Android Radius

Google is planning to launch two Nexus handsets by the end of this year. One of these handsets is going to be the successor of Nexus 5 (2013) which was manufactured by LG. This time also, the Mountain View company has joined hands with the South Korean giant LG to make this year's Nexus release a great success. According to reports, the Nexus 5 (2015) is going to be the flagship device for Android M. The new Nexus 5 is expected to come with a 5.2-inch QHD display and powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 810 processor with 3GB RAM. A bigger sized Nexus phablet manufactured by Huawei is also being expected to be launched during the end of this year. It is expected to arrive with a 5.7-inch display and a Snapdragon 810 processor under the hood. It is very likely that Google's next Android iteration, version M will also simultaneously launch with Nexus 5 (2015) at the end of the year.

Google Play Services is an APK that contains the individual Google services and runs as a background service in Android OS. The Play Services APK is delivered automatically through the Google Play Store and devices running Android 2.3 and above can get the updates within a few days of their release. If you want to update Play Services manually then all you have to do is open your Android phone's browser. Go to Google and search for "Google Play Services". Usually the top result shows the Play Store link to Google Play Services. Tap on that link and choose Play Store to complete the task. Now hit the update button and you're done. The latest version of Google Play Services will be downloaded and installed on your device.

Google has decided to focus exclusively on building tools for its Android Studio. The firm is likely to end support for other Integrated Development Environments (IDE) like Eclipse at the end of this year. Regarding the shifting of the company's focus to Android Studio, Android Product Manager Jamal Eason writes, “to focus all of our efforts on making Android Studio better and faster, we are ending development and official support for the Android Developer Tools (ADT) in Eclipse at the end of the year. This specifically includes the Eclipse ADT plugin and Android Ant build system.” Prior to the release of Android Studio, other tools like Eclipse were in use on a large scale by developers. Google has written a migration guide to help developers make the switch to Android Studio IDE. The company is also planning to add performance tools to Android Studio over the next few months.

Microsoft has finally launched Office for Android phones, five weeks after the release of the suite of applications as technical preview. Office had previously been available to Android tablets but now the power of Microsoft Office has come to Android smartphone owners. The final release consists of the three core office apps - Word, Excel and PowerPoint. These apps have been specifically designed keeping Android phones in mind. The Office apps offer support for a variety of day-to-day tasks including the ability to view and edit files on the go, presenting slideshows from your phone and quickly bringing out documents stored in Google Drive, Dropbox or Box. The apps - Word for Android, Excel for Android and PowerPoint for Android are already available for download from the Google Play Store. All you need is to have a phone with 1 GB of RAM running Android Kitkat (4.4x) or above. Although the new Office apps for Android are free to use with a free Microsoft account, ...

Google Chrome is one of the most popular web browser on Android and Desktop alike. It packs a host of powerful features combined with superior speed that makes it lovable to Android users. But unlike other mobile web browsers, Google Chrome doesn't provide an option to cancel downloads. The downloads in Chrome are directly controlled by the built-in Download Manager within the Android operating system. So, the way around to stop a download in Chrome for Android is to go to Settings and open Apps. Now go to the tab which says All. Scroll down to find Download Manager and tap on it. Touch on Force Stop. The download icon will vanish from the notification bar. Tapping on Clear Data will ensure that the problem doesn't come back again. Was this information helpful? Leave a comment to let us know.

Android M is the upcoming version of Google's Android operating system. The Mountain View company has already released the Android M Developer Preview at the Google I/O 2015 similar to the way Android Lollipop was revealed in the last year's I/O Developers' Conference. Google has stressed on the fact that this time they are improving on the fundamentals and looking to enhance the core experience of Android. Nevertheless there are some really cool features in Android M update that you would surely fall in love with. App Permissions App permissions have been overhauled in Android M, with users now being able to choose to accept or deny individual permissions as they see fit. Permissions will now be requested the first time you try to use a feature and not at the point of installation. Simplified Runtime App permissions in Android M Now on Tap Google Now gets a major revamp with the Now on Tap feature in Android M. It works within any app and automatically sear...