Tag: Android

In part of a broader announcement regarding Android Oreo Go Edition, Google has announced that Android Oreo 8.1 will be available to eligible Pixel and Nexus devices starting later today.  The update is the first maintenance release for Oreo and brings several refinements to the platform.  Oreo 8.1 has been in beta testing since October and Google had committed to getting it out to the general public before the end of 2017.

Along with a handful of refinements, Oreo 8.1 brings enables the Pixel 2’s Pixel Visual Core, Google visual co-processor, an updated API set (API Level 27) and several minor tweaks to help prevent screen burn-in and other fixes.

Of all of my Google devices, Google Home is quickly becoming my favorite.  I use it for everything from catching up on the morning news, listening to music or podcasts, and getting information with a simply command.  With Google Assistant built-in and Google continually adding functionality, we are only now seeing the tip of the iceberg of what Google Home could be doing for us and our smart homes in the future.

Normally Google Home is $129 but through the month of December, at the Google Store, you can pick one up for $79.  That $50 savings would effectively let you buy a Google Home Mini (nearly two in fact) so you can have Google Assistant available to you in multiple rooms in your home.  The Home Mini is down to just $29 right now at the Google Store.

Microsoft has rolled out another update to Microsoft Cortana, their personal assistant app & service, for Android.  The update is version 2.9.10 for those keeping score at home and should be hitting devices with the Assistant installed over the course of the next few days.

There are several improvements in this update, the most visible of which is and enhanced upcoming view for better calendar and missed reminders management.  Now calendar events are more discretely listed in the Upcoming page which makes it easier to find upcoming events and reminders.  There is also a new “Here’s what I can do” card at the top of the Upcoming tab to help you with some of the commands that you can give to Cortana.

Smart Suggestions for tasks have also been improved in this update.  These include the ability to have a reminder added or an event added.

Good news this morning for those of you with the unlocked variant of the HTC U11 Life here in the United States – Android Oreo is on its way.  HTC has released the promised update to the latest version of Android just a few weeks after the device itself was released.

The update, which is just over 1GB in size, is coming only to the unlocked variants of the phone and, for now, is US only. But, keep in mind, that the rest of the world version of the U11 Life was an Android One device which already had Oreo.  That means those of us in the US are more-or-less catching up.  Either way, it is good to see HTC keep to their promise to get this update out quickly.

Microsoft continues to polish their Microsoft Edge browser for Android in the latest preview update.  This new update, version 1.0.0.1267 for those keeping score at home, is rolling out now to those who have installed it and brings a host of bug fixes and performance improvements to the browser.

Along with those bug fixes, there are a couple of new features that are noteworthy in the update.  First, there is now an option for a dark theme.  This is designed to make viewing in low light situations easier by turning the background dark.  It is similar to what the Twitter app does in low light or at night.  Unfortunately, this new feature right now requires a manual intervention.  You have to set it to the dark theme in settings.  Hopefully this will change to an auto-sensing or time-based setting before release.

Today’s Deal is on a 5-pack of durable, USB-C braided cables from AUKEY.  The pack of cables consists of one 6.6′ cable, three 3.3″ cables and one 1′ cable.  All of the cables are USB-C to USB-A so they you can plug them into any standard USB port.  Today and the rest of this week, you can pick up this pack of cables for $14.99 when you use the coupon code AUKCM007.

The cables support USB 3.1 and have data transfer rates up to 5Gbps while safely charging your devices at up to 3A with a 56k ohm resistor.  That means that the cables are able to take on Samsung’s Adaptive Fast Charging or Qualcomm Quick Charge to charge your compatible devices quickly, efficently and safely.