Google Chrome Browser Update for Windows & Mac Released

If you are a Google Chrome user on your Windows PC or Mac, there is a small but important update that has been released.  The updated builds are 54.0.2840.99 for Windows and 54.0.2840.98 for Mac.  Note that there is no update for Linux yet.  According to the release notes from the Chrome team, there are additional changes to the browser for that platform and it will be updated tomorrow.  The update will come via an OTA update but if you want to force the issue, go to chrome://help in the browser and it will force the update to happen.  I’ve already done this for my Macbook so the update is readily available.

Read on for details on what has changed.

Google Home Actions API Opening To Developers Next Month

Having had a Google Home in my house for most of this week, there are some things that need improvement (I’ll cover that in more detail in my review coming up next week).  One of those areas is app integration.  There are just a handful of apps that work with the help of Google Assistant and Google Home.  For it to be successful, this has to change and it likely will starting next month.  Google has announced that the Google Assistant Actions API will be opening up to developers starting next month.  That means developers will be able to enhance their apps to work with Assistant and, in turn, Home, through three different action models.  First, there is the Direct Actions.  This is designed for straightforward requests for things like home automation, etc.  As the name suggests, it is something you direct your app to do as it interacts with Assistant.

Read on for more details

App Notifications and Other Improvements Come to Google Docs, Sheets and Slides

Google is in the process of rolling out updates to their Android apps for Google Docs, Google Sheets and Google Slides.  The updates, mainly aimed at G Suite customers, brings a lot of improvements to each app individually but collectively brings them all in-app notifications.  Today, the way it works, is if you are collaborating with someone on a document, you get a notification that they have updated it – in Google Drive.  With the update to the apps, now you get the notifications within each app.  It is a bit of a no-brainer really.  Each app’s notifications are separate from the others so you will only see notifications for Google Sheets in Google Sheets.

Read on as there are other improvements beyond notifications.

Review of The Choetech Nightlight & Charger – Handy and Helpful

While it is handy to have a nightlight in a room, having one that serves a bit more than just soft light at night is a bonus.  That’s exactly what Choetech has aimed to do with their nightlight.  The Cheotech Nighlight certainly gives the soft, LED light that you would expect from a nightlight but it has the bonus of two USB ports so you can charge your devices while you sleep. Best of all, Choetech designed this nightlight for energy efficiency, safety and automatic turning on and off as natural light fills the room.

The company sent me one of these nightlights to review and having used it over the course of the past few weeks, I have to say I’m pretty impressed.  For sure it isn’t going to be the fastest charging ports you will find but given that you will be using them as you sleep, they get the job done.  Equally, the lighting provide is soft and relaxing.  All this for a under $15 makes it a great value.  Here’s my review.

Today’s Deal – Turbot 3-Coil Qi Charging Stand for $20

Today’s Deal is for those of you who have a device that has Qi wireless charging built into it.  Over at Amazon you can pick up the Turbot 3-coil desktop stand charger for such devices for just $20.  That’s a savings of 56% off the regular price.  The stand holds your device at a 60 degree angle for easy viewing while it is charging.  Because it has 3 coils for charging, it is fast and efficient at charging your devices plus, the design lends itself to getting the charging connection right given the location of the coils in the stand.  The charger also is designed so that it keeps cool while charging, something many other wireless chargers struggle with as they can easily get over 100F.

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