LineageOS Builds for Several Phones Now Available

LineageOS has started posting several experimental and nightly builds for various devices, including the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P.  The posting of the new software builds came as promised by the Lineage team and ironically keep Cyanogen elements in their versioning and naming conventions.  Right now the downloads page has builds for the two Nexus’ but also for the Nextbit Robin, Motorola G4/G4 Plus and the Xiaomi Redmi 1S.  Each build has the devices code name as part of the build name (Angler for the Nexus 6P for example) and the version numbering is what Cyanogen was using prior to their demise.  Builds 14.1 in LineageOS are Android Nougat 7.1.

All Chromebooks Onward Will Work With Android Apps

For a while now, the Chrome OS team has listed the various Chromebooks that support Android apps on the Chrome OS Systems Supporting Android Apps page.  To this point, the page listed the devices that would be seeing Android app support which has been through the developer and beta channels of Chrome OS.  It is expected that the stable channel will see Chrome OS 56 this month and fully launch app support for everyone.

Over the weekend, the support page changed with a clear and important statement regarding future devices.  Any Chromebook from 2017 onward will have Android app support.  While this isn’t entirely unexpected, the news is good for those who are considering a Chromebook and it further solidifies the relationship between Google’s two platforms.  While it appears unlikely we will see a merger of the two, it is clear their handshake relationship is supported and will remain so for the immediate future.

Today’s Deal – BLU R1 HD Amazon Prime Exclusive for $60

Today’s Deal over at Amazon is on the BLU R1 HD.  This 5″ HD curved display phone has been out of stock for a while but has returned at a great price of $59.99 for the 16GB storage model.  Like other Amazon Prime exclusive phones, the R1 HD comes with adverts on the lockscreen.  If you can live with that and are looking for a solid performing phone for yourself or a gift, take a look at it.  Normally it is $99 and if you order it you can get it in a couple of days thanks to free Amazon Prime shipping.

The BLU R1 HD is powered by a quad-core MdeiaTek 6725 processor running at 1.3GHz and has 2GB of RAM.  The 16GB of built in storage can be expanded up to an additional 64GB thansk to the MicroSD support.  The R1 HD is also a dual SIM phone for those who travel abroad.  The cameras on the phone include an 8MP primary camera and a 5MP front facing selfie camera that includes an LED flash for your selfies.

Microsoft Office 365 Apps for Android Updated With New Features

Microsoft has pushed an update out to the Android version of Excel, Word and PowerPoint to the Play Store.  The updated Office 365 apps brings new features to each app that continue the company’s drive to have feature parity between the desktop and the mobile screen.  For Excel, the big new feature is the ability to open a file that contains form controls.  Form controls, as the name suggests, are when you have a form embedded into a spreadsheet.  This previously could only be opened on the desktop.

For PowerPoint, a likely more useful addition than the form controls in Excel for most of us.  Now in PowerPoint on Android you can send a single slide to someone.  Previously you had to send the entire presentation and couldn’t send an individual slide.  Again, this is something you could do on the desktop and online version of PowerPoint but now can do it on your phone or tablet.

Take a Tour of The White House on Google Street View

With the election of the 45th President tomorrow, now is a great time to check out the White House.  Can’t make it to Washington, D.C.?  No problem.  Google Street View has added a wall through tour of the residence of the President that allows you to explore all the different rooms of this grand house.

The tour of the White House is available in Google Maps online but if you have the Street View apps on your Android Phone, you can just search for White House and it will get you there, complete with a wall through that you can do at your own pace.  And the best part is, there are no queues to enter.

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