Author: Clinton

The Chromium team at Google has rolled out a new update to Chrome OS in the Stable channel.  The updated build is 55.0.2883.87 (Platform version: 8872.70.0 or 8872.70.1) and is available now on eligible devices.  The update, however, is not available for the following Chromebooks:

• HP Chromebook 11 1100-1199 / HP Chromebook 11 G1
• Samsung Chromebook 2 11″
• HP Chromebook 14

If you have one of these devices, an update is likely going to be coming your way in a few weeks.

As with all Chrome OS updates, this one includes a number of bug fixes and security improvements but also has a number of new features too.

One of the more anticipated movies of the year, Rouge One: A Star Wars Story, is hitting theaters this Friday and to get your ready for the event, Google has added a set of Rouge One stickers to Google Allo.  Now when you use the new messaging app, you can add the Rouge One stickers to your sticker options and send them to friends in your messages.  To add them, just open up Allo and when you are in a message, tap the + in the text field.  Now tap the Sticker add-on button, the one in the far right of the bar, and you will see the option to download and add the Rouge One stickers to your account.

In all, there are 23 stickers in the pack, which is free.

Today’s Deal over at Amazon is a great opportunity to pick up a huge external power pack for your phones and tablets without dropping a lot of cash.  The RAVPower 22000mAh Power Pack is available today for $29.99, a savings of 70% off the regular price of $99.99.  The pack, despite its huge battery, is relatively small at roughly the size of an iPhone 7 Plus and has 3 USB ports for charging three devices at the same time.  In fact, you can get 5 charges of your Galaxy S7 out of this RAVPower pack and an amazing 9 charges of an iPhone 6S.  Each port of the pack can output 2.4A of power and uses RAVPower’s iSmart technology for fast, smooth and safe charging of your devices.

While there remains a few thousand Galaxy Note7 in the wild, Samsung is continuing to make heavy handed efforts to get those recalled devices back in their hands.  Already issuing an update that limits the charging to 60% of capacity, the South Korean company has gone a step further by not allowing the devices to charge at all.  Effectively, this is the kill switch for the device so if you are one of the few who have one, you won’t be able to use it much longer.  The news is not surprising as the company has been trying to get all of the remaining devices in the globally back in their hands.

What is surprising is that Verizon has said they will not roll out the update to their customers.  Uh, what?

Citing safety concerns (ironic) and not wanting to cut customers off during the holidays from their devices, Verizon has said they will not be pushing the update out to the Note7 on their network.

Google has launched an all new personal security app, Google Trusted Contacts.  As the name suggests, Trusted Contacts allows you to designate friends or family contacts as trusted where you can send them your location information or they can request it in case of an emergency.  The app allows your friends or family to see your activity, including your location and online activity, and determine if you are okay.  If they have not heard from you for a while, they can request your location information.  If you reply or deny the request, your contacts are notified that you are okay.  If you don’t respond within 5 minutes however, your location is automatically sent to your designated contacts so they can reach out to you or contact emergency services.

Today’s Deal is on another great accessory from Anker.  The PowerCore Slim 5000 is a 5000mAh battery pack that, as the name suggests, is a slim design that is actually smaller than most phones.  Right now this battery pack is down to $19 on Amazon, 62% off the regular price of $31.  The pack has one USB port to connect your Android phone or iPhone to for charging and is rated to give a full charge to a Samsung Galaxy and iPhone 7 Plus one full charge while smaller devices such as the Nexus 5X or iPhone 7 could get two charges out of it.  The pack comes with Anker’s PowerIQ

Anker PowerCore Slim 5000

technology to give a smooth, consistent charge to your devices, making it both save and efficient in the charging process.

Anker designed this pack to be held in your hand along with your phone so if you are on the go, you can still hold your phone and work as the pack doesn’t make everything feel big and bulky.  The pack is also coated in silicone so it won’t scratch up your devices and gives it a smooth feel that is easier to grip than aluminum designed packs.  There are LED indicators to let you know when your phone is charging and when you are done, it easily slips into a pocket or handbag.

Like all Anker products, the PowerCore Slim 5000 comes with an 18-month warranty against any defects and issues and, since this deal is through Amazon, you have a 30 day hassle free refund policy (which is now extended through the holidays).

Head over to Amazon to get more details and to order yours.  It is Amazon Prime eligible for members.