Project Fi App Update Brings Outage Notifications

For subscribers to Project Fi, there is a new version of the app for Android available.  The update is version G.1.7.12 for those keeping score at home and while it brings some bug fixes and stability improvements, it also adds a key feature:  Notifications of service outages.

I have been using Project Fi on my Nexus 6 for a couple of months now and while I have not been impacted by an outage, there have been issues in the past like any other carrier (especially a new one like Fi).  To this point, in order to find out about an issue, you can to email, call or chat with the Fi team which can be a bit more time consuming.  Now that requirement is gone as you will get notifications of any outages right within the app.

If you are curious about Project Fi, you can read my review of the service to see what my experience has been like with it.

Chrome OS Update Out Today With Various Fixes

Earlier this morning I posted on an update to the Chrome browser that was released late yesterday.  Today, as is normally the case, the Chrome OS team has announced a new version is available for Stable Channel users based on the same update as the browser.  The new build of the OS is 47.0.2526.80 (Platform version: 7520.62.0) and it also includes an updated version of Adobe Flash Player, version 20.0.0.228-r1 for those keeping score at home.

Chrome OS users will likely recall that this is the second update to the platform in as many weeks which is not normally the case.  Google was very vague in the release discussing the update on what exactly was addressed, saying that there were bug and security fixes but not much else.  Usually they provide more details on specific bugs which may be an indicator that they don’t want the exploit widely known until more systems are up-to-date.

Google Play Music Family Coming Very Soon

Back in September at the Google event where we saw the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X for the first time, Google teased that Google Play Music for families would be coming soon to the streaming music service.  Since then, thanks have been a bit quiet on the offering but that ended earlier today.  On the Official Android Blog, the company outlined that the service will be available “in the coming days”.

You and your family will be able to sign up for a Google Play Music family plan in the coming days on Android devices in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, France and Germany, with more countries coming soon. You and your family members can listen on Android, iOS and the web.

If you are a family with lots of music lovers, this will be a great plan at only $14.99 per month for unlimited streaming and downloading for up to 6 members of your household.  Keep in mind that a single subscription is $9.99 per month so basically for $5 you getting 5 additional accounts.

HTC One A9 on AT&T Sees Android December Update

If you are a HTC One A9 owner on AT&T, it is a good day for you.  HTC’s Mo Versi announced on Twitter last night that the December Android Marshmallow update is now starting to roll out to your device.

When they released the One A9, HTC committed to having updates out for the device 15 days after they were released from Google.  So far, they are sticking to their promise but what makes this interesting is that AT&T is involved.  The commitment from HTC was that the updates would be released for unlocked devices, not those tied to carriers.  With AT&T getting the update out just days after it was released from Google, it would seem that the carrier is working hard to get device updates out quicker, something they have sorely lacked in the past.

Chrome Updated With More Security Fixes

If you are a Chrome browser user on Windows, Mac or Linux, there is another new update coming your way.  The team announced on the Chrome Releases blog yesterday that build 47.0.2526.80, for those keeping score at home, has been released to the stable channel and that updates to your installed version of Chrome are rolling out.  In all, there are 7 security fixes in this release, 2 of which were considered high priority.  As has become the practice, Google is not releasing details of what exactly was addressed in the release just yet.

Access to bug details and links may be kept restricted until a majority of users are updated with a fix. We will also retain restrictions if the bug exists in a third party library that other projects similarly depend on, but haven’t yet fixed.

If you have Chrome installed on your PC, Mac or Linux device, the update will come to you via an OTA update.  You can also force the issue by going into Settings>Advanced Settings and check for an update.

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