Today’s Deal – Anker PowerLine USB-C Cable for $5.59

Today’s Deal over at Amazon is a quick, 4 hour sale on the Anker PowerLine USB-C cable.  The 3-foot USB-C to USB-A 3.0 cable is down to $5.59, down from it’s normal price of $11.99.  This price is good until the timer runs out or the designated number of cables are sold.

Anker makes some great accessories and I have no hesitation in recommending them.  Their cables are well designed and constructed so they will last a long time.  They are also backed by an 18-month warranty.

Android Pay Support in PayPal Now Rolling Out

Back in April it was announced that PayPal would be integrating with Android Pay so it could be used as a payment option when you are using Android Pay at a retailer.  That integration now is starting to show up for users.  In the latest version of the PayPal app, you now have an option in settings to link the two payment services together.  This then allows you to select it as your payment option when you are at a retail pay terminal.

The feature is rolling out now and is a combination of an app update.  You need to make sure that you have the latest build of the PayPal app, version 6.12.0.  If you have that and still don’t see the update, it is a matter of it being server-side loaded to your account.

Jamboard Now Available for Order for G Suite Customers

Back in March, at the Google Cloud Next event, Google announced a new whiteboard-meets-collaboration tool, Jamboard.  The 55″ 4K monitor comes with a stylus for interactions (it’s passive so no pairing required) and can even distinguish between the stylus and your finger.  Think of drawing with the stylus and erasing with a finger.

The idea is to increase productivity.  You have a whiteboard session that multiple users can interact with from different locations.  That includes Drive and the rest of G Suite. You can then collaborate seamlessly and has a built-in camera so it can be the center piece of a conference room.  While Google did not say specifically it was aimed at Surface Hub from Microsoft, it’s pretty clear this is aimed to take it on.

For those of you who are on G Suite, you can now call your Google Cloud partner or rep and order your Jamboard.  It costs $4999 plus an annual maintance fee of $600 ($300 if you order by September 30th).  If you want the rolling stand, that’s $1199 before September 30th, or $1399 afterward.

Search Phrases Comes to Gboard in Google Assistant

One of the best apps of late last year was Gboard from Google.  It replaced Google Keyboard and it is a much smarter, faster keyboard for your Android devices and for iPhone, where it debuted originally.  Now Google has quietly added a nice new feature to Gboard when you use it within Google Assistant.  It provides you with common search phrases just above the keyboard to make interacting a bit faster.

Assuming that you have Google Assistant on your phone (if you have Android Marshmallow or Nougat, you likely do), just long press the Home button on your phone to bring up Assistant.  Normally at this point I find it faster just to speak to Assistant to get the information I need but there are times that I can’t do that (I’m in a quiet place for example).  After you open up Assistant, note the keyboard icon in the lower left corner.  Tap it and that opens up your keyboard so you can type a query.

Android Pay Comes to Russia with Support from 15 Banks

Мои русские друзья, это хороший день для вас!  Good news for those in Russia.  Android Pay has come to your country with 15 banks supporting it.  The tap-to-pay service has been rumored for weeks to be coming to the country but Google made it official on their Russian site today.  It’s good news for a country and good for Android Pay as it continues its slow march across the planet.

As for the banks supported, here is the rundown:

  • Sberbank
  • Alfa-Bank
  • VTB24
  • Russian Standard Bank
  • Raiffeisen Bank
  • Bank Otkritie
  • Rocketbank
  • Tochka
  • Russian Agricultural Bank
  • Yandex.Money
  • B&N Bank
  • Tinkoff
  • Promsvyazbank
  • Ak Bars Bank
  • MTS Bank

While it certainly isn’t every bank in the country, key large banks within the country on on the list which means it will hit a large percentage of customers.

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