4 NEW Features Of Androids 5.1 Lollipop

Smart WiFi ( After all these years the smart phone finally gets smart WIFI)

Your device will now remember the limited or no internet access spots, and will not automatically try to connect to them in the future. This is really cool because we all have been at that sore or restaurant and have tried to connect to the WIFI that wont work. Now your phone will forget about it!

 Alarm Volume.

The more we update the easier it is to access content on our devices. This new one makes it easy to change the volume of you alarm. Before the update you had to go to settings, click Sound and notification, and slide the Alarm. I know, I know your thinking thats not that hard and your right its not, but they did make it easier! All you have to do is go to the Clock app and press the volume key.

Priority Mode.

Priority Mode is still something new to the android world it was first introduced with Android 5.0 and has a cool update. priority mode can now be set till your next alarm, giving you some guaranteed quiet time when you take that nap you have been looking forward to all day (unless you have kids then you never get to squeeze in that nap haha). 

 Notification Volume.

When you were listening to music on you phone you could tap the volume key and increase or decrease your volume on your phone for song playing. To change the volume for notifications you were forced to go into settings, then the sound and notifications option. In the 5.1 update you can now press the volume button and tap on the bell icon allowing you to change the ring and notification volume.

 There are a few more features that are not as important like pressing the volume button on the home screen will display new volume icons, a new sim card icon just small cool features.

March Madness

Its that time of year again and you know what that means…. March Madness! Its time to place your bets, turn in your brackets and hope you win that million dollar prize. How will you be watching the madness? and what do you do if you don’t have cable? Here are some solutions so you don’t have to miss a second.

Tablet/Phone 

 Whether you have Android, Apple, Windows or Amazon device you can always download the free NCAA March Madness Live app. Although there are some restrictions you can watch all the CBS for free! If you do have cable and your wife made you take her out for that anniversary dinner you promised her, you can log in using your cable/satellite subscription and watch your favorite team on the go.

Sling Tv

This is a very inexpensive way to watch tv! Sling Tv offers TBS, TNT, ESPN, Food Network, AMC and a lot more for only $20 a month. Sling is offering a free 7 day trial that you can use to watch your favorite games. It would be a good idea to use this free trial to watch the games later in the tournament so you can watch the better match-ups, such as the final four games on TBS staring April 4th! If you don't want the Sling Tv service after the games make sure you cancel the subscription so your not automatically billed. Canceling is not the easiest task the only way to do so is to call customer service 1-888-893-9069.

Computer 

Watching on your computer would be one of the best options. You can go the the NCAA March Madness Live website, and stream all 64 games LIVE but just like watching on you phone or tablet to CBS is free and you have to log in to watch the other games. The main reason that the computer would be your best option is the HDMI port. Just plug in the HDMI into you port on your tv and then plug the other end in your computers HDMI port and stream the games to the big screen! 

HTC ONE M9

This has got to be one of the best looking phones I have seen this year! Not only does it have its looks, but the inside is impressive and powerful. Looking back at the HTC One M8 it's hard to imagine HTC making anything better.. but they did! 

It keeps the same screen size as the M8 measuring at 5 inches with a full HD ( 1,920 x 1,080 pixel) resolution. The most impressive part is the Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor. The ultra-pixel camera from the back of the M8 has now been moved to the front.  The back camera now has a new 20 (yes I said 20!) megapixel camera!

HTC does not have a price for the M9 yet, but my guess is they will have three models: 32GB for $650, 64GB for $750, and a 120GB for $900. 

Camera and Battery:

20 megapixels on a phone is amazing!  Now add in the dual LED flash and you have a professional camera in your had. HTC has also changed the software to improve the dynamic range; keeping the bright skies from being washed out and improving the detail in the shadows. We will have to see if these changes are really noticeable. 

The M9 is powered by a 2,840mAh battery.  This new battery has a little improvement from the M8.  I do get worried with bigger batteries because of the overall lifespan.  I'm hopeful we wont see any problems with the M9.

Software and Processor:

The M9 will have the new Android 5.0 Lollipop software. This being a top end phone, I would bet HTC has customized the overall look of Android. The M9 will come equipped with Sense 7 which is pretty much the same as the Sense 6; those of you upgrading will not have to much of a problem learning the new Sense 7. You will find a few new options for customization like new preset themes, (we can expect third party download themes in the future) and a wide verity of fonts, icon styles, and colour schemes.

Geek Opinion:

I personally would not upgrade from the M8 to the M9. However, if you have a older phone that you would like to upgrade definitely give this a try! When it comes to the body of the phone you wont really notice anything different from the M8 other than the edges of the phone. The camera and processor is a lot better but I would expect a complete overhaul for the next HTC.