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Today’s Deal is on the low profile USB Flash Drives from SanDisk.  Over at Amazon you can pick up the SanDisk Ultra Fit 64GB drive for $18 with other sizes available.  The Ultra Fit series are designed to fit into the USB 3.0 port of your PC, Mac or Chromebook and not protrude like a normal Flash Drive.  Indeed, the idea is that you can leave it in your computer without ever having to take it out when you slip it into a bag or backpack.

The sale is on the 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB versions of the Ultra Fit.  All four are have a zippy read speed of 150MB/s so while they are too slow to run apps from, they are perfect for data, photos and videos.  The drives also come with SanDisk’s SecureAccess software to encrypt the drives should they ever be lost or stolen (although you can use MacOS and BitLocker encryption should you choose to do so instead).  I personally use one  of these Ultra Fit drives (the 64GB model) and have no problem recommending them.  They are a great performing accessory for your Chromebook (in my case).

Today’s Deal is on the all new Moto G5 Plus.  The phone was announced last week and today is its first day of availability.  You can pick up the Android Nougat running phone with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for $239 from Amazon.  There are a lot of options on this phone but if you are willing to put up with Amazon ads on the lock screen, you can save a few dollars.

The Moto G5 Plus has a 5.2″ Full HD display rendering at 1024 x 1920.  That gives you a solid PPI count of 424, making it easy on the eyes for long periods of viewing.  It is powered by the Snapdragon 625 processor running all eight cores at 2.0GHz.  As mentioned, the top end configuration has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.  That storage can be expanded up to an additional 256GB thanks to the MicroSD slot.

The phone is sold unlocked on Amazon so it works with various carriers.  A nice benefit is for you Verizon and Sprint customers.  Yes, this phone will work for you as it supports GSM and CDMA.  AT&T and T-Mobile customers, it’s fully compatible for you too.

Good news this morning for those with the Moto G4 Plus.  For those who have the unlocked version of the phone, the Android Nougat update is rolling out to you starting today.  The update brings all of the goodness of Nougat 7.0 to the budget friendly but powerful phone.  Once you have it installed, things like improved Doze, multi-window support and inline notification replies will be yours.

The update weighs in at about 740MB so you will certainly want to make sure that you are on Wi-Fi to download the OTA update.  Once you have it downloaded, expect about a 15-20 minute install before a final reboot.  You’ll need to make sure you have plenty of battery (75% or more remaining) so you can do the update.

A small update to Gmail is currently rolling out to the Google Play Store that brings support for GIF keyboards from within the app.  The update is build 7.3.13.151698241.release for those keeping score at home and who like to play Google version Bingo.  When it is installed, you will be able to insert GIF animations directly from the keyboard instead of having to go to another app, then copy-and-paste it into your message.  In order for it to work, you have to be using a GIF supporting keyboard like Google’s own Gboard.

Once you have the update, inserting GIFs is done like it is any other app when using a supporting keyboard.  You can search for GIFs from the keyboard, tap them, and they are inserted into your messages.