ClintonFitch.com

While the Android Oreo update is in the process of rolling out to the Samsung Galaxy S8 lineup, and is confirmed for the S7 series, there have been rumors to suggest that the 2016 Galaxy S6 series would also be getting the update.  Samsung, for their part, have not indicated one way or the other but thanks to T-Mobile, it looks like the S6 lineup along with the Note 5 will be getting updated.

Over the weekend, T-Mobile updated the support page for the Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+ and the Note 5.  The update is titled Phase: Complete: Version 8.0 Oreo with the following statement:

T-Mobile and the device manufacturer have agreed to support a new software update.

This is the most clear indication yet that the S6’s and Note 5 are going to get updated to Android Oreo.

Microsoft Launcher, the popular launcher app for Android, has a new and big update rolling out.  The new build is version 4.6 for those keeping score at home and it brings a full integration of Microsoft Cortana to the launcher.

Until now, Launcher and Cortana were two separate downloads and apps with basically no interaction between the two.  Now with the integration done, the behavior of Cortana in Microsoft Launcher is similar to the standalone app.  You can make calls, schedule meetings, change wallpaper and continue a browsing activity from your phone to your PC (assuming you are using Microsoft Edge in both places).

One of the tricks with Chrome OS is knowing which version is in the Stable, Beta or Dev channel for your particular device.  For most people, this is no big deal but when you see posts here on ClintonFitch.com and others about new builds, it may make you curious.  The challenge is figuring out where this information can be found.

Kevin Tofel, a long time friend and an influential podcaster/journalist on IoT and mobile tech in general, posted a link to a site yesterday that frankly, I never knew existed.  It is found at this link and lists all of the current versions of Chrome OS, for every device, in every channel.

The sleep monitoring app, Sleep as Android, has a new update rolling out that brings a huge number of improvements and new features.  The most exciting new feature is a new Dashboard view, allowing you to look at all of your sleep related data on one page in the app.

The Dashboard is customizable, allowing you to pin different cards to it to give you information that is personalized to you.  By default, it will show you when your next alarm is, your sleep score, your last sleep recording, your sleep Deficit chart and any advise to help improve your sleep.