Author: Clinton

The Google Pixel C, the latest Android-based tablet from Google, has quietly been removed from the Google Store.  It signals the end of sales for the 2015 tablet that was met with mix results both from a sales and overall satisfaction perspective.  The 10.2″ tablet was released in September 2015 and shipped with Android Marshmallow.  It was upgraded last year to Nougat and the latest update to Oreo rolled out in October.

The Pixel C was power packed and from a specifications perspective, was hard to top.  But it was released at a time when many were beginning to question the need for a tablet at all.  Rumors at the time were pointing to Android apps coming to Chrome OS or, perhaps, a melding of the two (Project Andromeda) which made it curious about releasing a tablet at the time.  Indeed rumors persist that the Google Pixel C was actually slated to run Chrome OS but was switched at the last minute to Android.

While there are dozens of health & fitness apps available for Android, Google’s own Google Fit has slowly but steadily been growing up.  The app was very basic in the early days but as Android Wear 2.0 was released earlier this year, the Fit app became far more useful and helpful in tracking not only your fitness goals, but getting injected data from other apps like Sleep for Android and MyFitnessPal.  It also gained things like tracking your heart rate (assuming you have a compatible Android Wear watch) during workouts as well as elevation changes for certain types of workouts like running, biking or skiing.

One of the best features of Google Fit is that you can setup multiple goals within the app, track them, and even have them as a widget on your Home screen on your phone.  It is a feature that often goes unnoticed but it is powerful as you can keep track of virtually any goal you desire to meet your own health and fitness goals.

In this How To I will show you how to create multiple goals within Google Fit and how to add them as a widget to your Home screen.  My assumption is that you have Google Fit installed so if you don’t, go get it from the Play Store before continuing.

For readers who have their Samsung Galaxy S8 or S8 Plus in the company’s Android Oreo beta program, you have a second beta build coming your way.  The new beta is build R16NW.G955FXXU1ZQLE and is just over 600MB in size.  The updated beta has been released but it could take a few days before all beta testers see it on their phone.

This new build contains a significant number of bug fixes and performance improvements over the first beta and seemingly nothing on the device was left untouched.  The new beta addresses issues with Bluetooth connectivity, smart device connectivity, Bixby issues, profile issues… it goes on.  This update should also address general unresponsiveness of the device in all situations and uses.  It isn’t uncommon for manufactures to offer a lot of updates to things in their 2nd beta builds and this one certainly is no exception.

Let’s be honest:  It is difficult to justify a smartwatch.  Yes they are helpful and handy and with things like Android Wear 2.0, these devices on your wrist have certainly become even more user friendly.  Perhaps the biggest justification on an Android Wear watch is the cost.  There are a lot of watches that are at or near the $300 mark and that, for something people just aren’t sure they will use, is hard to stomach.

Then there is the other end of the spectrum.  There are smartwatches out there that are less than $200 but, as is often the case with technology, you get what you pay for.  Many of these watches haven’t and won’t be upgraded to Wear 2.0 and their overall design and build quality is less than ideal.

That, to me, is what makes the Mobvoi Ticwatch E so fascinating.  It is a watch that runs Android Wear 2.0, has an upgrade in the works for Android Oreo, is fast, has GPS built-in, a heart rate monitor, and has a great 44mm display.  Add to that it is comfortable to wear thanks to the soft silicone wrist band – which you can interchange – and extremely impressive battery life.  It’s the complete package and the best part?  It is under $130.

A few weeks ago I was sent the Mobvoi Tichwatch E to review and I have to say, it has rekindled my interest in Android Wear in general.  This is a great smartwatch and it is hard to beat for the price.  Here’s my review.

A couple of assumptions before reading the review after the break.  I’m assuming in this review that you are familiar with Android Wear as a product (it is Android running on smartwatches) and the Android Wear app for your phone.  I won’t be cover those elements in the review but if you have questions about them, feel free to drop a comment at the end of the review or contact me via the Contact page.

Whether you are an Apple fan or not, you have to give them credit:  They have some pretty awesome wallpapers for their devices.  The new high-end iMac Pro is no exception.  The latest and most powerful iMac is now available and it starts at an eye watering $5,000.  But, if you want that storm cloud wallpaper that comes as the default wallpaper and don’t want to spend the money, you are covered.

On the Wallpapers page and after the break on this post, you will find the all new iMac Pro default wallpaper for you to download and put on all your devices.  The wallpaper measures 5120 x 2880 so it will be plenty big for any of your devices, big or small.  I’ve put it after the break so those who aren’t interested can move along but if you want to get it for yourself, read on.

Like any platform, Chrome OS from time-to-time gets corrupted.  It doesn’t happen often – I’ve never had it happen in the two-plus years I’ve been using the platform.  However, when it does, you’ll need to make sure you are prepared to get things back in order quickly so you can get back to being product (or YouTube cat video watching as the case may be).

Chrome OS has a great recovery tool that is built into Chromebooks that allows you to create a recover disk using a USB drive that allows you to quickly restore your computer.  Like a Powerwash, when you use the recovery drive to restore, you will wipe the data stored on it and it will return it back to a factory default.  But that’s okay.  Remember that Chrome OS leverage the cloud for storage and unless you have some local files like pictures or files you’ve not sync’d to your Google Drive, you shouldn’t loose any data.

In this How To, I’m going to walk you step-by-step through the process of creating a recovery disk for your Chromebook and then walk you through the actual recovery process.  Like many things Chrome OS, it is pretty straightforward.

Before getting into the process, make sure that you have an extra USB drive around that is at least 8GB in size.  I use a 16GB PNY USB Drive for my Acer Chromebook 14 and it works great (and it’s cheap).