Android updates, boy do we talk a lot about them. Well, we complain a lot about how they aren’t here fast enough or avoid complaining by telling you to just buy a Nexus device to skip out on having to have those conversations about them not getting here fast enough. It’s a situation that isn’t fun for anyone, including Google, who is reportedly working on a shame list to out manufacturers and carriers who suck at delivering updates in a timely manner.
Is a shame list the solution we all need? Who knows, but it certainly can’t hurt as it would at least be one way for us to have evidence of neglect, which would in turn allow us to better vote with our wallets over who will more than likely meet our need for updates the fastest. 
And that whole idea brings me to a list that was sent over to us this afternoon from Verizon, a list that includes all of the 13 devices they have updated to Marshmallow thus far. The list came with notes that mention the number of updates and the phones that received them, but it wasn’t exactly trying to outright brag over how fast those updates arrived or how they are stomping all over AT&T and T-Mobile in the update game. It’s simply a list of phones they have already updated, along with a mention of “more on the way soon.” That’s it.

Here is the list.
1. HTC One M8
2. HTC One M9
3. LG V10
4. LG G4
5. LG G3
6. LG G Pad 8.3
7. Droid Turbo 2
8. Droid Maxx 2
9. Samsung Galaxy S6
10. Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
11. Samsung Galaxy Note 5
12. Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
13. Samsung Galaxy S5
OK, then.
Do we say, “Good job!” Do we look at that list and say, “Yeah, well, took you long enough to get to 13! What about this device and that device and those devices!?!?!?!” I don’t know. I, honestly, do not know what to do with this list.
Android Marshmallow was released right before the start of October last year. We are now hours away from June 1 and Verizon is showing that they have updated the majority of their highest end phones from the past two years to Android 6.0+. Sure, this list is missing the Note 4 and original Turbo, but it seems like they are close to having a pretty complete list. Again, Marshmallow was released 8 months ago.
My reaction seems to want to be, “This certainly looks like Verizon is doing a decent job at getting out major updates.” I also kind of want to say, “Thanks, Verizon, this is nice to see.” Sure, these updates would have been welcomed in January, but I think we all survived. No one was hurt in the process, were they? Everyone’s phones continued to work leading up to the Marshmallow update, right?
And look, I’m not trying to come off as someone who is softening their stance on Android updates and their slowness to rollout. But I do appreciate Verizon acknowledging the fact that people are interested in this info and then going about sharing it. Maybe something as simple as a list like this from carriers and manufacturers could be a step in the direction of holding themselves accountable or at least proving that they are doing something, so that we can all pause the complaining for a minute.
At this point, I’m open to any suggestions for making this update process on Android better, even if that is something as simple as list from Verizon.

In another underrated deal, SanDisk and Amazon are offering up a combo package that includes a 128GB microSD card and a 128GB USB Dual Drive for the same $59.99. The SD card is pretty standard fare, but that bonus 128GB Dual Drive could come in handy in a number of situations. For those not familiar, this is double-ended drive that has USB 3.0 and microUSB connectors to let you quickly go from transferring files on your phone to your computer in minutes. It not only expands the storage of your phone, but easily lets you take them to another phone or tablet or computer.
The deals are good for the next few hours. 
Amazon Links:

• 200GB SanDisk microSD card ($59.99)
• 128GB SanDisk microSD Card with 128GB USB Dual Drive ($59.99)

Many of your favorite smartphone makers, outside of Samsung, are struggling and have been for years. Since the early gold rush to Android supremacy four and five years ago, the industry has matured, maybe even plateaued, and made it extremely difficult for anyone to succeed. Companies like Samsung and Apple are still doing quite well as they established dominance long ago and haven’t given it up, partially because they have massive marketing budgets, but also because they keep making great products that mean something to owners of them. For companies like Motorola and LG, they can’t compete with that reputation or marketing budget by just doing the same old thing. And that right there is why I’m glad that they are both taking chances by going this modular route.
Think about this for a second. In the past three years, Motorola has made phones that we gave what amounts to as a “phone of the year” award twice, plus included them in the top 3 phones of the year in another. You know why we did that? Because Motorola was making phones that were simple, took it all back to the basics, and just did almost everything right. And how did that work out for Motorola? Well, they sold enough phones to miss out on every single smartphone marketshare chart, were sold off by Google for failing, and are now a part of Lenovo, who has already admitted that they aren’t meeting expectations. In other words, that approach was a colossal failure. Should they really just keep on doing the same old thing?












Look at HTC this year. The HTC 10 is a phone that I think most would agree is a really good phone. HTC fixed problems from the past, by using a better camera, lengthening battery life, building beauty into hardware, and taking their Android skin down to the studs to leave a cleaner approach. But does anyone think that the HTC 10 is going to save HTC or bring them “back” as so many in the media have proclaimed? God no. Forget the fact that they are a VR company now that makes phones on the side, doesn’t hold press events for their phones anymore, fills every private event they can with Vive demos and not phones, and are in the middle of the slowest product category exit I’ve ever seen (Yes, I’m talking about phones.), the HTC 10 doesn’t stand out in any real way over the competition.
But are modular phones the answer? Do any of us really care about adding on JBL speakers and high-end camera attachments to expand the capabilities of a phone? I don’t know that yet because no one has done it in a way to convince me that I do. At least someone is trying to convince me, though. At least someone is trying to show me that there might be something more to a phone than just the simple things. Because as we have all witnessed in recent years, those things aren’t getting it done for all but two companies. I don’t know about you guys, but I’d like to have choice in the future and for other companies to succeed and for someone to push Samsung and Apple into being better.
The thing with modules is that they have the potential to add value on top of your initial purchase. Obviously, we need companies to use those brilliant minds of theirs to come up with those ideas, but if they can, this is an area that could, in theory, succeed. Even something as simple as slapping on a battery module to the back of my phone to top it off mid-day and relieve myself of a charger is innovation. Maybe I want a kickstand on my phone right now, with bigger speakers as I watch a movie, but don’t want that added bulk in an hour. Maybe, I want to take better-than-smartphone pictures and will deal with the bulk of a camera add-on for an hour during a photo shoot before tucking it back in a back pocket. Maybe, just maybe, I want a secondary display to constantly show me information in a way that won’t drain battery or change the appearance of my phone to match an outfit today or check my blood-sugar levels. Phone expansion makes a lot of sense if it’s done right, if it adds that value, and if there is an ecosystem in place to foster continued innovation.











With LG and the G5, they tried to go modular and probably failed. They failed, though, because their take on a modular phone doesn’t exactly work the way it needs to because they insisted on keeping that silly removable battery. You can’t ask someone to turn their phone off every time they want to adjust it – we don’t like inconveniences. They also failed because they failed to create a module line-up worth considering. If there is a takeway from the G5, it’s that we can only hope LG is learning and will get it all right with the G6, next year.
Can Motorola do it right today? All signs so far point to Motorola at least getting it closer-to-right with the upcoming Moto Z. None of the details are official, but Moto and Lenovo appear to have adopted modules that slap or “snap” across the entire backside of the phone, connect via pins, and could potentially be swapped on or off with ease. They also reportedly have created a decent-sized ecosystem of modules that will be ready for launch, unlike LG.
But again, that’s all not really the point. The point here is that for everyone involved (both companies and consumers), the chances being taken by Motorola and LG today could pay off in the long run. They could mean better, more advanced phones whose capabilities can expand and create more value for you and I, which could turn into more sales and success for them. Besides just doing the basics well, which almost every phone already does well today, we could get more.
Think about 2012 and the original Galaxy Note for a second. Remember how many in the media thought it would be a failure because it was too big with its 5.3-inch display (!), that it was awkward to make calls on, yet also couldn’t replace a tablet? As it turns out, Samsung has sold millions upon millions of the Note franchise, which will soon hit its 6th model, and ushered in an era of bigger phones that we haven’t moved away from. You could argue that Samsung’s Galaxy S line is their bread and butter, but by taking a chance on the Note line, Samsung changed the game.
That’s why I’m glad to see Motorola and LG take chances on modular phones. We don’t know if they’ll be successful with these first versions or if modules will be a thing in five years, but if they don’t try, where does that leave us? We could be stuck with what we have now, with a bunch of really good phones from manufacturers who are struggling to survive and can’t stand out, even by doing the basics right. Or, we could get the next Galaxy Note.

ZTE took the wraps off its new flagship phone this morning, the Axon 7. The phone, like most ZTE phones, is being positioned as an unlocked phone with high-end specs and an affordable price. Unfortunately, ZTE isn’t ready to share specifics on the price, but they are revealing the specs, which are very much so in the incredibly high-end category. 
The ZTE Axon 7 features a 5.5-inch QHD AMOLED display, Snapdragon 820 processor, 20MP f/1.8 rear camera with optical image stabilization (OIS), 8MP f/2.2 front camera, 3250mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0, USB Type-C port, dual speaker setup with a dual Hi-Fi chipset (Dolby Atmos surround sound), and fingerprint reader. As for storage and RAM, ZTE is releasing two models, one with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, along with another that has 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. Each model also has a microSD slot.
See what I mean? That’s about as high-end as it gets.
Now, about that price. All ZTE will say is that there is “value” here and that the price will be lower than other flagship smartphones of today. That should mean a sub $500 price, but are you willing to get into a ZTE phone over something like the Nexus 6P to save $50 or so? I’ll let you decide on that.
As for availability, the Axon 7 hits China today and will then make its way to other markets, including the US, in the coming weeks. Once it arrives here, you will be able to buy it from zteusa.com, Amazon, Best Buy, B&H Photo, eBay, and Newegg. The Axon 7 will be available in either gold or silver.
Which carriers will it work on? Out of the box, it will for sure work on T-Mobile and AT&T, because of its GSM connectivity. However, ZTE says that it has the ability to work on both Sprint and Verizon. At this time, they aren’t guaranteeing that the phone will receive certification for use on those networks, only that it might “possibly” happen later in the year.
Along side the announcement of the Axon 7, ZTE announced that they created a VR headset to pair with it, since this phone is one of the first Google Daydream-ready devices. After looking at those specs and seeing that the Axon 7 sports a QHD AMOLED display, it makes sense that it would be ready for Google’s new VR platform.
It’s certainly a pretty phone with great specs and tons of potential. But again, can ZTE get your cash over someone like Google or HTC or even Samsung for that matter?