NVIDIA has just rolled out a fresh firmware update to its gaming-oriented slate, the NVIDIA Shield tablet. The new OS upgrade brings the device to the latest Android 5.1.1 Lollipop version and is expected to address a scary battery overheating issue and a lingering audio bug.
NVIDIA Shield tablet gets Android 5.1.1 in the form of "Upgrade 3.1"
When it was released back in 2014, the NVIDIA Shield tablet was one of the best tablets on the market, specs-wise. It sports an 8-inch display with 1920 x 1200 resolution, resulting to a moderately crisp 283ppi pixel density. But what makes it special can be found within-the device is powered by NVIDIA's own Tegra K1 chipset which comprises of a quad-core 2.2 GHz Cortex-A15 CPU and a ULP GeForce Kepler (192 cores) graphics processor.
The tablet comes with 16GB of internal memory, which is expandable via microSD, and 2GB worth of RAM. Since it's a device that caters mainly to the gaming crowd, the NVIDIA Shield tablet only packs a 5-megapixel main camera with HDR & autofocus along with a 5MP front shooter.
NVIDIA released the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update earlier this week in the form of software upgrade 3.1. It weighs 767MB and is available to NVIDIA Shield tablet owners over-the-air (OTA). That is a hefty amount of data so it is recommended that you connect to a Wi-Fi network before beginning the download and upgrade process. Also, users need to make sure that the device's battery is at least 50% charged and to backup their data before going ahead with the upgrade.
New Features and Fixes it Sill bring to the NVIDIA Shield Tablet
The device has been in the center of a controversy these past few days. A number of owners reportedly complained that their NVIDIA Shield tablets get uncomfortably hot and may pose significant fire hazard. Fortunately, the device maker has started a recall process and offered replacement units. As it turns out, this software update is required before owners can qualify to receive replacements.
Aside from addressing the battery issue, this update also features a new build of the Android mobile operating system. Furthermore, it will include a fix for an audio problem that has been bugging some tablet owners. Apparently, users has been hearing a high pitched screeching sound when they try to load certain games. Installing the latest Android 5.1.1 OS should fix that bug right away.
This OS update will also come with a handful of performance and stability improvements. The move from 5.1 to 5.1.1 Lollipop is mostly meant to fix the OS' bothersome memory leak issue, so users will not find cool new features this time.
The update is done over-the-air so NVIDIA may be rolling it out in waves. As such, some users may get it earlier than others; some may have to wait a few days or even weeks. To check if the new firmware is already available, NVIDIA Shield tablet users just need to head over to Settings > About Tablet > System Updates.
