Nexus 6 is now available from Motorola. Photo: Google

Still struggling to get a Nexus 6 through Google Play? You can now buy the device direct from Motorola instead — and providing you get your order in fairly quickly, your handset will be shipped in early January.

Android 5.0 running on the Galaxy S5. Video: SamMobile

Samsung may have failed to deliver its Android 5.0 Lollipop update for the Galaxy S5 before Christmas for the vast majority of users, but millions across Europe will see it before the New Year. The update is currently rolling out over-the-air in Spain following its initial debut in Poland earlier this month, while other European countries can expect to see it soon.

The Galaxy Alpha looks good, but it isn’t the success Samsung was hoping for. Photo: Samsung

Samsung is already giving up on the Galaxy Alpha, its first Android-powered smartphone made of metal, according to reports from South Korea. Sources say production will cease as soon as the existing inventory of materials runs out, and Samsung is expected to put more focus into the Galaxy A5 instead.

Amazon gives away paid Android apps every day as part of its Free App of the Day promotion, but for the next few days, the retail giant is really going all out to ensure this Christmas is a good one for Android users. You can now get $220 worth of paid Android apps completely free, and there are many you definitely don’t want to pass up.

The aftermath. Photo: S-blade/Reddit

Like a lot of smartphones, the LG G3 gets pretty warm under heavy use — that’s just normal. What isn’t normal is spontaneous combustion, which is exactly what happened to one G3 before it burned a phone-shaped hole right through its owner’s mattress.