Mobile Nations Weekly: The power of 10
All the tens in all the places.
The subject of many leaks and speculation is here — no, not the iPhone 7 — it's the HTC 10!. But it's going up against some strong competition in the Galaxy S7 and the LG G5.
The Apple front was rather quiet, with ongoing speculation about an update and renaming of Mac OS X and the much-anticipated iPhone 7 — though neither will be here exactly soon.
Microsoft was in full update mode, with updates for Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile, as well as updates for the various preview builds for the Windows 10 Anniversary Update.
All this and much much more on this edition of Mobile Nations Weekly!
Windows Central — Updates for updates
Microsoft had a very busy week with multiple launches and releases! For the Surface Pro 4 comes a new Signature Edition Type Cover layered with famed (and smooth) Alcantara fabric available now for $159.
On Tuesday, Microsoft released Windows 10 build 10586.218 for both PC and Mobile at the same time. Both updates bring various improvements, fixes, and features.
Speaking of Windows 10 Mobile a new Anniversary Update Preview (build 14322) rolled out for phone users with a revamped and improved Cortana, support for Ethernet, Notification Center changes, and many more small improvements making the 11th OS update in five months one of the biggest yet. Even Groove Music got a big update too. Watch our hands-on video to see it all in action.
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Finally, Microsoft is suing the US Federal government over the right to reveal data requests just as the Department of Defense is recommending Windows 10 to its employees for use at home. Awkward!
- You can totally stream Xbox One games to the HoloLens and play them
- Hands-on with Insider Build 14322 for Windows 10 Mobile
- How Samsung Flow already uses Windows Hello to unlock the Galaxy TabPro S
- How to roll back Windows 10 Mobile from Fast and Slow Ring to Production release
Android Central — Turn it up to 10
After plenty of leaks and oh-so-much speculation, the HTC 10 is here. Dropping the "M" from the name didn't change the fact that this is undeniably an HTC phone, and early views are positive. We put together a fantastic first look at the 10, compared its specs to the competition and showed off our initial camera samples. We also broke down our initial thoughts in a special edition HTC 10 podcast!
And if you're interested in getting an HTC 10 for yourself, the pre-order price is $100 off, making it extremely enticing.
Though the HTC 10 announcement was big news this week, we're only slightly removed from retail availability of the LG G5. We posted our complete review of the phone, and followed it up with a second opinion as well. We also reviewed two of its "friends," the LG 360 Cam and the Hi-Fi Plus with B&O Play module.
If you're not interested in either phone, and have a Nexus in your hands, you may be looking at the second iteration of the Android N Developer Preview. It's very early still, and things are broken, but it's awesome to see this coming together.
- A generation without colorful phones
- HTC 10 versus Galaxy S7: A grown-up rivalry
- Comparing the LG G5's rear cameras
- Galaxy S7 versus Nexus 5X: Same size, different audiences
- How much RAM do you need in a Chromebook?
- Should you upgrade to the Galaxy S7?
- Are the Galaxy S7's in-box headphones worth your time?
CrackBerry — Surprise!
Surprises were on tap this week in the world of BlackBerry. Both good and bad. Sprint killed killed plans to release the BlackBerry Priv, Marshmallow began rolling out to beta testers and finally, Twitter for BlackBerry, which was in desperate need of an update, was updated! That last one might not sound important but it really is. The app was still showing Ellen's now famous selfie from the Oscars in 2014.
- Priv will no longer be offered by Sprint
- Marshmallow beta will soon begin rolling out to first wave of Priv testers
- Twitter for BlackBerry 10 updated to add new features BlackBerry Priv begins sales in Mexico on Amazon
iMore — Games! Games! Games!
We've got your Neko Atsume game tips and tricks and your Kingdom Hearts Unchained X tips and tricks. If productivity is your thing, we'll tell you how to use Calendar for iPhone and iPad and then how to Snapchat all about it.
Meanwhile, everyone is talking about macOS this June and iPhone 7 this September, and we have everything you need to tide you over until they get here!
Derek Kessler is Special Projects Manager for Mobile Nations. He's been writing about tech since 2009, has far more phones than is considered humane, still carries a torch for Palm, and got a Tesla because it was the biggest gadget he could find. You can follow him on Twitter at @derekakessler.