Category: Google

I am an unapologetic fan of Google+.  It is a great source of information, tips, new ideas and communicating with other Android users who share a passion for the platform. But, as we all know, Google+ hasn’t exactly gained huge grounds in terms of users (the joke is that only Googlers use Google+) but that doesn’t mean it is completely dead in the eyes of Mountain View.  Today the company announced a wide range of changes that are coming to the social platform including a completely revamped user experience that focuses more on communities and collections.  If you remember back to my first post on how I use Google+, I pointed out that Communities was one of the key draws to the platform.  It would seem that I’m not alone.

Google+ for Android – Free – Download Now

Project Fi, Google’s MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) service is starting to come into is own. With a line up of three devices that fully take advantage of the service (Nexus 6, Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X), more users of the service are coming on board daily with Google significantly cutting the time from when you request an invite to when you receive it (it is a matter of a week or two versus 6-8 weeks earlier this year). As I posted shortly after the Nexus event where we saw the 6P and 5X launched, Google is serious about Project Fi and based on my experience so far, the service is exceptional.  The service uses a combination of Wi-Fi, T-Mobile and Sprint to provide you low cost data and voice on your device.  I’ll have a full review of Project Fi in a few weeks but today I want to focus on the activation process when you receive your Google Fi SIM.

To be clear, I’m assuming in this How To that you already have ordered and receive your SIM. If you haven’t, you can continue to read but I’d recommend bookmarking this post until you get your SIM. If you have your SIM then after the break I’ll show you step-by-step how to activate your new Project Fi service.  If you have not ordered your Project Fi SIM, go to http://fi.google.com to order it.

Today Asus and Google announced that the all new Asus Chromebit is now available for purchase from a wide range or retailers around the globe.  It is the fulfillment of a product that the companies announced back in March.  You can now pick one up for $85.  But what is it exactly?

The Chromebit is a Chrome OS computer that is roughly the size of your favorite granola bar that plugs into an HDMI port on any monitor or television.  Plug it in and bada-bing, you have a Chrome OS computer.  It is powered by the Rockchip ARM processor, has 2GB or RAM and 16GB of storage built in plus it has a USB 2.0 port, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0.  No it is not going to set any land speed records when it comes to processing power but given that it is running a full version of Chrome OS, you can do just about anything on the Chromebit that you can do on a Chromebook.

For $85.  Not bad.

For those of you who use Google Photos, there are some big updates coming your way both in the Android app and on the services website.  In a post on his Google+, Google’s John Elstone posted about the changes which are going to be released this week, likely today or tomorrow.  The first two updates have to do with the Android based Google Photos app and focus on being able to delete backed up photos from your devices and SD cards to save space.  The third update is on the Google Photos website that brings a much wanted downgrade feature for photos from “Original Quality” to “High Quality”.

Google Photos for Android – Free – Download Now

On the Google Apps blog today, Google has announced an improved view of your Recent Files in Google Drive is coming to the website for the service. The update, which will be rolling out over the course of the next 1-3 days for all users, will still be divided into files accessed today, yesterday and so forth but will have more information about how that file was accessed.

Comic books are not just a kid thing anymore and with more people reading them on their mobile devices, the need for a good reader quickly becomes important. To that end, Google has released an updated version of Google Play Books that is specifically aimed at making comic book reading easier.

Today, Google Play Books is getting an upgrade specifically designed for comic book fans, making it easier to read your favorite comics on your phone or tablet. Reading a comic book is all about following the story and enjoying the art, dialogue and pace the way you want.

It is a big step forward for the reading app and those of us who like reading comics will certainly see the benefits of immediately as it is a much, much better reading experience.

Google Play Books – Free – Download Now