Huawei gives some Honor 6 owners a chance to beta test Android 5.1 Lollipop before official rollout

It’s not the first OEM that comes to mind when you think of software updates, but Huawei has been making a better effort at supporting some of their flagships with newer versions of Android. A few weeks back they kicked off a new community forum where members could test out new software updates and even try out devices before they’re released to the public. Earlier this month, the allowed community member to test drive Android Lollipop on the Huawei Mate 2 and now they’re doing it again, this time with the Huawei Honor 6.

Huawei UK announced the news on their Facebook page, letting Honor 6 owners in Europe know they could test drive the new update which will bring the Honor 6 up to Android 5.1 along with EMUI 3.1 (Huawei’s custom user interface). When the Honor 6 launched in August of last year, it was running Android 4.4.2 KitKat so this new update is sure to make users happy (well, once it officially rolls out).

To get started, you’ll first need to sign up for Huawei’s “Honor Club” and drop them an email here with the subject ‘’Beta Test Honor 6” along with the IMEI number on your device and a short statement on why you should be the one to test the new update. Huawei will be hand-selecting 100 applicants in the UK, Germany, and France up until June 30th and you’ll need to remain in contact with Huawei to report any bugs.

Once again, this is beta software, so weirdness and general instability are almost certain. If that hasn’t scared you away then godspeed. Applicants will be notified by next week if they were selected to test the new software update. Cheers.

[Facebook]

Huawei Honor Band Zero is a minimalistic circular smartwatch

Huawei is teasing a new smart watch today. It’s being called the Huawei Honor Band Zero, with that name being chosen thanks to its minimalistic design. It’s a circular smart watch that seemingly doesn’t have any buttons, and appears to boast a steel chassis.

And that’s about all we know so far. Huawei hasn’t issued any press releases or dished out any additional info, so we’re only left to our guesses. Our first guess is that this could be a souped up fitness wearable, as the watch shares the same “Band” moniker used for the Huawei Talk Band B1 or B2. Whether it’ll use Android Wear for those fitness needs is up for date, as Huawei could just as easily use their own custom platform such as the one featured in the aforementioned TalkBand devices.

We also imagine it isn’t going to be some game changing smart watch, so we’ll expect industry-standard specs such as the Snapdragon 410 found inside the more classic design of the Huawei Watch.

It does look like a decent design for those who prefer this style, though, so if this is something more your taste then be sure to keep an eye out for more!

[via Twitter]