Author: Clinton

Microsoft has released an update to the OneDrive app for Android that brings several new features.  The updated version is build 4.1 for those keeping score and out at the Google Play Store now.  The biggest feature change in this update is the ability to “scan” a document from within the app directly to your OneDrive account.  The new feature leverages the Office Lens functionality which, if you haven’t tried it, is mighty impressive in its own right.  Now OneDrive will leverage that technology and give you a clean, crisp image of a document.

Adding to the releases that the company made last week, Sony has released the Android Marshmallow update for another of their devices.  If you are an Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact owner, Marshmallow goodness is coming your way via an OTA update that should be hitting your device any time now.  The update you are looking for is build 23.5.A.0.570 which, if you remember, is the same build number across several other Xperia devices that have received the latest version of Android.

Google’s commitment to security on Android is taking on a new angle.  They are making huge strides making the platform and apps running on them more secure.  To that end, Google has announced a new Google Play App Security Improvement Program which will not only point out security issues with apps that are published to the Google Play Store.  Not only will they point out security issues with an app being uploaded into the store by a developer, they have a whole set of security tips for developers to implement in their apps.

The gulf of quality between the low end Chromebook devices and the high end Google Pixel is huge.  Most Chromebooks are under $350 but if you want a metal body device with a high end specs, you are going to have to shell out a thousand dollars for a Pixel.  That gulf has been bridged a bit today with the announcement from Google and HP for the new HP Chromebook 13 G1.  This mid-market device starts at $499 and while you can go up to $1000 for the top end, the entry level device is nicely spec’d for the price.

Microsoft has quietly rolled out updates to the Office suite apps Excel, PowerPoint and Word for Android today, bringing a few product enhancements and tweaks to each app.  For those of you who use and have the apps on your phone or tablet, the OTA updates are in the Google Play Store now and should be hitting your devices over the course of the next few days.  With these update, each app has gotten a bit of attention when it comes to new features or improvements to existing features.

There is a new update that is rolling out to OnHub devices today that brings the first step in IoT and automation support.  The update is a firmware update on the device itself (although there is an update to the Android app too) that brings support for IFTTT.  IFTTT stands for If This, Then That and there is now a dedicated OnHub channel on the site so you can automate and control devices and events in your house.  It’s the first step for Google’s smart home functionality that the OnHub is built for and it is probably the first step of many in this process.