailbreak your iPhone or iPad yet and are wanting to do it, we  highly recommend it, as the latest TaiG jailbreak is very stable and most popular jailbreak tweaks are compatible with the latest version of iOS.

With that said, here are six essential iOS 8 Cydia tweaks that you should try out right now.

Nitrous

Web browsing in Safari on an iOS device is really fast compared to using a third-party option because Apple blocks third-party apps from using its Nitro Javascript Engine. However, it doesn’t have to be like that.

Nitrous is a really nice jailbreak tweak that gives third-party apps access to the Nitro Javascript Engine. Any app that accesses the internet and uses a webkit browser (Chrome, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) can take advantage of Nitrous, and in some cases, this can result in over three-times the performance boost than without Nitrous.

Browser Changer

If you’re not fond of the Safari web browser, you thankfully don’t have to use it. Google Chrome is a good third-party option that you can use on iOS. However, when opening up web links from different apps, they’ll open up in Safari since that’s the default browser.

Browser Changer fixes that and tells all web links in any app to open in the web browser of your choice, allowing you to get that freedom back that you deserve.

Browser Chooser is also a similar jailbreak tweak that accomplishes the same thing. Feel free to check out both.

Dimmer

For some folks with sensitive eyes, the dimmest point of the iPhone and iPad backlight just isn’t dim enough, especially when you’re in bed at night. A jailbreak tweak called Dimmer allows you to break that threshold and dim your screen even further, even to the point where it seems like the backlight is barely on.

However, the tweak does leave it open for users to completely black out the screen, but there’s a safety feature that allows you brighten it back up by tapping on the volume up button four times in quick succession to bring the brightness back.

SwitchSpring

iOS 8 comes with the multitasking tray and app switcher that you should be familiar with from iOS 7, and while it’s much better than iOS 6’s app switcher, it still comes with its downsides, with the most-notable downside being the inability to kill all apps at once.

A jailbreak tweak called SwitchSpring allows you to quit all apps that are open, as well as the ability to restart your iOS device (as opposed to shutting it down and turning it back on).

To activate SwitchSpring, all you have to do is swipe up on your home screen while you’re in the app switcher and you’ll be able to quit all apps or restart your device. This is especially helpful when you have a lot of apps open and don’t want to bother with closing all of them out one at a time.

Icon Tool

Icon Tool is the mother of jailbreak tweaks when it comes to the options you have when managing apps and their data.

Triple-tapping an icon when it’s in jiggle mode will bring up a menu with a bevy of options to choose from, including opening the app in iFile, clearing the app’s cache, clearing any notification badges, backing up the app’s data, restoring the app’s data and even renaming the icon.

It essentially adds a ton of new features to the home screen, giving you access to a bunch of cool shortcuts for apps.

HapticPro

Are you a fan of the vibration feedback when typing out text messages on the keyboard? It’s certainly a lot better than the annoying keyboard clicks on the iPhone. You can easily silence the clicks on iOS settings, but you still long for some kind of keyboard feedback with every key stroke.

This is where HapticPro comes in. This tweak gives you the same awesome vibration feedback as Android when using the keyboard, but it also allows you to customize it greatly. You can choose how long each vibration with every key stroke lasts, and also when you want vibration feedback throughout iOS.

For example, you can enable HapticPro on just the keyboard, or you can enable on every single tap you make on the touch screen.

HapticPro is $2.99 in Cydia and it’s a worthy addition if you’re trying to Android-ify your jailbroken iPhone.

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Microsoft has Windows 9, Office 2015 and cloud-based OS in the works

Will Windows 9 see wider adoption than Windows 8?

Update: Windows 9 is now known as Windows 10. Want to know more about when you can get your hands on it? Check out our in-depth Windows 10 release date page

An image shared by an infamous Chinese Windows leaker has revealed what Microsoft has on its Satya Nadalla-influenced roadmap in 2014.

Posting on the Neowin forum, FaiKee has shown that Microsoft is working on Windows 9, Windows 365, Windows 8.1 Update 2, Office 2015 and more.

The image also provides a list of products Microsoft plans to update, including existing ones like Windows 8.1,Windows Phone 8.1, and Office 2013.

It also lists Windows 9, "& Server & mobile edition," all but confirming that there will be a separate Windows Phone 9 release.

Windows 365 is given a mention, and its status is listed as "Alpha based on Windows Core." This is expected to be a cloud-based platform that ties in with Office 365.

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Microsoft plans a standalone Office 2016 for end of 2015

At one point, the announcement of an anticipated ship date of the next release of Microsoft Office would be big news. As it is, Microsoft’s release of Office 2016 may not be the milestone some might expect.

Julia White, the general manager of Office for Microsoft, said the company would ship the next version of Office at the end of 2015, according to a report by Mary Jo Foley at ZDNet. Office 2016 (or 16), as it will be known, will be a joint release of both desktop and server apps, according to Foley. White reportedly made the announcements at the Microsoft TechEd Europe show in Barcelona.

Microsoft representatives neither confirmed nor denied the report at press time.

In the meantime, of course, Microsoft is busy signing up subscribers for Office 365, its subscription service that rolls up new updates and features into Office on a periodic basis. Office 365 is available in personal subscriptions up through enterprise licenses. In its recent earnings conference call, Microsoft said that consumer Office 365 subscriptions total more than 7 million subscribers, up 25 percent from a quarter ago, and the number of commericial subscriptions nearly doubled. To keep consumers and businesses interested, Microsoft recently revealed its roadmap of upcoming features.

Microsoft hasn’t said what features Office 16 will include, but it’s almost certain that the release will essentially “roll up” existing Office features to a certain point. Unfortunately, that will probably mean that Office customers won’t get perpetual updates, either—if history holds, that is.

Still, 7 million consumers plus an unknown number of corporate customers is still a fraction of the 268 million traditional PCs predicted to be sold during 2014, according to Gartner, even with an additional number of Windows tablets sold on top of that. Microsoft has its sights set on customers that can deliver recurring, stable revenues based on Office 365, but it still needs a dedicated base of Office users.

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How to Put Photos on Your iPhone Without iTunes

More than likely, you have a ton of photos that you want to put onto your iPhone so that you can show friends and family pictures of your new baby. Here’s how to do it without using iTunes.

iTunes isn’t terrible by any means, but it does slow down the process of putting photos on your iPhone when there are much faster ways to do it. Plus, if you don’t use iTunes at all in the first place, it’s pretty silly to bust out the software just so you can transfer photos to your iPhone.

There are methods that you can use that completely avoid iTunes, some of which take a bit longer, while others involve using third-party software to quickly copy and paste photos to your iPhone using the device’s file system, which is much quicker than doing it through iTunes.

Here’s how to transfer photos to your iPhone without using iTunes.

Using a Cloud Storage Service

Perhaps the easiest way to put photos onto your iPhone without using iTunes is by using Dropbox, Google Drive or other cloud storage service. However, it’s also a method that takes the most time.

This method requires you to have the app of the cloud storage service on your iPhone, so if you use Dropbox, be sure to download and install the Dropbox app from the iTunes App Store. Furthermore, you can download and install the desktop app on your computer. Otherwise, you’ll be using the web interface.

To use cloud storage to transfer photos to your iPhone, simply just copy and paste the photos into your Dropbox folder on your computer, or upload them through the web interface. Depending on the amount of photos you have and the speed of your internet connection, they could take a few minutes to a few hours to sync to Dropbox.

Once the photos are synced, you’ll then be able to access them in the Dropbox app on your iPhone. From there, you can either view them directly in the Dropbox app or save them to your iPhone and view them in the Photos app.

To view photos directly in the Dropbox app, you can just tap on a photo and browse through them if you have an internet connection. Otherwise, you’ll need to tap on the dotted icon in the upper-right corner of a photo and save the photo to Favorites in order to view it offline, and you have to do this for each individual photo, which can be time consuming.

If you want to export the photos to your iPhone and view them in the Photos app, you’ll need to tap on the Share icon in the upper-right corner and then tap on Save Image. Again, you’ll need to do this for each individual image.

Using Third-Party Software

Ultimately, the best way to transfer photos to your iPhone quickly and easily is by using third-party software. Personally, I like iExplorer, which lets you view your iPhone’s file system and add files to it if need be. You’ll also need iExplorer Mobile for your iPhone, which you can download in the iTunes App Store.

After downloading and installing iExplorer, plug in your iPhone to your computer and fire up iExplorer. It should automatically detect your iPhone.

Click on Photos & Videos, which will take you to a list of your iPhone’s file system, similar to that on your computer, so you should be fairly familiar with how it works. From here, we’re going to drag and drop photos into the file system so that you can view them on your iPhone using the Photos app.

After you click on Photos & Videos, double-click on Apps and you’ll be greeted with a list of apps that you have installed on your iPhone. Next, scroll down and find iExplorer. Click on the arrow just to the right of it and you’ll see a folder called Documents.

Drag and drop your photos into this folder and they will then show up in the iExplorer app on your iPhone, which you can then view them on your device. From there, you can then save any photo to your Camera Roll.

Unfortunately, iOS doesn’t allow you to simply drag and drop photos to your iPhone, even if you use iExplorer, which is why iExplorer Mobile is necessary.

http://www.gottabemobile.com/2014/12/10/how-to-put-photos-on-your-iphone-without-itunes/

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How to Remove Duplicate Contacts on the iPhone (iOS 8)

This guide will show you how to remover duplicate contacts on the iPhone with iOS 8. This works with all current iPhones from the iPhone 4s up to the iPhone 6 Plus. If you only need to get rid of a few duplicate contacts on the iPhone you can do this manually in a few seconds, but if you need to fix dozens you’ll want to use an app that can remove all your duplicate contacts on the iPhone at once.

Duplicate iPhone contacts happen when you add multiple accounts like a personal Gmail account, an iCloud account and a work account that may all include the same contact with slightly different information. You can try to move all of your contacts to one single service, but that is not a practical solution for everyone.

We’ll show you how to remove duplicate contacts on the iPhone running iOS 8. You don’t need your computer to do this, just the iPhone in your hand.

You don’t need to delete one of the contacts, instead we will merge the two contacts into a single instance on the iPhone. You can even merge triplicates if you have the same contact in your address book several times. This is a fast and easy solution to cleaning up your iPhone contacts and address book.

We’ll start with the manual way to remove duplicate contacts from the iPhone on iOS 8. The directions are very similar for iOS 7. If you need to remove a lot of duplicate contacts and you don’t want to do this one by one, you can buy a cheap app to merge many contacts all at once.

How to Remove Duplicate Contacts on the iPhone (iOS 8)

If you only need to remove a few duplicate contacts, this is the best way to go about it. You won’t actually remove any contacts. Instead we will merge contacts so that you have all the information in one place without re-typing it. This will also keep the contacts on your other email accounts as they are now, so you don’t need to worry about losing something.

Start with the Contacts app.

You need to open the Contacts app on your iPhone. This is often inside the Extras folder. If you don’t see it you can tap and pull down on the middle of your iPhone home screen to open a search box and then type in contacts. 

On this screen you will see your contacts and you may quickly spot duplicates that need fixed. Tap on one of the contacts to open it. If the names are spelled slightly different, start with the one you want to keep.

Find the duplicates and edit one of the contacts.

Tap on Edit in the upper right corner then scroll down until you see link contacts with a green plus sign next to it.

Tap on link contacts and then scroll to the other contact or search for the other contact using the search bar at the top. The contact you are currently editing will show as gray, while the others are black.

Find the duplicate iPhone contact and link it.

Tap on the second contact and then tap on Link in the upper right corner. The next screen will put you back to the edit contact page and you will see Linked Contacts showing the two are connected. If you need to link another contact to this same contact tap on link contacts again.

If you need to unlink contacts, tap on the red minus sign.

You can unlink by tapping the minus sign.

Tap Done to exit to the contact entry and then tap on the back arrow to go to your contacts where there should now be only one entry. If you need to remove other duplicate contacts from the iPhone, start over using the directions above.

How to Bulk Merge Duplicate Contacts on the iPhone

If you need to fix a lot of duplicate contacts on the iPhone running iOS 8 at the same time, and you don’t want to perform the steps above over and over, you can buy an app that merges your contacts for you with a few taps.

You can download the Cleanup Duplicate Contacts app for free, which will analyze your contacts for duplicates. You need to pay 99 cents to gain access to the bulk removal option, but we cleaned almost two dozen contacts for free.

Search for duplicate contacts on the iPhone with this free app.

When prompted allow access to your contacts. You don’t need to allow notifications.

Tap on Analyze and when prompted we chose to allow for merging between sources so that we only see one entry for a contact even if they are in our work contacts and personal contacts.

Choose the duplicate contacts to fix.

After it detects the duplicate contacts, you can choose which ones you want to merge and which you don’t by unchecking next to the names. We stopped it from merging two people who share a home phone number and a father and son who share the same name.

Tap Merge and the app will fix the duplicates or you. This moves the contact info to one contact instead of linking the contacts like the manual options.

The app did not detect a Josh Baker and a Joshua Baker with different phone numbers. Users can configure what level of matching is needed. The app also backs up your contacts before the clean up if you create an account.

http://www.gottabemobile.com/2014/12/11/android-iphone-drivers-licenses/

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How to Use Android With Mac

When it comes to accessing files or music from your Android smartphone or tablet on a Mac, many users don’t realize just how easy it is to actually use Android with any Mac PC or laptop. There’s a common misconception that the two don’t work well together, and Macs only like iOS devices, but that isn’t the case.

These days users have tons of options to transfer files, folders, pictures, music and more from an Android device to their Mac, or even from their Macbook to a smartphone. Plenty of 3rd party options are available, but for those wanting the simple beginners information, read on to see how to use Android with Mac.

Many different services or how to articles are available for those looking to use an Android device with a Mac, but the truth is that all you need is a simple program right from Google themselves, and the micro-USB cord that comes in the box with your new Android smartphone and tablet. Below we’ll go over the easiest method, as well as a few tips to transfer your iPhone to Android.

Unlike with the iPhone and iTunes, Android users don’t have one app to handle all the tasks when it comes to moving around files or doing certain things. This is both a pro and a con. iTunes is great for many (but a program I hate using) and at the same time being able to simply drop and drag (or copy and paste) with Android and Windows or a Mac is much easier. To each his own.

There are fancy programs around like AirDroid which recently was updated to AirDroid 3, offering tons of advanced features for not only transferring data and info to your Mac, but actually controlling your Android phone from a computer. A lot of that is for advanced users, and below we’ll go over the basics for using Android with a Mac.

Instructions

All you really need to do in order to use Android with a Mac is have the internet on your Mac of choice and download one simple program created by Google. It isn’t fancy like iTunes, and is more of an easy program that lets you drag and drop files to and from Android and Mac devices. This is called Android File Transfer.

Install the application to your Mac desktop or laptop, and connect it to your phone using the charger’s USB cable that was included in the box. When it’s ready, your phone will appear as a drive on your computer. A plain popup similar to what you see below will appear, and you’ll be able to control everything on your device from a Mac. From transferring pictures for backup, saving music or videos, and much much more. Whatever you need to do, this is the easiest way.

Using Android File Transfer

• Use the USB cable that came with your Android device to connect it to your Mac.
• Double-click Android File Transfer to open it the first time (subsequently, it opens automatically).
• Browse the files and folders on your Android device, add folders, copy files up to 4GB to or from your Mac, delete files, and more.

A file will popup with a complete list of applications and files. To open or view these, simply drag them to your desktop, and then move them to a directory of your choice. Import videos to iMovie or pictures to iPhoto. You can transfer more than 4GB of files to or from your Mac, but individual files need to be no larger than 4GB at a time.

Users may see an option and USB notification asking which type of connection you’ d like the computer to use. By default this should be “MTP” and recognize your smartphone or tablet as a “Media Device” which will allow Android File Transfer access to any and all files. There’s also a camera option that will open the default image viewer on your Mac you can use just to view photos and video. The former is the more powerful tool, but if all you’re after is photos, try selecting Camera (PTP) as the USB computer connection type.

Once you’ve familiarized yourself with Android File Transfer you can use this tool to transfer all your pictures, video, downloads, documents, and more from an old iPhone to your Android device, or even use Google Music Manager to transfer iTunes music to your Google Play Music account. It’s all rather easy, and using an Android device with a Mac isn’t nearly as difficult as many make it sound.

http://www.gottabemobile.com/2014/12/11/android-5-0-lollipop-update-breakdown/

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Samsung Galaxy S5 Lollipop Update: What to Expect Now

With the Samsung Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 Lollipop release date picking up steam, we want to take an updated look at what users should expect from the Samsung Galaxy S5 Lollipop update and its release moving forward.

For several weeks, we heard rumors about Samsung’s Android 5.0 Lollipop update release plans. We heard that the company was hard at work on several Lollipop updates including upgrades for the Samsung Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy S4, and Galaxy Note 3. These four devices represent four of its newest smartphones so the leaks, rumors and details did not come as a complete surprise.

Samsung made good on several of those rumors last week when it confirmed the start of the Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 Lollipop roll out in Poland. It also confirmed updates for the Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note 3, and Galaxy S4 though those updates will not be starting until sometime in early 2015. Specific release dates have yet to be confirmed.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 Lollipop update is the only Samsung Galaxy Lollipop update that’s rolling out and unsurprisingly, we’ve been getting a ton of questions about Samsung’s plans for its current Galaxy S flagship. Samsung is fairly secretive about its Galaxy Android roll outs and release dates and it also puts a lot of the control in the hands of individual carriers.

The testing process is very unpredictable and thus, Android update release dates for Galaxy smartphones and tablets are unpredictable. That said, we’ve got some idea about what to expect.

With the Galaxy S5 Lollipop release ongoing, we want to take a look at what we expect now from Samsung and its Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 roll out. This will rope in what we know so far and what we see for the future. Our goal here is to get you as prepared as possible for the update and set your expectations, something that for the moment, Samsung refuses to do.

More Silence

If you’re expecting Samsung to confirm every single Samsung Galaxy S5 Lollipop update or every single Galaxy S5 Lollipop release date in the coming days, you might want to think about tempering your expectations.

Samsung might make an announcement, once it deems the initial Galaxy S5 Lollipop roll out a success, but we expect that announcement to be broad. In other words, we would expect it to confirm the update for its Galaxy S5 variants and leave the release date information to its individual carrier partners. That’s how these things work.

Unfortunately, most carriers keep their ETAs and release dates to themselves. U.S. carriers in particular. It’s a glass half-full, half-empty situation. While it’s nice to have early ETAs and release dates, ETAs and release dates for software updates often change around. So, either way, there could be a source of frustration.

More Early Confirmations

We do expect some carriers to issue early confirmations about their Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 Lollipop plans. We’ve already seen French carrier SFR relay some official Galaxy S5 Lollipop news to its users and we expect other carriers to do the same in the weeks ahead.

Do not expect U.S. carriers to be included here. We almost never see U.S. carriers, outside of Sprint, confirm early Galaxy Android update release details. Instead, expect Australian carriers, Rogers in Canada and some other European carriers to outline their plans ahead of time. Just remember, ETAs are often pushed back so these early details might change over the course of time.

Galaxy S5 LTE-A Android 5.0 Lollipop Update in 2015

Last week, Samsung confirmed that it would roll out the Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 Lollipop update to the Galaxy S5 LTE-A model sometime in early 2015. We expect Samsung to stick to this timeline for one of its important Galaxy S5 variants.

We also expect that timing to encompass Samsung’s other Galaxy S5 variants including the Galaxy S5 Active, Galaxy S5 mini, and the Galaxy K Zoom. Variants like these typically follow weeks or months behind the regular model so we would expect roll outs for all of these sometime next year. Early 2015 is a possibility but not a guarantee.

More Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 Lollipop Releases Soon

We wouldn’t be surprised if more Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 Lollipop updates rolled out in December. SFR already says that it plans to get the update out sometime this month and it’s clear that Sprint, a top American carrier, already has the update in testing and is progressing towards a final release to the public-at-large.

The Galaxy S5 Lollipop roll out is limited to Poland and three carriers in Korea at the moment but we should see some pick up over the next few days as Samsung looks to continue its push in Europe and Asia. We also expect the company to start asserting itself in other key regions with the United States being one of those markets.

The U.S. is always at the forefront of these major Galaxy Android updates and we expect to see the same thing here. Look for Sprint to be among the first to the software update as the carrier attempts to lure consumers to its network in 2015. Sprint’s been on a roll with Android updates and we don’t see it slowing down any time soon.

Do not expect updates to pour out during the holidays but we definitely see a few more rolling out before the end of the year.

Similar Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 Lollipop Updates

Expect your Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 Lollipop update to be similar to the one that rolled out to users in Poland and South Korea. We expect to see carriers implement their own bug fixes and enhancements but we don’t expect to see any major features missing or any significant differences between the versions of this update.

As expected, the update delivers a number of big time changes including Google’s brand new Material Design. In accordance with Google’s wishes, Samsung redesigned many of its key applications to fit the new look of Google’s brand new operating system. We expect carriers to adopt all of these changes and tack on some changes of their own.

A Move to Android 5.0.1 Lollipop

Google’s Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update is out and it fixes a number of bugs on board the operating system. Given its presence as Google’s most stable version of Android, at least at the moment, we would expect Samsung, or at the very least some carriers, to push out the Android 5.0.1 update instead of the Android 5.0 Lollipop update.

If the Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update sticks around, and it might, we could see a roll out to the Galaxy S5 as Google, Samsung and Samsung’s carrier partners work to stabilize the Galaxy S5’s software. We haven’t heard about any major bugs yet but then again, the software is very limited right now. We expect Lollipop issues to emerge once the roll out starts pushing out at a rapid pace.

Samsung upgraded its Galaxy devices with Android 4.4.2 KitKat and over time, Android 4.4.4 KitKat, and we would not be surprised if the company made a similar move here with Android 5.0.1 Lollipop.

Lengthy Roll Out

Finally, expect this to be a lengthy roll out. In true Samsung fashion, the company’s already taking its time with the initial push. We expect it to slow roll out its international upgrade and for it to take several months to complete. Same goes for the Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 Lollipop process for individual carriers.

Again, release dates depend on internal testing and as we’ve seen, testing can been a bumpy road. Look for the majority of updates to land next year and for the update to take several months to roll out.

http://www.gottabemobile.com/2014/12/07/galaxy-s5-lollipop-update-release-date/

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Nexus 6 Android 5.0.1 Update Released

Early last week Google announced and released an incremental update to the new Android 5.0 Lollipop software that arrived back in October, being Android 5.0.1, and that update is now available starting today for the Nexus 6. After only a week of waiting and a few rumors suggesting it wouldn’t arrive until December 15th, it’s now available for some.

Last week Android 5.0.1 arrived for the Nexus 7, Nexus 9 and Nexus 10 tablet, but it was only WiFi devices seeing updates as Google prepared the latest version of Android for smartphones and LTE tablets. To be more specific, today Google released the factory images of Android 5.0.1 for the Nexus 6, and for the Nexus 4.

Just like the Android 4.4 KitKat update last year, a quick software bug fixing update has been sent out by Google for select devices, and over the next few weeks we can expect it to arrive for more and more smartphones and tablets. Again, this is not the over the air update for all users, and only the factory images direct from Google.

The Android 5.0.1 System Image is a download that contains all the files needed to install a stock version of Android 5.0.1 on the Nexus 6. This is essentially everything that you would download as an OTA update for regular Android updates. However, this makes the phone stock like it was out of the box (aka factory image) and it will wipe out all user data and settings.

This means that those patiently waiting for an update on the Nexus 6 to fix a few of the bugs users have been experiencing, this release isn’t for you. This is a a stock image which erases all user data and makes the device new like it came out of the box. However, this is a step many can take if the issues on the Nexus 6 are big enough that you’d rather not wait.

That said, when Google released factory images like they’ve done today it usually means that regular OTA (over the air) updates are coming extremely soon. The over the air update should arrive on the Nexus 6 from all sources, including US carriers, and won’t require users to erase and wipe out the phone. It will install over the current software, not replace it. This means the factory image is only a last resort, or for those who’d rather not wait.

Above is a how to guide for installing Android 5.0 Lollipop on the Nexus 4, but the exact same system, tools, and steps can be followed to download and install Android 5.0.1 Lollipop on the Nexus 4, or the Nexus 6 we’re talking about here today. Simply do everything in the link above, only make sure to download, flash, and install the latest Android 5.0.1 factory image for the Nexus 6.

As of right now Android 5.0.1 Lollipop has now been released for the Nexus 4, Nexus 6, Nexus 7, 9 and 10 tablets, as well as select Google Play edition phones and that’s it. Meaning there’s no images for those with the Nexus 5, at least not yet, but that could change any minute now. Most likely it will arrive before days end.

The Nexus 6 Android 5.0.1 Lollipop incremental update detailed today should fix a few issues users have been experiencing. From app freezing and restarts, issues with app installs, assure all Google applications can be installed properly, it is supposed to fix a modem issue affecting Nexus 6 users on LTE, and a few other thing that we’ve yet to uncover.

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The release of Android 5.0.1 Nexus 6 factory images means the update is ready for the public, and Google is likely only waiting on carrier approval (if needed) for the Nexus 6, otherwise expect an over the air software update to arrive any day now. We’ve heard it will start December 15th, but with the images already here, be on the lookout for an update any day now.

http://www.gottabemobile.com/2014/12/10/nexus-4-android-5-0-1-lollipop-update/

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How to Use the Galaxy Note 4 with Gloves

Winter is finally here and soon Christmas and the coldest months will arrive. All the while it will be snowing for days and freezing cold. If you’ve ever tried to use your smartphone or Galaxy device with gloves, it doesn’t quite work. Here we’ll explain how to use your Galaxy Note 4 with gloves. Samsung recently introduced a mode specifically to allow users to handle their smartphones even whilst wearing gloves.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 has been available for a little while now, and with more and more owners enjoying the large 5.7-inch device and everything the Note 4 has to offer, we’ve been getting a lot of questions about certain tasks.

Touchscreen devices don’t play well with gloves, and as a result many of Samsung’s recent devices have a feature to curb this exact problem. If you’ve ever been to NYC or Chicago in February you know what we mean. Taking gloves off for a few moments to send a text is never fun, and Samsung has a quick and simple setting to enable you to keep them on, and those typing fingers warm. Read on for the details.

Of course there are a lot of different options here, and many accessory sites sell gloves that are built and designed specifically to work with touchscreen devices like our iPad or Galaxy Note 4. However, many are cheap gloves or simply too expensive. So instead, just enable a feature in settings to make this extremely easy, and work with any gloves you already own.

It gets cold in the winter, we get it, and taking your gloves off to reply to a text isn’t ideal. So keep those gloves on and follow our simple instructions below.

Use the Galaxy Note 4 with Gloves

The Samsung Galaxy S4, Galaxy S5, and even the Galaxy Note 3 all have a similar feature, so this isn’t anything new for existing users. However, if you’ve newly acquired the Galaxy Note 4 and are experiencing problems now the winter months are here, lets fix it in less than 30 seconds.

Instructions:

It’s really quite easy. Samsung introduced a simple feature in the settings menu that will allow the smartphone to crank up the display sensitivity to a level you wouldn’t usually use, one that will recognize touch input through thick gloves. The option is the same for most Galaxy devices, but in a slightly different place with the redesigns to the Note 4 software.

“Increase Touch Sensitivity” is the setting we’ll be searching for today. Users with the Note 4 will tap the menu button (left of the dedicated home button) and head into system settings. You’ll also be able to tap the Gear-shaped settings icon in the app tray to quickly access the device settings menu. From here you’ll choose the second column listed as “Device” and head into “Display” settings.

Settings > Device > Display > Increase touch sensitivity

All you’ll need to do is head into the display settings and scroll to the bottom. The last option is a checkbox to increase the touchscreen sensitivity. This cranks it up to a high level, something you won’t want to keep enabled on a day to day basis, but if you’re out in the cold it will be high enough that the screen will recognize touch input even while you’re wearing gloves.

That’s it and you’re all done. The touch controls aren’t perfect, or extremely responsive, but it sure beats having to take off your gloves and risk some frostbite. Be sure to keep this feature disabled during daily activities, and only use it when you need to, as it could affect battery life or have you pocket dialing on accident if the user doesn’t have a lockscreen passcode or security.

http://www.gottabemobile.com/2014/12/10/galaxy-s6-release-date-rumors/

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iOS 8.2 Release Date: What to Expect

Several weeks ago, Apple pushed an iOS 8.2 release for iPhone and iPad into its beta program ahead of a public release. At some point, the update will arrive to replace iOS 8.1 and with iOS 8.1.1 problems swirling around, iPhone and iPad users are curious about when that release might take place. Here, we want to help set iOS 8.2 release date expectations for those dealing with iOS 8 issues as we explore how we think Apple’s next big iOS release will play out.

Apple’s iOS 8.0 update was first released to the public in September alongside the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The update, which replaces iOS 7, is not a huge departure from last year’s operating system. Instead, iOS 8 builds on the foundation left behind by last year’s changes adding new features, enhancements, fixes, and more to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users.

In addition to these features, the iOS 8 update also delivered a series of iOS 8 problems to iPhone and iPad users and over the past two and a half months, Apple’s worked to fix those iOS 8 problems through a series of updates. First, we saw iOS 8.0.1. Next, it was iOS 8.0.2 and iOS 8.1. Then, last month, Apple pushed out iOS 8.1.1.

iOS 8.1.1 is still Apple’s most current version of iOS 8 though it appears that the company will, at some point, replace it with another version of iOS 8. Weeks ago, Apple quietly released the iOS 8.2 update into its beta program for testing purposes. It’s an interesting development given that we didn’t see an iOS 7.2 update arrive ahead of iOS 8. It’s a break from Apple’s usual iOS release pattern.

With interest in Apple’s iOS 8.2 update for iPhone and iPad climbing, we want to take a look at what we expect from the iOS 8.2 release date including a look at the release itself and the features that iOS 8.2 could, and should, bring to owners of iOS 8 powered devices.

iOS 8.2 Release for All iOS 8 Devices

First things first. Expect Apple to release the iOS 8.2 update for all iOS 8 powered devices. This is set in stone given that the iOS 8.2 beta is available for all iPhones, iPads and iPod touches running the company’s iOS 8 update. Do not expect this to change during the beta process. Do expect Apple to roll it out to all iOS 8 users in the weeks ahead.

Very Few iOS 8.2 Release Rumors

Expect iOS 8.2 release date rumors to be few and far between. If we do see some rumors emerge, they’ll likely arrive a few days ahead of the actual release date, much like they did for iOS 8.1. Apple software release date rumors are typically scarce and the company does a good job of keeping the exact details under wraps.

More iOS 8.2 Beta Releases

We expect Apple to release at least one more iOS 8.2 beta for developers. The iOS 8.2 update, as it stands, is not a massive update but it’s an important one nonetheless. The release is tied into support for the Apple Watch which means that developers will likely need more than a few weeks to test this update. Apple itself is also going to need more than a couple of weeks to test its software out to ensure a smooth delivery. Especially when you consider the company’s problems with iOS 8.0.1.

This is a much bigger update than iOS 8.1.1, which saw just one beta release before it was released to the public. It’s more on par with the iOS 8.1 update that saw multiple beta releases for developers. We’d be surprised if Apple used just one beta for the iOS 8.2 update and we’d be surprised if we didn’t see a new beta roll out within the next few weeks as Apple makes headway with its upcoming iOS 8 upgrade.

Early iOS 8.2 Release Date Announcement Here (If At All)

If Apple does announce the iOS 8.2 release ahead of the date itself, we would expect it to be announced alongside the Apple Watch. We expect there to be some kind of media event for the Apple Watch, it’s a very significant release that deserves that kind of attention. Apple tends to only announce iOS release dates on stage during media events so if we do see one announced ahead of time, we’d expect it to arrive there.

The Apple Watch is still without a release date though rumors suggest that it will be coming in the spring. Apple’s official line is that it will be arriving in early 2015. So, if we do see a date announced, expect it there. If there is no event, or if Apple has another Apple Watch compatibility update up its sleeve, we’d expect the iOS 8.2 release date to arrive without much warning.

iOS 8.2 Release Date

We expect the iOS 8.2 release date to take place sometime within the next few months. Apple’s iOS updates never spend more than a few months in the beta program and so while a release may not be imminent, we don’t expect it to be a year away either. Given the tie-in with the Apple Watch, we expect the update to arrive sometime next year. Perhaps, ahead of the Apple Watch’s release.

iOS 8.1.1 is also very stable for many iPhone and iPad users so there’s no pressure for Apple to release another major update to iOS 8. iOS 8.1.1’s short beta process was, in our eyes, an anomaly and simply a case of Apple playing it safe after a disastrous iOS 8.0.1 release for iPhone and iPad. With the holidays coming up, and engineers likely taking time off, our guess is that the beta process will extend into next year with a release sometime in the early part of 2015.

iOS 8.2 Release Time

The iOS 8.2 release time will almost certainly take place in and around 10AM PST on some day between Monday and Friday. In other words, there’s no need to check your phone or tablet on the weekend or in the late afternoon if you live on the west or east coast of the United States. This is one pattern that we expect Apple to stick with because it’s a pattern that its users have come to expect.

iOS 8.2 Features

We expect the iOS 8.2 release to deliver a number of features including bug fixes for iOS 8 and iOS 8.1.1 problems, security updates, and perhaps, support for Apple’s new Watch. There’s a good chance that a majority of its change log will deal with fixes and enhancements as Apple looks to stabilize iOS 8 ahead of the Apple Watch release.

iOS 8.2 to Patch iOS 8.1.1 Jailbreak

If Apple doesn’t roll out an iOS 8.1.2 update ahead of its release, expect Apple to plug up the exploits used by the current iOS 8.1.1 jailbreak. Apple never lets these jailbreaks linger and there’s a very good chance that the company’s engineers will seal these up and force the developers to find alternatives to keep the jailbreak alive. That hasn’t stopped them thus far.

iOS 8.2 Release: Won’t Be the Last iOS 8 Update

Rumors has it, Apple’s working on an iOS 8.3 update for iPhone and iPad. Even if the company decides against an iOS 8.3 roll out, there’s a very good chance that we’ll see at least one iOS 8.2 bug fixer emerge in the days after the initial iOS 8.2 release. We always see Apple roll out improvements and iOS 8.2 probably won’t be any different.

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