Author: Clinton

In a move that will surprise some, Microsoft has announced that the upcoming Microsoft Office 2019 release will only be able to run on Windows 10 PCs.  According to the announcement, the following platforms will be able to run the perpetual version of Office

• Any supported Windows 10 SAC release
• Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2018
• The next LTSC release of Windows Server

Further, Microsoft will not support MSI installs for Office 2019 but will be installed only by click-to-run technology.  MSI’s will be offered for the server products.

NVIDIA has released a significant update to their Android TV device, the NVIDIA SHIELD.  What the company is calling Experience 6.3 brings a lot of features and fixes to the device.  For US owners, the headliner is support for Nest Cameras.

Now through your SHIELD, which already has Google Assistant built-in, you can ask the device to show you various Nest cameras that you have throughout your house and it will be displayed on your television.  There is also improved Google Assistant support with the NVIDIA SHIELD now able to control over 1000 devices through Assistant.

Last month, Google announced that they were going to be releasing an update to Google Play Services to address a network issues caused by the service.  The issue would essentially flood your home network with packets as your phone would continually try to connect to Chromecast devices on it – your Chromecast and Google Home devices specifically.

The update, at the time, rolled out into the beta for Play Services but today is rolling out to everyone.  The new build is version 11.9.75 and should be coming to devices over the course of the next few days.

The Chrome OS Beta Channel has a new Chrome 64 based update rolling out, its third overall in the 64 train and second update in less than a week.  The new version is build 64.0.3282.134 (Platform version: 10176.65.0) and is rolling out now.  If you are in the Beta Channel, you can force the update by typing chrome://help in the browser’s omnibar and checking for an update.

As you would expect, this new build is a bug fix release as the Chromium team gets feedback from testers and preps the build for general availability in the Stable channel.  There are no new features according to the release log.

Huawei has begun sending out press invites to an event being held on March 27 in Paris.  The event is likely the launch event for the follow up to last year’s P10, the Huawei P20.  The invite does not specifically call out the P20 but only references “new flagship devices”.  Given that the Mate 10 Pro has already been announced, the P20 is the logical answer to what will be shown at the event.

Not much is known about the Huawei P20.  Rumors suggest it will have a triple rear camera configuration and will likely be powered by the new Kirin 970, the Huawei built SoC that powers the Mate 10 Pro.  There will also likely be three devices in the lineup:  The P20, P20 Light and P20 Plus.

Google has rolled out some cloud-side updates to their site, Google Flights.  The updates bring some clearer information about the new Basic Economy fare from United, American and Delta, as well as providing flight delay predictions based on historical data.

Basic Economy is something new for United, American, and Delta.  It is a very stripped down fare where everything is an extra charge, including bringing carry-on luggage with some of the carriers.  While great for those on a budget, these extra fees can rack up quickly if you aren’t careful.  Flights now gives you information on what is restricted when you are looking up potential flights on Basic Economy.  This is to help you avoid excess fees and to make an informed purchase.