Last week, HTC One M8 customers began receiving an update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow, pleasing many of them, but also prompting questions about the Marshmallow update for the HTC One M9. HTC’s own Mo Versi has now pointedly replied to this, stating the One M9 is on track to receive Marshmallow later this month, which should alleviate the concerns of most.

In addition to the One M9 receiving its Marshmallow update, the HTC One A9 is also on track to get an update later this month. But in the case of the One A9, the update will be a bump from Android 6.0 Marshmallow to Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, which contains over 200 new emoji. This new version contains a couple of other minor tweaks, but they primarily affect tablets.

Keep your eyes peeled, One A9 and One M9 owners. Your updates are coming soon!

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A software update is now rolling out to some Nexus-branded devices that will bring them up to Android 6.0.1. It’s not a huge update, but for those that prefer to use emoji over words, it’s worth getting excited about.

The update, which has started rolling out, will bring with it 200 new emoji, including the oft-requested taco, the unicorn, cheese, and plenty of other characters. This update officially supports Unicode 8, which makes it possible for these new options to see the light of day on an Android device.

While the emoji are the mainstay of the new software, the update also includes a few tweaks to navigation on a tablet, while also including a new Do Not Disturb mode.

If you have one of the latest Nexus devices, keep an eye out for the new software, as it officially began rolling out earlier this morning.

And for those interested, the factory images for Android 6.0.1 are now available for the following Nexus-branded devices:

• Nexus 7 [2013] (Mobile)
• Nexus 7 [2013] (Wi-Fi)
• Nexus 5 (GSM/LTE)
• Nexus 9 (Wi-Fi)
• Nexus 9 (LTE)
• Nexus Player
• Nexus 6
• Nexus 5X
• Nexus 6P

If you have them already, what do you think of the new emoji?

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Dropbox made waves when it purchased the popular email management app Mailbox back in 2013. The app lasted almost three years under the wardenship of Dropbox, but now the parent company has announced the final twilight of not only Mailbox, but also the photo-sharing app Carousel.

In an official announcement made on the Dropbox blog, the company focused on productivity has confirmed that in early 2016, both the Carousel and Mailbox apps will be shut down as they focus solely on improving productivity in other areas, including the Dropbox app/services. They say that they’ve “increased our team’s focus on collaboration and simplifying the way people work together.”

Mailbox will see its final days on February 26, 2016. Carousel, on the other hand, will see its last day on March 31, 2016.

On February 26, Mailbox users won’t be able to log into the app anymore, and any “auto-swipe” patterns that users have put together over the years will be deleted and disabled as well. All email drafts will be deleted on that day, too, while all “Snoozed” emails will find their way back into the user’s Inbox. For its part, the Mailbox team (which has now been shuffled into Dropbox proper), has posted a FAQ to help users transition to another email client.

For Carousel users, Timeline photos will remain available in Dropbox, while shared albums can be saved directly to Dropbox to preserve them. Carousel has posted its own FAQ to help users with the next steps.

Did you use either one of these apps?

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Every week we cover new Android apps with Fresh Meat on Wednesday, followed by Android Gaming on Thursday and Top 10 App Updates on Friday. When Monday rolls around, we look back to see which apps were the most appealing to our audience. Read on for the five most popular Android apps from last week. These apps are ones that are most likely new and haven’t appeared in the top five list more than three times.

1. Cardboard Camera

App info: Cardboard Camera takes VR photos—moments in time you can relive in virtual reality. Hear the sounds as they happened, and look around to see the scene in every direction.

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2. AwSMS [BETA]

App info: AwSMS is an SMS/MMS replacement app that offers tons of customization options.

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3. ASUS Router

App info:  ASUS Router is a revolution app to make it very easy to manage your home network. AP mode is supported now!!! And more router models, and DSL series would be supported in the future!

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4. Please Dont Touch Anything

App info:  Please, Don’t Touch Anything is a cryptic, brain-racking puzzle game about bathroom breaks, screwdrivers and nuclear explosions.

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5. ES File Explorer Pro

App info: Manage your files just like you do on your desktop or laptop using Multiple Select, Cut/Copy/Paste, Move, Create, Delete, Rename, Search, Share, Send, Hide, Create Shortcut, and Bookmark.

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Note:  To ensure that all apps receive a fair chance to make the list, we will retire any app that has made the list for three consecutive weeks.

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Google Calendar continues to add new features to its already lengthy list, and for those that use Reminders quite a bit and have wished they could do it all within the mobile Calendar app, the wait is almost over.

Beginning this week, Reminders will find their way into the mobile Google Calendar app, which will make it even easier to see any upcoming Reminders in the days and weeks ahead. This should make it easier to have it all in a one-stop-shop, with the Reminders now visible within the Calendar app, but as well as all of your other calendars you might have synced, too.

What’s more, Reminders won’t disappear, either. Even if you miss completing the event on the day you had penned in, the Reminder will show up at the top of your calendar on the next day, making sure that you’ve got a visual reminder that you had something to do.

Nothing is changing about the way Reminders work or get created, and you’ll still be able to see them across Google’s other services. You can still create a Reminder within Inbox or Google Now or Google Keep, for instance, and once it’s saved, it’ll show up in Calendar.

The update is rolling out now, and will be available in the latest update to Google Calendar.

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Verizon is finally getting on board with Wi-Fi calling, and tomorrow, December 8, it will begin pushing the feature out to two of its most popular devices, the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge. The feature will come as part of a software update that will be pushed out in phases, so it may be a few days before you actually see it hit your device.

Verizon has decided that Wi-Fi calling is too simple of a term and is instead planning to include it as part of its “Advanced Calling” package. Customers will be able to place calls over Wi-Fi to other US callers for free, while international calls will be charged at long-distance rates. And while Verizon’s wording is slightly vague, it seems as though calls won’t drop when switching between Wi-Fi and LTE networks, which should be a nice perk.

Additional phones on Verizon’s network will receive Wi-Fi calling functionality next year. However, no specific models or dates have been announced yet.

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Wearable tech has continued to grow in 2015, but there are still only a few different categories that have penetrated the mainstream. They both belong on your wrist, one kind of makes the other redundant and they both make for excellent gifts.

Smartwatches

Smartwatches have changed a lot in the last year. Android Wear has matured and manufacturers have refined their hardware, and the best Android Wear watch you can buy is the new Moto 360.

Available in a variety of sizes, colors and finishes, the new 2nd gen Moto 360 is a tech lover’s dream. It’s one part elegant wristwatch, one part fitness tracker. It’s fast, sleek and its battery lasts all day long. It’s a little pricy at $299 for the base model, but it’s better the more expensive competitors.

Buy the Motorola Moto 360 2nd gen from Motorola or Google

A close second to the Moto 360 is the $349 Huawei Watch. With a full circle AMOLED display, the Huawei Watch is quite a looker. It also comes in various configurations like to the Moto 360, but the attention to detail on the Moto 360 is a bit better. Still, a smartwatch is a very personal device, and the Huawei Watch might be more of your style.

Buy the Huawei Watch from Google, Huawei or Amazon

The Samsung Gear S2 is nice, but app selection is limited, and Pebble can’t keep up with Android Wear anymore.

Fitness trackers

If you know someone who is more interested in the fitness aspect of a smartwatch than the watch itself, consider a standalone fitness tracker.

We’ve said this before, but the best ways to stay motivated when getting into shape or tracking your fitness is to keep it consistent and build a great support network. That means going to where the most people are can sometimes be the best idea.

This year, the most popular fitness tracker being sold today is also the best, and that’s the Fitbit Charge HR. Capable of all kinds of fitness tracking and with a heart rate monitor built in, the Charge HR can be found for around $140. It comes in multiple colors and sizes and works well with Android. It can also pair with other popular fitness apps like My Fitness Pal.

You can spend a lot more to get the more comprehensive Fitbit Surge, or less to buy the Charge without heart rate monitoring, but the Charge HR really hits the sweet spot. Companies like Misfit and Xiaomi provide much cheaper alternatives, but in most cases that price drop comes at a, well, price.

Buy the Fitbit Charge HR from Fitbit or Amazon

The best hybrids

Definitely fitness trackers, and definitely watches, but not quite smartwatches, Withings’ Activité series of devices merits a mention due to the way they combine incredible design, impressive functionality and a nice middle-ground price.

Ranging from $150 to $450, the Pop, Steel and Activité look like regular watches, but they connect to your Android device to track your fitness. There’s even a sub-dial for measuring your goal activity for the day.

Other than how they look, the best part about the Activité series is they don’t need to be charged at all. They can last months on a single battery, taking the hassle out of the annoying charge cycle of other smartwatches and fitness trackers.

Withings’ app is nice, and the company carries a whole line of fitness tracking products like a scale that pair nicely with the watch.

Buy Withings products from Withings or Amazon

Wrap up

Next year we hope to see wearables expand beyond smartwatches and fitness trackers, but for now if you want to wear your tech this holiday season, the options listed above are your best bet.

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Want to really spoil someone (or, ahem, possibly yourself) this year? There’s nothing like opening a brand new smartphone to ring in the holidays.

There has never been a better time to buy an Android phone. We really mean that. The choices in every price bracket are practically endless, with all of them being well worth your attention.

Fortunately for you, some are more worthy of your attention than others. Here are a few of the best smartphones you can buy this holiday season, and where to buy them.

The best of the best

Hands down, the best Android phone you can buy this holiday season is the Huawei Nexus 6P. It’s the most expensive in this guide, but for $499, you get well more than what you pay for: 5.7-inch WQHD display, a fantastic 12-megapixel camera, Snapdragon 810v2, 3GB of RAM and all the sensors and software upgrades you could possibly need. If you can afford it, get it.

Buy the Huawei Nexus 6P from Google, Huawei or Amazon

As an alternative, you might consider the HTC One A9. The One A9 has been universally praised for its design, and while it’s not top of the line, it doesn’t need to be. It functions well and, as an added bonus, the One A9 will get updates just 15 business days after the Nexus 6P. The One A9 is $499.

Buy the HTC One A9 from HTC or Amazon

For a little bit less

If you don’t want to spend $500, that’s fine. You don’t need to in order to get a great Android device. For around $100 less, there are two great choices from two different manufacturers.

For a phone that closely rivals the Nexus 6P for $100 less, check out the Motorola Moto X Pure Edition. It has a 1440p 5.7-inch display, a great 21-megapixel camera, front-facing stereo speakers and water resistance. The Moto X Pure Edition also comes in a ton of different colors and materials, like wood and leather. At $399, it’s an excellent alternative to the Nexus 6P, and one of the best Android phones money can buy.

Buy the Motorola Moto X Pure Edition from Motorola or Amazon

Much like the Nexus 6P, the LG Nexus 5X is a fantastic phone for the price. At $379, the Nexus 5P is a smaller, more manageable device than the Moto X Pure Edition, with the same camera and fingerprint reader as the Nexus 6P. It comes in three colors, including a unique mint green that really stands out from the crowd.

Buy the Nexus 5X from Google or Amazon

Amazingly affordable

It’s been several years now, and there’s still one manufacturer who leads the pack in making excellent smartphones for under $200. That’s right, it’s Motorola.

The Motorola Moto G 3rd gen kicked the Moto G series up a notch yet again by throwing in excellent specs and making the device Moto Maker compatible. Starting at $180, the latest Moto G balances speed, size, specs and price like no other device on the market. We highly recommend the upgrade to the $220 model, which doubles storage and RAM of the base version, but the $180 model will still get the job done.

Buy the Moto G from Motorola or Amazon

Want an even more affordable smartphone? Motorola comes to the rescue yet again with the Moto E. We know this list seems Motorola heavy, but the fact is that Motorola just does affordable phones the best. They are well spec’d for the money, offer great design and there’s no gimmicks to buying one. The Moto E starts at as little as $120. It simply does not get more affordable than that. Access to LTE will bring the device up to $150, but even, then you cannot beat the price.

Buy the Moto E from Motorola or Amazon

Wrap up

We said it once and we’ll say it again, there has never been a better time to buy an Android phone. Any of the six phones above would make a fantastic gift this year for anyone on your shopping list.

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Yes, you are reading that title correctly. After years upon years of receiving unofficial ports of every version of Android and a few other operating systems to boot, the HTC HD2 has just received a working port of Android 6.0, Marshmallow.

Working is a relative term, of course, as pretty much nothing besides the screen, audio or WiFi really works. But it still exists. A senior member of XDA has released the port, which is a build of CM13. If for some insane reason you still have an HD2, head on over to the source link and check out how to get Marshmallow on your piece of hacker history.

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Anyone hoping that the rumored HTC One X9 would launch in 2015 will be disappointed to hear that the phone isn’t expected to be unveiled until next year. @LlabTooFeR revealed this new information along with a link to the phone’s WiFi certification document, which was granted to the One X9 back on September 15th. The document doesn’t confirm or deny any of the rumors that we’ve seen do far, but it does reveal that the HTC One X9 will come with a, b, g, n and ac WiFi connections on 2.4GHz and 5GHz, as well as support for Miracast and Wi-Fi Direct.

Based on previous rumors, the HTC One X9 is expected to feature a MediaTek processor, 5.5-inch 1080p display, 2GB of RAM. 16GB of internal storage, 13-megapixel rear camera with optical image stabilization, front-facing UltraPixel camera and a 3,000mAh battery. With WiFi and TENAA (China’s version of the FCC) certification taken care of, we wouldn’t be surprised if the HTC One X9 is announced for Asian markets during CES in early January.

HTC One X9 (E56ML / 2PS510000) have passed Wi-Fi certification… Device release is planned for the next year… https://t.co/T1Q8V9LtqU

— LlabTooFeR (@LlabTooFeR) December 4, 2015

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