MasHD Blog

Android 5.1 is now available for Google Play edition (GPE) LG G Pad 8.3 and the HTC One M8 , both devices are part of the Google play edition program which was launched from 2013 to 2014 with several manufacturers porting their flagship devices into stock Android for Google's online store . The LG G Pad 8.3 - a Snapdragon 600 equipped 8.3" tablet is only available as a Wifi model and therefore the update is just 203MB . The HTC One M8 on the other hand gets a update of about 244MB which can be installed over the air , The Android 5.1 update is said to feature new security updates including several bug fixes , but due to its close launch cycle , many manufacturers who apply custom skins on devices are slow to dish out updates (even to Android 5.0) and therefore owners who buy either a Nexus device or a GPE device are probably one of the lucky few to get it without going for the rooting option . Written By Rakitha for MasHD Source - imgur

It looks like Google has finally pulled the plug on GPE devices , the HTC One M8 -the Taiwanese company's 2014 flagship was effectively the last GPE standing as all other devices from Samsung , Sony , Motorola  and LG are now removed .The phone , which was basically a stock Android running device didn't appeal to general smartphone consumers as the high list price and the lack of OEM features not found in Stock Android were scrubbed over .Although things look bleak for GPE's there is still hope , HTC is planning to launch the successor to the current model - One M9 next month ,so this removal might just be a routine clean-up of the inventory . Written by Rakitha for MasHD Source - GSMArena

Motorola's Moto G has been experiencing some record sales thanks to its low price and good specs , but the GPE edition - a part of the failed Google play edition of smartphones has now faced the axe and it is longer listed in the Google Play store . The GPE Moto G is a stock version of the already stock Moto G with the only exception that it features a matte black chassis and 8GB/16GB of storage (with no expansion slot) which means the phone is basically on a full stomach after a few GB's of content, the standard LTE model with a SD card costs the same amount as a 16GB GPE edition , it was soon clear that the phone did nothing more than sit on idle at Google's virtual storefront  . Although the phone is gone now , its highly unlikely that a person  with some common sense would have wanted to buy a GPE Moto G anyway . Written by Rakitha for MasHD Source - AndroidPolice

Google Play devices wern't successful as Google hoped them to be . The traditional handsets without custom interfaces were sold at original cost and the prices rarely dropped , and though it was technically a Nexus , the update schedule fell into the hands of the equipment manufacturer .The Google play edition phones however are still available , but some old models have been replaced as of today . The Sony Xperia ZU ,HTC One M7 and LG's GPad 8.3 are axed from Google's store while the 2013 Motorola Moto G google play edition is still kept alive . The Samsung Galaxy S4 Google play edition will be replaced by the S5 Google play edition once it arrives . The S5 GPE will join the ranks along side the HTC One M8 GPE and the Moto G in the Google Play store , but hopefully ,other OEM's will send their successors to the store once they are available Written by Rakitha for MasHD Article may be used in other blogs,but please be sure to link this article as a source GSMAre...

With Google’s program of selling stock Android versions of certain smartphones still very much in its infancy, we still have plenty of questions about just how all this will look. We voiced some of these a little earlier on today, including wondering just how many companies and phones might ultimately be involved. Now one rumor seeks to identify which Android might be next to join the Samsung Galaxy S 4 and the HTC One, suggesting that Sony will come out with a Google Edition Xperia Z, announcing the phone next month. As rumors go, this one’s not so far-fetched. Remember, Sony already has an AOSP project for the Xperia Z going. Of course, that raises the counter-question, why bother with a formal “Google Edition” when that stock software is already available? Well, AOSP may be an option for the Xperia Z as we know it now, but it’s not a great one for every user. The allure of a proper Google Edition would be seeing regular updates pushed out to the phone just like all the other N...

Speaking to Walt Mossberg at D11 this morning, Google's Sundar Pichai offered glorious news for anyone who loves the HTC One but craves an untouched Android experience: he confirmed that there is indeed a stock Android 4.2.2 version of the flagship device One coming, and it will be fully unlocked for T-Mobile and AT&T at the solid price of $599. It'll go on sale in the Google Play Store on June 26th, the same date as its $649 counterpart, the Samsung Galaxy S 4 stock edition. The new version of the device -- which will be sold in the US initially -- will come SIM-unlocked, with an unlocked bootloader and 32GB storage. In terms of radios, it will offer quadband LTE (700/850/AWS/1900), triband HSPA+ (850/1900/2100) and the usual quadband GSM / EDGE. Of course, going with a pure Android device. ( Engadget /AllthingsD )