Android OTA: Device Updates & Firmware Report – March 28th Edition

Android 4.4.2 Update Continues for the One in the UK, While the One Max Gets Android 4.4.2 Across Europe

Last month, the update to Android 4.4.2 KitKat was halted in the UK for the HTC One due to users reporting problems. Now however, things are back on those on all the major networks across the pond should be getting the update now. The update is more of an under-the-hood sort of thing, bringing with it few cosmetic changes, but it’s nice to have. The same can be said for the HTC One Max across Europe, as it’s been reported that the same update is rolling out to users of the 5.9-inch giant throughout the region.

The Nokia X Receives its First Update…Allow Color Changing of Tiles

Nokia’s weird Android phone has received its first update this past week and brings with it the ability to change the color of third-party app tiles on the main display. While nothing groundbreaking or anything, it’s a nice feature we suppose. The OTA was only small at 16MB in size, and changing colors for app tiles is as simple as long pressing on them and choosing the color wheel option.

HTC One Mini on AT&T Gets Android 4.4.2 and Sense 5.5

HTC have been pretty busy this week, announced a new smartphone and all, but they still managed to find time for some of their users of the HTC One Mini. On AT&T, the device has been bought up to Android 4.4.2 KitKat and is now running Sense 5.5 to boot. You’ve probably already gotten the update by now, but if you’re still waiting on it, the version number you’re looking for is 3.10.502.3 and it comes in at a sizable 658MB. Definitely one to download over WiFi, the Sense 5.5 side of things will bring extra features to BlinkFeed and more.

Sony Xperia Z1, Z1 Compact and Xperia Z Ultra Are Now Running Android 4.4.2 KitKat

Over the last couple of weeks, Sony has been rolling out Android 4.4.2 to their flagship devices of 2013, including the Xperia Z1, the Z1 Compact and the Xperia Z Ultra. All three devices should now be running software version 14.3.A.0.681, with mostly cosmetic changes. Essentially, this update brings a little of the KitKat look to Sony’s skin and brings things in line with the Xperia Z2. The emoji in the keyboard are now that of the Google Keyboard, the status bar icons are now all white and overall, things just look a little more like Google’s vision of KitKat, and there is a little bit of a speed boost as well. A nice update to have for sure, it should have hit most devices by now.

HTC One Max on Sprint Receives KitKat Update

Keeping their updates on the right track, HTC and Sprint rolled out Android 4.4.2 to the One Max earlier this week and while it’s too soon for a Sense 6 update, there’s still a lot to love about some tasty KitKat action on the One Max. The build number for this one is 2.09.651.1 and it comes in at 340MB, so download over WiFi when ready.

Sony’s Xperia M Receives Android 4.3 Jelly Bean Update

The extremely budget-minded Xperia M just got a little better this week thanks to the update to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. The build number is 15.4.A.0.23 and this is something that only really applies to our European readers, as it’s rolled out in a number of European countries. While nothing special, it’s a nice update and does bring with it some of the more updated Sony features to the Xperia M.

Microsoft Office Suite For Android Is Now Free To Use

Those of you who have perhaps considered using Microsoft’s Office suite for your Android devices, will be happy to know that the app for Android is now completely free to use on your smartphone. Microsoft Office is definitely a formidable office suite app except for one tiny little factor, to use the app you had to be a subscriber of the Office 365 service that allowed you to use the programs on your Desktop. That is no longer the case, and the app is completely free and allows access to all the programs and use of files. You can view, edit, and create Office documents on your Android devices without having to pay for the Office 365 sub fee, which makes a world of difference especially for the people that may have been on the fence about picking up the service for their computers.

The app actually looks to have a decent interface and should be able to provide anything you would need this type of app for, and it provides tons of features like cloud access to files in OneDrive and OneDrive for business. Word, Excel, and Powerpoint have all been optimized for use on smaller displays like phones, so the experience should pan out to be pretty decent. This could help Microsoft gain some users for the app since there are plenty of other useful apps out that don’t need sub fees, but another downside is that it is only compatible with smartphones and not tablets. Having such access on the go is still somewhat useful, but office apps like this just feel more at home on a tablet. It’s much easier to edit and create documents of all kinds with a larger screen, and if you really have to do some in depth creation with lots of typing you can hook up a bluetooth keyboard to take full advantage of the bigger display.

As of this very moment, you can download and install Office for Mobile on your device, but a sign-in is still required to access any of the apps features. We have included the Play Store linkto get to the app for those who want to set it up while they wait for update to take place.

BlinkFeed Will Soon be Available for Non-HTC Devices

The All New HTC One has finally been made official, and now that it is officially in our lives, we can settle down and wait for the next thing. In the mean time, some of you may be digging HTC’s BlinkFeed, but you don’t have an HTC One device. You’ll be glad to know that BlinkFeed will be making its way into the Pay Store for non-HTC devices to use. Some of you might laugh at the notion, but it actually isn’t a bad little app. We all love news feeds, and there are countless apps for feeds out there, only BlinkFeed really tries to bring all you need together in one smooth running feed.

I guess HTC felt that BlinkFeed was popular enough to release in the Play Store, and they plan on pushing more of their apps into the Play Store as well. Seems to be working for Moto X apps, and it makes them easier to update the app rather than having to push a complete update through an OTA. Let us know what you think about this idea, and if you would download it onto your non-HTC device.

Whatsapp Update 2.11.186

A couple of weeks ago, we spoke of an update to the WhatsApp for Android application which would allow users to hide profile pictures, statuses or even the last seen info from fellow users. This update has just gone live in some regions and comes with a few other changes as well. The latest of the features is the ability to ‘sponsor’ a friend or a family member by paying for their subscription.

The update will further let the users view unread conversations with a dedicated homescreen widget (Android 3.0+) and translate conversations in Hindi (Android 4.1+). The new WhatsApp is also packing a nifty camera shortcut to make it easier to access images from your gallery. You can expect the update notification to pop up if you haven’t set auto download for the app.

After WhatsApp was acquired by social media giant Facebook recently, talks began on whether the app would see drastic changes. But it is clear that Facebook doesn’t want to interfere with WhatsApp and let it operate as usual.