LG G5 and Moto Z now getting Android 7.0 Nougat in Canada

Everyone wants a taste of Nougat, and if you are the owner of an LG G5 or a Moto Z it won't be long before you get to enjoy Android 7.0. Well… that is if you happen to live in Canada.

LG G5

Don't go checking for updates just yet, as some of you may not have the update coming yet. Rogers' update schedule does state the new software won't begin rolling out until December 21st.

On the other hand, reports of the Android 7.0 Nougat update coming to the Bell and Telus handsets have started surfacing online. Simply go into your settings and see if if your specific LG G5 is ready to be upgraded yet.

Moto Z

Another report states the Nougat update has also started hitting Canadian Moto Z devices. Some improvements include multi-window support, inline replies and display scaling, as well as everything else Nougat has to offer.

Conclusion

As always, try to be patient if your update hasn't arrived. Sometimes these can be rolled out in stages.

We would love to hear from our Canadian readers. Have any of you gotten Android 7.0 Nougat yet? Are you still waiting? Hit the comments to let us know.

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The BLU Life Max is an unlocked phone with a big battery for $119

Florida-based smartphone company BLU has launched yet another unlocked Android handset, the BLU Life Max. The phone is now listed on Amazon for the price of $118.87, but as of this writing it is showing as temporarily out of stock, although you can still purchase it and Amazon will ship it out when it is available again.

See also:

BLU Vivo 6 Hands On and First Impressions

4 weeks ago

The BLU Life Max has a 5.5-inch 720×1280 IPS display, and inside it has a quad-core MediaTek 6737 processor with a clock speed of 1.3GHz, along with 2G of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage. It also has an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front-facing camera. Perhaps the stand out feature of this phone is its large 3,700 mAh battery. BLU claims this will allow the phone to last up to three days on a single charge with regular use.

Other features for the BLU Life Max includes a fingerprint sensor for unlocking the phone, support for dual SIMs and Android 6.0 Marshmallow installed out of the box. The phone will work on T-Mobile and AT&T's networks.

BLU recently got some unwanted attention as a security firm discovered that some of its phones were secretly sending out data to a Chinese server through a pre-installed app. BLU says that it has now removed the app that was sending this data from its phones. Are you still interested in purchasing a new phone from the company, or has this incident made you mistrust BLU's products?

Get it at Amazon

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T-Mobile is rolling out Android 7.1.1 Nougat update for its Nexus 9 tablet

Owners of Google's older Nexus 9 tablet that got it via T-Mobile can download a new update for the device. It upgrades its version of the Android OS to Nougat, specifically to version 7.1.1.

See also:

Best Android tablets

3 days ago

The update is a relatively small one at just 52MB. This download, which is currently rolling out on T-Mobile's network, comes about a week after Google released factory images for Android 7.1.1 Nougat for the Nexus 9 and a number of the company's other smartphone and tablet devices. As previously revealed, the update adds a few new features, including app shortcuts directly from the home screen, along with support for sending GIFs from the keyboard on messaging apps such as Google Allo, Google Messenger and Hangouts.

Finally, the update also brings a new set of emoji characters to check out and use. If you own the Nexus 9 and are on T-Mobile's wireless network, you can check to see if the update is available to download now by going to Settings, then and About Device, and finally Software Update. Keep in mind that OTA updates can sometimes take a few days to reach everyone on the network.

Let us know your impressions of the latest Android OS on your Nexus 9 in the comments!

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Google Store spreads holiday cheer with free expedited shipping until Dec. 21

If you are still looking to get the perfect tech gift for a family member or friend, Google wants to help out with a special offer. From now until December 21 at 3 p.m. Eastern time, the Google Store hardware retail site is offering free expedited shipping for any orders.

See also:

Google Home review – the future of the home?

November 18, 2016

That means any orders made on the site in that time frame should be shipped out and arrive at your doorstep, or the person you bought the product for, before Christmas. This is an excellent offer for people who want to get a new Google Pixel or Pixel XL smartphone, or perhaps a Daydream View VR headset to go with it.  You can also get the Google Home connected speaker, a Chromecast streaming dongle like the 4K-capable Chromecast Ultra, and even more products and accessories before the big day arrives, and not have to spend anything on shipping.

Google's support page does point out that people who place their order on the Google Store site before 11 a.m. in their local time zone should count from the day they place the order, Orders turned in after 11 a.m. in their local time should be counted from the day after the order is placed.

Will you be ordering from the Google Store for a last-minute holiday gift?

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Deal: Pay What You Want 2017 Master Game Development Bundle

The AAPicks team writes about things we think you'll like, and we may see a share of revenue from any purchases made through affiliate links.

Today is the day.

The day you stop letting your game ideas go to waste.

The day you start creating.

Why? Well, because today Tech Deals is having a pay-what-you-want sale in true Humble Bundle style. And what's in the bundle? 10 of some of the the most popular game development kits available.

These online courses and resources can take you from total coding n00b to semi-professional game developer in no time flat. All you have to do is put in the time to make your dreams a reality.

At its most basic, the 2017 Master Game Development Bundle is two courses: Java Game Development: Create a Flappy Bird Clone and Learn Easy HTML5 Game Development in Construct 2. Those two bad boys you'll get even if you just fork over $1.

Considering that if you were to buy those two courses together, you'd be paying $158, that's a pretty killer deal already.

However, if you feel like paying more than the current average (which at the time of writing is hovering around $13.00) then you'll also get 8 additional kits on top of those, including the popular Unity Android Game Development with Game Art & Monetization course (normally $195 all by itself).

Here's what you get:

• Learn 3D Game Development and Programming with Unity ($99)
• Unity Android Game Development with Game Art & Monetization ($195)
• The Complete Real-Time Web and Game Development Course ($99)
• Advanced Game Development with Phaser ($149)
• Unreal Engine 4: The Complete Beginners Course ($50)
• The Complete iOS Game Course using SpriteKit and Swift 3 ($170)
• Player vs. Player tvOS Games ($89.99)
• Unity in App Purchase Complete Course ($100)
• Learn Easy HTML5 Game Development in Construct 2 ($99)
• Java Game Development: Create a Flappy Bird Clone ($59)

The math geniuses among you may have already put together that if you were to buy all of these courses separately, you would be paying $1,110. That you can snag the whole kit and kaboodle for about $13 is pretty staggering.

However, the nature of these kind of bundles means that the average price will gradually increase over time, so the sooner you jump on it, the better the deal! Click the button below for more information, and get busy creating the games of your dreams!

Check it out!

The AAPicks team only spotlights legitimate, verified deals. If you're not satisfied with this product, Tech Deals offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out at aapicks@androidauthority.com.

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Nougat may be to blame for battery issues on some Nexus 6P phones

An increasing number of reports from owners of Google's Nexus 6P phones claim that the device is shutting down unexpectedly, even with a lot of battery life remaining. The problems may be related to the phone's update to Android 7.0 Nougat.

As Android Police points out, there are quite a few posts on these battery problems showing up on Google's support forums. Some users report that even after they roll back the OS update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow, they still experience the Nexus 6P shutting down, even though it might have between 10 to 60 percent of its battery charge remaining. That could mean there is an previously undiscovered hardware problem with the phone that was exposed with the update to Nougat.

See also:

Nexus is dead, long live Pixel

October 4, 2016

Android Police also states many of these reports come from owners who use their phones in colder climates, but it's currently unknown how this might be connected to the battery problems. Google does have this issue on their tracker, but there's no indication on when the company might issue a patch to solve this problem. The phone's maker Huawei has reportedly told owners that the issue is due to Google's software changes, and thus is not covered by the company's warranty.

Have you had your Nexus 6P shut down ahead of schedule after you updated the phone to Nougat? If so, give us your thoughts on this problem in the comments.

 

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Amazon Echo commands – our guide to everything Alexa can do

While Google Home is quickly expanding its library of commands, the reality is that Alexa still remains the most robust digital assistant when it comes to smart speakers — at least for now. Alexa is a powerful assistant that is capable of fetching all sorts of information for you, but the trick is knowing all the commands you can ask it.

Some of the Amazon Echo commands are pretty straight-forward like asking it "What's the weather". However, there are a ton of additional commands that you might not even realize exist. With that in mind we've gathered up all the Alexa commands (that we're aware of) in one place.

Editor's note: Looking to dive into the world of smart assistants and don't have one already? We highly recommend the Amazon Echo Dot for its affordable pricing and flexibility. You can get here from Amazon. 

Starting with the basics

First, it's important to note that summoning Alexa can be done a number of ways with the Echo and Echo Dot. The default wake word is "Alexa", but other optional wake words can be set in its place. Currently the alternative wake words are Echo, Amazon, or Computer.

Okay, now you have her listening. So what's next? The most basic commands are "Alexa, help", "Alexa, mute", "Alexa, unmute", Alexa, stop", and "Alexa, set volume to 6". There are also some variations of these that Alexa understands including telling Alexa to shut the **** up… not that I've ever done that before (Okay, I have).

News and weather

Alexa has the option of conducting Flash Briefings with the command "Alexa, what's my flash briefing". You can also ask it "Alexa, what's the news", "Alexa, what's the weather", and so forth.

Want an extended forecast? You can ask Alexa about tommorow, this weekend, etc, with commands like "Alexa, what's the weather going to be like this weekend?"

For those looking for traffic information, you can also ask Alexa, "What's the traffic like?"

Asking the time, setting alarms, etc

The Echo family make for excellent alarm clocks. Setting an alarm is dead simple, just ask "Alexa, set an alarm for 6am" or "Wake me up in 3 hours", etc. You can even ask it to set a repeating alarm by saying, "Alexa, set a repeating alarm for weekdays at 6 a.m."

Timers are another great feature. "Alexa, set a timer for 20 minutes". "Alexa, set a second timer for 5 minutes". "Alexa, how much time left on my timer?"

Surprisingly I love using Alexa as a clock by simply asking it, "Alexa, what time is it?"

Additional time related commands are:

• "Alexa, when's my next alarm?"
• "Alexa, what's the date?"
• "Alexa, cancel by alarm"
• "Alexa, snooze"

Media controls

For many, their Amazon Echo will most dominantly be used for playing music, and the good news is that Alexa supports quite a few music services and commands right out of the box.

Here's a list of media-related commands:

"Alexa, play some music." – this command randomly plays some music through Amazon's music services. You can also specify songs or artists with commands like "Alexa, play music by [artist]," "Alexa, play latest Drake album", or "Alexa, play Lose Yourself by Eminem". You can also go to the next song with "Alexa, next" or restart the song at any time with "Alexa, restart".

You can even add songs to Spotify or Amazon Prime music libraries by telling Alexa to "add this song".

Not sure what the song you want to listen to is called? You can even say stuff like "Alexa, play that song that says 'I would have stayed up with you all night' — and it'll play "How to Save a Life" by the Fray.

Music app specific commands for Spotify and Pandora are as follows: "Alexa, play [song] on Spotify" and "Alexa, play [artist] station on Pandora." TuneIn can be fetched by saying: "Alexa, play [radio station] on TuneIn."

You can like or dislike songs on services like Pandora and iHeartRadio by saying "Alexa, I like this song" or "Alexa, thumbs down".

Additional music commands include the following:

• Song info: "Alexa, what's playing?"
• Set a timer: "Alexa, stop playing in 20 minutes."

Audio books

 

Playing audiobooks: "Alexa, play [title] on Audible," "Alexa, read [title]" or, "Alexa, play the book, [title]." You can also ask it to resume by saying "Alexa, resume my book". Other commands include "Alexa, next chapter" and "Alexa, previous chapter".

Audible isn't the only option. You can also ask Alexa to read you a Kindle Book with "Alexa, read me a Kindle book".

Entertainment and eating out

Amazon Echo commands works great for finding information about movies, actors, and what's playing. It's also pretty useful for finding out about local restaurants.

First, here's all the movie/show related commands that we know of:

• "Alexa, what movies are playing?"
• "Alexa, tell me about the movie [whatever it's called]"
• "Alexa, what is the IMDb rating for [show/movie]?"
• "Alexa, who plays in [show/movie]?"
• "Alexa, what is [actor]'s latest movie?"
• "Alexa, who plays [character] in [movie or TV show]?"

Here are the commands relating to music:

• "Who sings the song [title]?"
• "What year did [band] release [song or album]?"
• "Who is in the band [name]?"
• "Alexa, what's popular from [artist]?"
• "Alexa, sample songs by [artist]."

And finally the commands related to restaurants and businesses:

• "Alexa, find me a nearby [food type] restaurant."
• "Alexa, what restaurants are near me?"
• "Alexa, find the address for Target"
• "Alexa, find business hours for Walgreens."

Sports

There are a number of different sports commands including getting a briefing on all the latest happenings in the world of sports by saying, "Alexa, give me my Sports Update."

Other sports commands include:

• "Alexa, when do the [team] play next?"
• "Alexa, what was the score of the [team] game?"
• "Alexa, did [team] win?"

Shopping lists and to-do lists

Alexa can be great for creating to-do and shopping lists as well. Here's the commands related to this:

• "Alexa, creat a to-do list"
• "Alexa, add 'buy food for guinea pig' to my to-do list"
• "Alexa, add milk to my shopping list"
• "Alexa, what's on my shopping list?"
• "Alexa, I need to make an appointment to see the vet"
• "Alexa, what's on my calendar for tomorrow?"
• "Alexa, add [event] to my calendar for [time/date]"

Asking questions and general information

You can ask Alexa a ton of general questions like "How hot is the sun", "How far is Mercury from Earth", and so on. You can also ask it how many people live in certain towns or countries, and so forth.

Looking for more detailed information? Alexa also has Wikipedia integrated out of the box, just say "Alexa, Wikipedia: [subject]." It will give your some brief info, but you can hear even more by saying "Alexa, tell me more".

Not only does it know basic questions about science, geography, trivia, and more, but it's also useful for math questions. Converting units is easy enough with a command like "Alexa, how many tablespoons in a cup". You can also ask it "Alexa, what's 10 times 6", and so on.

Alexa also is great if you need to know the definiton of a word ("Alexa, what's the definition of [word]?") or how to spell it ("Alexa, how do you spell [word]?").

Purchasing

 

It wouldn't be an Amazon product if there wasn't some way to sneak in the e-tailers main business into the deal, right? The Echo family has the ability to track packages from Amazon (Alexa, track my order), or even re-order items like shampoo, with the command "Alexa, buy more shampoo".

You can also add things to your shopping cart with "Alexa, add [item] to shopping cart" — from there you can just load up your phone or tablet and complete the checkout.

Other purchasing and service related commands are:

• "Alexa, order an Echo"
• "Alexa, ask Uber to request a ride" or "Alexa, ask Lyft for a ride"
• "Alexa, shop for new music by [artist]

Smart home

Easily one of the coolest and high-tech tricks up Alexa's sleeve is the ability to control your home. Alexa can be used to turn off lights, adjust temperatures, and so much more. Obviously 3rd party accessories like smart plugs, smart lightbulbs, smart hubs, and smart thermostats are required to make this happen.

The cost of investing in these smart add-ons varies considerably. For example, I bought a smart plug for our Christmas tree so I could turn it on and off without reaching behind the couch each time. This was a $25 purchase, on top of the $40 cost of my Echo Dot of course.

Some of the basic commands here include:

• "Alexa turn on (or off) lights"
• "Alexa, dim lights to 40 percent"
• "Alexa, set temp to 73"
• "Alexa, lock my front door"

The full list of 'smart home' commands is obviously much more extensive than this, and varies depending on the products being used.

That's really just scratching the service on what Alexa can do

Alexa can do a ton out of the box but what really makes it shine is the ability to add extra skills to the mix. This skills can do anything from adding specific support for smart products or giving you the power to look up recipes or find out the balance on your Capital One card.

Some of my favorite skills also include Glad Leftovers (Alexa, talk to Glad Leftovers) which lets you tell Alexa what leftovers you added into the fridge, freezer, or pantry — and on what dates. This is super useful for those who have that leftover chicken casserole in the fridge and can't remember if it's two days old… or two weeks.

There's also plenty of fun extras like Magic 8-Ball, 20 questions, a bartender skill that tells you how to make your favorite drinks, and more.

Fun easter eggs

If you are just looking to mess around, there's a ton of commands here that Alexa will recognize. Here's just some of the ones we've encountered:

• "Alexa, good morning."
• "Alexa, how are you?"
• "Alexa, beam me up."
• "Alexa, tell me a joke."
• "Alexa, party time!"
• "Alexa, tell me a riddle."
• "Alexa, are you SkyNet?"
• "Alexa, nice to see you, to see you…"
• "Alexa, would you like to play a game?"
• "Alexa, what's the first rule of Fight Club?"
• "Alexa, will you marry me?"
• "Alexa, open the pod bay doors."
• "Alexa, when am I going to die?"
• "Alexa, do you think I'm sexy?"
• "Alexa, where is Waldo?"
• "Alexa, where in the world is Carmen San Diego?"
• "Alexa, surely you can't be serious."
• "Alexa, don't mention the war."
• "Alexa, show me the money."
• "Alexa, set phasers to kill."
• "Alexa, I want the truth."
• "Alexa, my name is Inigo Montoya."
• "Alexa, party on, Wayne."
• "Alexa, what is your quest?"
• "Alexa, what is your cunning plan?"
• "Alexa, how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?"

And so ends our list of Amazon Echo and Alexa commands. Admittedly we call this a "full list" but there are so many new commands being added everyday that odds are we've missed at least a few. These are the most popular though and we'll continue to add more to the list as we discover them.

Any epic commands we missed? Let us know down in the comments.

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