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With the shipment of the Google Home device just days away for many of us, Google has started laying the groundwork for their arrival.  At the October event the company held, we learned that one of these steps would be rebranding the Google Cast app.  That has happened and is rolling out now.  The Google Home app is, essentially, the same app as Google Cast but will be able to add additional cast devices and of course the Home device once it is released.  Google, wisely in my opinion, has lumped the Cast and Home device management into one app, much like they have done with Google OnHub and Google Wi-Fi into the On app.  This will help cut down on the number of apps you have to install to manage the growing number of devices.

Google has announced that Android Pay will be integrating with two popular payment systems, MasterCard’s Masterpass and Visa’s Visa Checkout, in early 2017.  The integration will bring more opportunities for consumers to use the Pay app and selecting which backend payment option that want the funds to be drawn from for the transaction while shopping online.

Android Pay users will soon be able to pay on hundreds of thousands of new sites where Visa Checkout or Masterpass are accepted using their preferred device authentication method – like fingerprint recognition. No longer will users have to remember multiple usernames and passwords in order to checkout, saving them time and hassle.

When the app is updated in early 2017, you will be able to configure it to be your single app for payments online.

With orders now starting to arrive to those who ordered the new Google Pixel or Pixel XL, Google has posted both the factory images and the OTA updates for both phones on the Android Developer website.  This follows the trend that the company has had the last two device rounds (Nexus 5X/6P and Marshmallow & Nexus 6/Lollipop).  This means that, like the Nexus lineup before it, the Pixel lineup will have images that those who want to manually update their devices can use as soon as the images are released instead of waiting for the standard over-the-air updates.

There is a new update to Chrome for Android rolling out that has some nice new features for the browser.  The update is version 54.0.2840.68 for those keeping score at home and is now in the Google Play Store.  The OTA update should roll out to your devices over the course of the next few days.  Once you have it, there are three new features that will be available that improve the overall experience of the app.  First, there are new article suggestions when you open up a new tab.  This will be based on your browsing history as well as topics you’ve identified in other Google services (like Google News) that are of interest to you.