Author: Clinton

After about a month of testing in the beta channel, Google has released a significant update to the Chrome browser for Windows, Mac and Linux.  The update brings the browser to version 48 (48.0.2564.82 for those keeping score at home) and comes with a long list of security fixes and improvements.  In total, there are 37 fixes in this update to the browser and users of Chrome are encouraged to get the update quickly.  You can always let your Chrome browser find the update on its own or you can force the issue by going to menu>Settings>About and it will force your install to go look for an update.

A blog update on the Chrome blog is expect soon to highlight all of the changes.

The Project Fi app for users of the Google’s MVNO has been updated and it brings a great new feature:  Multiple voicemail messages.  Now you can record multiple greeting for your voicemail on the service and select which one you want to use for a particular day or event.  The update comes as version is G.1.7.16 for those keeping score at home and it is in the Google Play Store now.  You likely have already received an OTA update for it but if not, it will be there in a day or two.

You will know that you have the update when you go into the app, scroll down to Voicemail then tap on Manage greeting.  You will see a blue microphone icon at the bottom of the screen which you can tap (and my be prompted for microphone permissions) to record a new greeting.  Once you do, you can name it and it will be saved to your account.

Project Fi – Free – Download Now

Right now over at Case-Mate, you can save 40% off select cases for your Samsung devices.  This includes cases for the Samsung Galaxy S5, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, and Galaxy Note 4.  The sale is on well over 2 dozen cases so there is a style and look for just about everyone in this sale.

The sale is on now and the discounts are automatically applied when you put  the case of your choice in your shopping cart.  There is no limit to the number of cases you can buy that are on sale but you can’t combine it with any other offers.

To make the deal even better, Case-Mate is offering free shipping on your purchases throughout the sale.

Save up to 40% off Samsung Cases on Sale now at Case-Mate

Starbucks has released a great little update to their already pretty impressive Android app that allows you to capture the music you are hearing in the store with Spotify and add it to your account.  The update is version 3.4 for those keeping score at home and is rolling out to the Google Play Store now.  If you haven’t seen the update yet, you should in the next day or so.

In participating stores, you can use the Starbucks app on your phone to capture the music you are hearing and then add it to your Spotify playlist.  I’ve always found the music playing in most stores to be pretty good and often music that I wouldn’t discover on my own.  Now you have a great way to capture it, take it with you and listen to while you are away from your local Starbucks.

Starbucks – Free – Download Now

If you are rolling with the Asus ZenFone 2, there is a new update out for your phone.  Now before you get all excited, no, this is not the Android Marshmallow update that is slated to come to it (along with several other Asus devices) but rather a stability update to Android Lollipop.

The update is version 2.20.40.164_20160107_6983(MR9.13) and it was released yesterday into the wild.  The update is really focused on bringing fixes and improvements to the device although there is a new feature that adds the ability to change the screenshot sound settings.  The update is less than 100MB so it can easily be downloaded via Wi-Fi or cellular data.  In all there are 14 updates in the release which I’ve outlined after the break.

Last week I reviewed the great podcast app Pocket Casts, an app that I have no hesitation in recommending to anyone who is looking for a solid podcast app for the Android (or iOS or Windows Phone) devices.  This week, as these things go, the developer of Pocket Casts, Shifty Jelly, has released a significant update to that app that brings a host of new features and improvements.  Two of the big ones are time-based filters and support for Android Marshmallow data backup.  The update is version 5.3 for those keeping score at home and it is available now in the Google Play Store.

“You can now filter episodes by time. In the filter settings page there is a new option called “Released in the last” which you can set to 24 hours, 3 days, 1 week etc. We have changed the episode filters new users will have and this update will also add them to your list of filters.” according to the release notes from Shifty Jelly.  The best example of when to use this is if you have a lot of podcasts to listen to or watch and you only want to catch up on the last 2 or 3.  It makes searching and sorting much easier.

Pocket Casts – $3.99 – Download Now