Android 6 Marshmallow for Moto X : Features and Release date

Marshmallow is the next big update for Motorola Moto X series. Google is going to unveil the next major Android revision on September 29th. It will be available in AOSP website after the launch. Motorola recently updated Moto X 1st Gen to Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. Previously Motorola released both Android 5.0.2 and Android 5.1.1 updates for Moto X 2nd Gen. In July Motorola also unveiled two Moto X flagships named as Moto X Play and Moto X Style (Pure Edition) which run on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop OS. Now Motorola has to update all these flagships to Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system.

According to reports, Motorola may start building Marshmallow updates for Moto X series in October. Moto X Style or Moto X Pure (2015) may receive Marshmallow earlier than other flagships. It will receive Android 6.0 update in the end of October or in November. Moto X Play will be next in the line to receive Marshmallow after Pure. Play edition may receive Android 6 update in November or in December. Moto X 2nd Gen and 1st Gen might get the Android Marshmallow update in December or January. Full details about the rollout of Marshmallow to Moto X flagships will be revealed in coming days.

There are no major User Interface changes in the Marshmallow update. But Google has improved Material design in Marshmallow. As Motorola uses stock Android in Moto X with almost no UI modifications, users can enjoy stock Marshmallow UI like Nexus users. New app permissions of Marshmallow is an exclusive improvement over previous android versions. New app permissions feature to install apps more easily. Marshmallow is also coming with 25MB Google Drive space to backup apps and app settings automatically. So users can easily migrate to a new device or restore apps after factory reset.

Doze mode is also an exclusive feature of Marshmallow. It improves device Standby time much. So Moto X drvices standby time will improve much after Marshmallow update. Google also improved performance in Marshmallow so that Moto X devices will run much faster on Marshmallow. New Google Now app is more user friendly. Now users can view weblinks in apps without switching between apps with new Chrome tabs. New Chrome tabs open as a window over app in a small portion. More interesting features of Marshmallow will be revealed in coming days.

Google Play Services update fixes Android Auto on Galaxy S6

Android Auto is perhaps one of the most interesting undertakings to bring the power of your smartphone straight to your car's dashboard. The technology goes far beyond a simple screen sharing app and offers a custom, tailor-made interface and functions, developed particularly for in-car use.

Eager early adopters of the new technology, however, have been reporting a lot of problems with compatibility. A lot of recent handsets, like the Galaxy S6, were struggling to connect with Android Auto, but luckily Google has wasted no time in addressing the issue.

The latest version of Google Play Services brings a fix for the connection problems. As far as we can tell from the release notes, the update should also cover devices such as the HTC One M8 and M9,Moto X, a lot of Nexus devices, as well as the already mentioned Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. But the list is probably longer and seeing how Android Auto is still very much in its infancy, other bugs are also expected.

So, if you are among the early adopters of the new tech and have already sprung for a compatible car stereo, be sure to check for the update and keep a close eye on Google Play Services, as more improvements and fixes are sure to come.

Also, be sure to report back with any additional info on Android Auto compatibility and problems, based on your experience.

Source | Via

rick Osterloh reviled Moto X 3rd Gen (2015) coming this fall

Rick Osterloh, Motorola's President, spilled the beans on company's plans about the next Moto X. He answered to a question on Twitter as part of the #AskRickO initiative. He was asked about the time-frame for the third generation Moto X.

Apparently the Motorola will be trying to keep an annual cycle for all its products, including the Moto X, which means we can expect the third Moto X to go official in August or September.

Earlier this year Qualcomm and Motorola revealed the company's next flagship will be powered by the latest generation Snapdragon 810 chip, which suggests the next Moto X might indeed use the Snapdragon 810 SoC. There are some overheating issues with this chip though and the current crop of flagships resolves them with a proper CPU throttling.

A cooler Snapdragon 815 successor is already in the pipeline, and the Snapdragon 820 is already official, so hopefully the Moto X will be utilizing S815 or S820 instead of the 810 model, no matter the earlier announcement. We'd hate to see another phone threaten by the user concerns for its hardware.

Source | Via