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Google continues to update and improve the Google Play Music app through updates but also some behind-the-scenes updates to the music app.  The latest little touch came last week in a more streamlined and uniform search windows in the app.  Searching within the app has always been there but it has functioned slightly different than the search function in other Google apps.  That, it seems, is no longer the case.  Now when you tap the search icon within the app you see your search history in a drop down list and you can of course search for new terms like artists, albums or genre.

The update came to Google Play Music as a behind-the-scenes update and does not require a new version of the app for your Android phone or tablet.  It will just appear for you when it is rolled out to your device.  At this point however everyone should be seeing it.

Google Play Music – Free (In-App Purchases) – Download Now

Last summer I wrote a review of Google Fit and concluded that while it was a good start for a health & fitness app, it had a lot of growing up to do in order to compete with other apps and solutions out there.  That growing up process has been happening and happening quickly.  Over the course of the last couple of months, Google has added a significant amount of features and functionality to the app along with integrating with other apps like MyFitnessPal.  The latest update makes tracking your exercise easier by allowing you to do it from your smartwatch and not having to touch your phone.

The updated version of Google Fit is build 1.56.14 for those keeping score at home and it is available now in the Google Play Store.  When you update to this version, if you have a connected smartwatch, the app on it will be updated as well to allow you to start tracking activities.  The app is free of course and if you already have the app installed, the update will come to you via an OTA update.

Google Fit – Free – Download Now

While many carriers and OEMs are starting to roll out Android Marshmallow, it doesn’t mean that updates to Lollipop aren’t happening.  Case in point: Verizon and the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.  Over the weekend the US carrier announced that the Lollipop 5.1.1 build was rolling out to the Note 4, months after it was released by Google and seeming after a vast majority of carriers had already rolled out the update to their devices.  Still, better late than never as Note 4 users will certainly have the advantages of this much improved build of Lollipop over the .0 build.

The updated build according to Verizon is LMY47X.N910VVRU2BOK3 for those keeping score at home and there are three major things highlighted in the release notes for the build.

• Supports Android for Work. To learn more, go to https://www.google.com/work/android/
• Upgrades to Samsung Knox Platform, a comprehensive suite of mobile enterprise security solutions
• Removes pre-loaded Amazon Appstore and Amazon Widgets from the device

All of these changes are including along with the general performance and security updates of Lollipop 5.1.1.

If you are on a Windows 7 PC or Windows 2008 Server and are running Internet Explorer 8, 9 or 10, today is the day you need to upgrade.  Microsoft announced some time ago that support for these builds would be ending on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 in an effort to cut down on the wide range of product versions they have to support.  Internet Explorer was one of the most challenging apps for the Redmond company to keep updated as there have been so many different versions and there is still a huge number of PCs running these older versions.  In fact, in looking at the stats for the site, there are still some who are using v6!  Seriously folks, it is time to upgrade just so you can have the latest in security patches.

What the end of support means in Microsoft terms is that Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10 will no longer receive any updates of any type.  It is, as they say, what it is at this point.  No more performance or bug fixes, no more security updates, nothing. It is truly end of support.

If you have been considering giving Google Chrome a try and you are on one of these older builds, today may be a good time to give it a go.