Welcome to the very first edition of Saturday Sound Off, a weekly post where I will give my opinions on all the big happenings of the last week, and interact with our readers.

Android 5.0 Lollipop was released with the Nexus 9 on Monday, November 3rd and the source code followed very quickly after.

The Nexus 9 is an extremely intriguing device in my eyes but not without it’s faults. The device has very mixed reviews and there are complaints of light bleed, and a hollow backing. I almost purchased one this week but only because it was going for $199 during HTC’s messy weekly hot deal. At that price I would be all over that tablet but at the regular price point of $399 I’m not sure if it’s my cup of tea. I have the iPad Air right now and I love that device and it will hold me over until either the price drops, or there is a better more premium Android tablet released.

The source code being released to the public by Google is something that I have been waiting on since Android Lollipop was released. I’ve been craving Android Lollipop on my OnePlus One and it seems developers are getting extremely close. I’m sure the first build won’t be the most stable but you can bet I will be putting it on my device just to get my Lollipop fix. Some other devices got their Lollipop fix including most of the Xperia Z line, the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini, and most Nexus devices. ROM developers have been nothing short of amazing throughout this week and I tip my cap to them. They are a crucial part of the Android ecosystem and one of the main reasons I returned to Android.

Modular smartphones are all the new rage and while I do love the idea I also hold my reservations. The concept is genius a smartphone that you decide what you need, when you need and can swap pieces based on your needs at a particular time. With that said though I have trouble seeing a time where I would say to myself wow I could really use some more RAM right now let me just swap it in, wouldn’t you already have the best RAM installed? Now some people argue well in the future you could just upgrade your RAM when the 4GB version comes out but that may take a year for that modular piece to be released at that point the screens a little scratched. the casing is a little scuffed and you want a new phone anyways. I might be missing something that others aren’t but it just seems easier for me to buy a new smartphone every year or two with the latest and greatest packaged in and call it at that.

Samsung has brought a slight glimmer of hope towards their future in my eyes this week. Project Zero, and re-branding their phone line is something they desperately need. Quick story the Samsung Infuse 4G was the phone that made me fall in love with Android. That’s right even though I hate on Samsung consistently the first Android phone I enjoyed was a Samsung device. Here’s the caveat though the reason this phone made me fall in love with Android was because touchwiz was so horrendous in my eyes I learned all about customization through launchers, and ROMS. I have the same issues with Samsung now as I did back then the build quality is cheap and they have awful UI and bloatware. With rumors of them rebranding their smartphone line and starting from scratch I have hope that they will design a phone that finally makes sense and doesn’t follow the same old routine they have been since the Galaxy S line first started.

There you have it my opinions on all the latest in the Android world. Let me know down below or on any of our following social media sites if you like this new Saturday Sound Off idea and if you agree or disagree with my opinions above.

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