Tag: Google

Good news for those of you who have older Chromebooks.  Google has updated their auto-update policy and have added a full 18 months of support for devices.  The change comes as part of a general overhaul of what use to be called the End of Life policy on Chrome OS.  Along with the name change, and given the significant number of Chrome OS devices in the education sector, Google has extended the time in which a device will receive updates.  Up until this change over the weekend, devices would receive updates for five years.  Now that has been extended another 18 months to 6-and-a-half-years.  Given the lightweight design and somewhat “cookie cutter” layout of Chrome OS, this makes a lot of sense and, frankly, is easier for Google do with this platform than it is for Microsoft with Windows as a comparative example.

In real terms, this is a big deal.  If you have an Acer Chromebook 14 like me, support for that Chromebook now extends to March 2021.  While as a tech user I will undoubtedly update my Chromebook to something else before 2021, it is good news for organizations who have a lot of a particular device.  They can now plan on when they need to start doing technology refreshes.

Yesterday I posted on the improved support for Exchange in the latest update to the Gmail app.  The update to the app now allows you to manage your Exchange tasks from within the app so you don’t have to go elsewhere to do so.  There is another nice update that came with the 7.2 version when it comes to the app shortcuts.  Now when you long press the Gmail icon, you will be able with a single tap access any of the configured accounts you have in the app.

As readers likely know, in order for app shortcuts to work, you have to be running Nougat 7.1.1 or later.  That, for now, limits it to just a handful of devices unfortunately.

When you access the shortcuts, you will have one for each of your accounts along with a compose shortcut.  When you select one of your accounts, you are taken to the inbox for just that account, allowing you to focus just on it and not all of your emails from various accounts you have configured.

Google continues to show the love to Microsoft Exchange users with the latest update to Gmail.  The update is rolling out now and when you get it, you will be able to manage your tasks setup in your Exchange account through the app.  No longer do you have to depend on another app (like Outlook for Android) or your desktop client to manage them.

Google has supported Exchange accounts in Gmail on Nexus devices going back to the Nexus 5 but it wasn’t until mid-year last year that they opened this feature up to non-Nexus devices.  Since then, Google has been tweaking improvements into the app for Exchange but no major feature changes have happened until today.

Yesterday, from a wide range of sources, it was reported that Google has no plans of ever making a Pixel Chromebook follow up.  This lead to a lot of consternation as the Pixel lineup, while having a hefty price tag, were the premium Chrome OS experience.

Well, not so fast.  Google’s Rick Osterloh took to Twitter today and laid out that the Pixel Chromebook isn’t dead at all.  It is just that there is nothing to report on it.

Hey all, Google’s own Chromebooks aren’t “dead” as has been reported. They will live on, we just have *no plans to share at this time* 😉

— Rick Osterloh (@rosterloh) March 2, 2017

Now for those who don’t know who Mr. Osterloh is with Google, he is certainly a voice of authority on this topic.  He is the Senior Vice President of Hardware at Google.  Yeah, he might know a thing or two.

Google has quietly updated the supported services page for Google Home, adding iHeartRadio as a supported music streaming service.  Once it goes live, likely in the next few days, you will be able to request specific songs and artists to be played from the service.  Adding it will be similar to other services like Pandora and Google Play Music.  It will be under the Music section in the Google Home app where you will use your iHeartRadio account to sign in and link it to your Home.

The addition of this new service is another step in the continued growth of Google Home.  Dozens of informational services have been added since the smart speaker-meets-Google Assistant was released back in November.

Google’s announcement today of YouTube TV, a subscription based streaming service of live TV, has been met with mixed reviews.  When you compare the service to those of DirecTV Now and Sony Vue, it certainly has big holes in the offering.  It is pretty clear that Google was able to negotiate deals with the national carriers like ABC, CBS and NBC but weren’t (or haven’t completed yet at least) the big brands in cable like Viacom and AMC.  That means things like HBO just aren’t there in the offering.  That doesn’t mean they won’t be later, but Day One, nope.

So is it worth the $35 per month price tag?  It really depends on the content you are wanting to get.  For sure, having the ability to stream your local stations and have them stored in a Cloud DVR has a lot of appeal.  I rarely watch a show in real time.  It is always on my DVR or via an app on my phone or tablet.  I’m not alone, nor are you, and YouTube knows this as well.  The ability to record this week’s Big Bang Theory then watch it when I have time is a big bonus.  So having local channels while I’m on-the-go is nice.

But the real winner for viewers may be sports.