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A bit unexpected, Google has announced the Developer Preview of the next generation of Android, Android O.  The program is designed for those who want to check out what is coming in the next version as well as developers who want to start preparing their apps for the build.  It is not intended for general consumption and should not be considered a beta!  At this point, Android O is very much an alpha or even pre-alpha build and I highly recommend non-developer readers not to install it on their daily devices.  To give you an idea of just how alpha this build is, it isn’t even in the Android Beta program yet.  That’s still focused on Android Nougat 7.1.2.

On the preview page, Google highlights five key areas in which O will be focused:  Notification channels, picture-in-picture viewing, autofill, adaptive icons and multi-display support.  All of these are aimed at making the platform more flexible and considering that Android now runs on Chrome OS, the ability to do some of these things will become ever increasing in importance.

Earlier this week I posted a review of the Nova Launcher for Android.  In that review, I pointed out that if you are looking for a launcher that has a whole load of knobs to turn, it is the best option for you.  But for those of you who aren’t interested in turning all the knobs or, more particularly, are deep in the Microsoft ecosystem, there is a solid option for you too.  The Microsoft Arrow Launcher.

Arrow Launcher doesn’t have the configurability of Nova Launcher nor does it pretend to have them.  Instead, Microsoft has taken this launcher and focused it on productivity.  Contacts, apps and documents are easily accessible from the launcher, getting you editing that Word file quicker and with few taps than opening the app itself.  But it also does all this with speed and battery friendliness that makes it a great option even for those who don’t necessarily use the Office apps.

I’ve been running Microsoft Arrow Launcher on my Nextbit Robin for the past few weeks and I have no problem giving it a thumbs up.  It works great, has enough configurability for those want to tweak a little bit and gets you deep into the Office apps without having to fuss with it.  Here’s my review and thoughts on Arrow Launcher.

With the announcement and launch of the Samsung Galaxy S8 coming on March 29th, at the current rate of leaks, there will be little mystery left on new flagship from the Korean manufacture.  It seems daily there are leaked images, leaked component details and other tidbits.  But one interesting report has come from ETNews in Korea about the production levels of the new Galaxy S8 and S8+.  From the report, it is expected that Samsung will be producing in the neighborhood of 12.5m units in March and April to meet the expected demands when the phone goes on sale and pre-orders are filled at the end of April.  To put that into perspective, Samsung sold 10m units for the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge last year with 20 days of release.  Samsung, it seems, wants to be prepared.

Breaking it down further, the 5.8″ Galaxy S8 will be 7.1 million according to ETNews while the larger 6.2″ S8+ will have around 5.4 million in available supplies at the time of release.

Today over at Amazon, you can pick up a great deal on the iClever BoostCube dual port USB wall charger.  Right now you can pick on up for $8.99.  This charger, about the same size as the single charger for Apple’s iPad, sports two USB 2.4A ports and 24W of power to easily charge two devices at once.  It also has built-in LEDs in each port so you can find it in the dark and has iClever’s SmartID technology to charge your devices efficiently and quickly.

iClever recently redesigned this charger, aiming at squarely for those who travel.  The AC prongs now fold into the chassis of the charger itself, making it easy to pack and a bit more compact.  Performance wise, it is an excellent accessory whether it is for your home, office or traveling.  It can charge Android and iOS devices handily and with the SmartID technology, you don’t have to worry about over charging of your devices.