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Another key manufacture of Android devices, Motorola, has confirmed that a wide swath of their phones over the past year and a bit will be receiving the Android Oreo update.  The news came through the company’s blog and it has a nice list of devices from late 2016 through today that are going to eventually be upgraded to the latest version of Android.  The question, as always, is when.  The announcement indicated “this Fall” but for the majority of the devices, it will likely be 2018.

Here is the list of devices that will be upgraded to Android Oreo

• moto z
• moto z Droid
• moto z Force Droid
• moto z Play
• moto z Play Droid
• moto z² Play
• moto z² Force Edition
• moto x⁴
• moto g⁵
• moto g⁵ Plus
• moto g^5S
• moto g^5S Plus

Interestingly, the Moto G4 and G4 Plus are not going to be upgraded.

For readers who are on Sprint and wanted to pick up the new Essential PH-1, today’s a good day.  Starting today, you can pick up the PH-1 from the carrier both online and in stores.  It will mark a turning point for availability of the phone as shipping from Essential has been slow and it has hasn’t even started from Amazon yet.

Sprint has a promotion running on their Sprint Flex Lease scheme.  Effectively you save 50% off the cost of the phone if you order now which drops the price of the phone to $14.58 per month for 12 months.  Using this program, you save about $260 according to the carrier. Want to buy it outright?  No problem.  You can do that from Sprint for $699.99.

Microsoft’s Arrow Launcher for Android has slowly but surely becoming a solid launcher for Android devices.  The company, through the Microsoft Garage project team, has continually been adding features, improving the stability, and the performance of the launcher.

If you are a heavy Microsoft user, you should consider Arrow Launcher for your launcher.  You can read my review of it here.

Back in June, in the 3.5 update to Arrow Launcher, the introduced a new feature, Arrow Hub.  Arrow Hub allows you to easily sync photos, documents, videos and anything you have in your Android device’s clipboard to the cloud which you can then get to via the web or OneDrive.  It is brilliantly simple and is an effective way to get files from your phone to your PC, Mac or Chromebook.

So how does it work and how do you get to your files?  In this How To I will outline how the feature works on your Android device and how to get to those files.

Prerequisite:  This How To assumes that you are running Arrow Launcher on your Android phone.  If you are not, you can download it free from the Play Store.  It also assumes that you have a Microsoft account that you can use with Arrow Launcher, OneDrive, etc.

Today’s Deal is on a great headphones set for exercising or every day use.  The Anker SoundBuds Slim wireless headphones feature a behind-the-neck design that are incredibly lightweight and are IPX4 water resistant.  That means rain or sweat are not an issue for this Bluetooth headset.  Right now on Amazon you can pick up a pair for $19.99, a savings of 44% off the regular price.

The Anker SoundBuds feature 6mm drivers for the audio and connects to your phone via Bluetooth 4.1.  This delivers an excellent sound quality and reliable connection while you are on the go at the gym, in the office or just lounging about.  The headset is designed with keeping things lightweight as it only weighs .48 ounces (13.6 grams in new money).  It is also designed to be customizable with various sizes of Ear Tips and InEar-Hooks to make sure you have a snug but comfortable fit.

Did I mention that 7 hours of use between charges?  Yeah… 7 hours.  That’s solid performance from any Bluetooth headset and Anker has really done their homework with the engineering in the SoundBuds.