First, folders and app icon gestures are now a thing.  You can now setup folders on your Home screen or apps to open when you swipe them.  This is done by long pressing the folder or icon, tapping the edit icon (the pencil) and the enabling swipe.

Another improvement is in the expanded dock.  You can now select if you want apps, pinned contacts, folders, a search bar or widgets in the lower row of the dock.  Related, folders in the app drawer can now be sorted alphabetically

Microsoft Launcher for Android

There are some general UI improvements in this update to Microsoft Launcher.  Some of the animations have been adjusted with blur effects as an option.  Also, app badges are now in the App Drawer.

Finally, this update brings full support to Android Oreo while it drops support for Android Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0.x) and Android Jelly Bean (4.1).

If you are currently using Microsoft Launcher, the update should have already landed on your phone via an OTA update.  If you want to download it and give it a try, you can do that in the Google Play Store.

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Chrome 68 was expected to be in the Chrome OS Stable Channel by this point.  That release was suppose to happen on July 31st but clearly hasn’t yet.  While the release notes don’t indicate why there is a delay or any specific bug found, the delay in release likely indicates a last minute issue was discovered or something new cropped up.  That’s the life of beta software.

As these things tend to go, the Chromium team within Google has been pretty tight lipped on what is new in this build.  We only get the generic This build contains a number of bug fixes, security updates and feature enhancements.  

At this point it remains unclear when we will see Chrome 68 promoted to the Stable Channel.  It is possible that this .87 build of 68 is what we will see on the initial release into the production channel and it could be as soon as next week?  Maybe?

As always, you can check the current builds in all the channels on the Chrome OS Builds page here on the site.

The post Chrome OS Beta Channel Sees a Seventh Chrome 68 Build appeared first on ClintonFitch.com.

The problem this solves is straight forward.  Prior to this update, if I issued the command, “Hey Google, turn off the lights”, it would turn off all the smart lights in my house, regardless of their location.  With this update, if I issue the same command, it will only adjust the lights in the room in which my Google Home picked me up.  This is were tagging like “Living Room”, “Office” and other areas become key.

I have this a test last night and it worked like a champ.  In my office, I issued the command to turn off the light and it turned off my desk lamp as expected.  My other smart lights throughout the home however remained on.  Now to be fair, you could do this before by adding “in this room” to your command or “in the office” but this flows a bit more naturally.

Google hasn’t come out and said anything about this yet so I don’t know if they will post something on it later today or next week or it will simply remain an undocumented feature.  Either way, it’s handy if you have multiple smart devices that you are controlling from your Google Home.

The post Google Home Now Understands Location and Adjusts Smart Home Items in That Room Only appeared first on ClintonFitch.com.

The 13″ Chromebooks sport a 2256 x 1504 IPS display with a 3:2 aspect ratio.  They are powered by the Intel Core i3 or i5 processors and comes with a minimum of 8GB of RAM.  For the Chromebook 13, you get 32GB of Storage.  For the Chromebook Spin 13, you can get either 8GB or 16GB of RAM which is coupled up with 64GB or 128GB of storage depending on the configuration.

Moving to the Chromebook 15 models from Acer, on these devices you have a 15.6″ display that renders 1920 x 1080.  They are powered by Celeron or Pentium processors, depending on your configuration.  Like the 13″ models, you have 8GB of RAM and either 32GB or 64GB of storage depending on the configuration.

For all four of the new Acer Chromebooks, you have the same port configurations.  That is, you have two USB 3.1 Type-C ports, a USB-A 3.0 port, and a MicroSD card slot for additional storage.

Acer Chromebook 13

Pricing for the Chromebook 13 will start at $649 while the Chromebook Spin 13 will be $749.  Sales for these Chromebooks will begin in September.  As for the Chromebook 15, it will be priced at $349 while the Chromebook Spin 15 will be pegged at $449.

As for pricing and availability, Acer has confirmed that the Chromebook 13 will start at $649.99 while the Chromebook Spin 13 will be $749.99. Sales for both machines will begin in the U.S. starting in September.

The post Acer Announces Four New Chromebooks – Two 13″ and Two 15″ Models appeared first on ClintonFitch.com.

Counterpoint Research has published their report on the Smartphone market and they, like IDC earlier in the week, confirm that Huawei has passed Apple as the number two smartphone company in the world.  But the Counterpoint report goes into more details than the IDC report on the “other” brands, of which Nokia is lumped into.  That’s where you find that the brand has gained some 782% in market share since Q2 2017.

Counterpoint in their report published this chart which is of the number of units shipped and the second is their percentage of market share in the market.  That big green bar in the first chart?  That’s HMD A.K.A. Nokia

Counterpoint Research Smartphone Market Share for Q2 2018

From a market share perspective, the bottom chart, the brand grew from having less than 1% of the market to a full percentage point.  Clearly that’s not going to alter orbits in the overall smartphone market but it is significant given just how troubled the brand was just a few years ago and many where skeptical when HMD Global acquired the rights to use the brand.

The fact is, while the name Nokia certainly helps, HMD is producing some great phones under the brand name.  Their lineup of devices cover almost every pricing category, they are generally available globally, and they keep them up-to-date regularly.  All of that, along with a pretty pure Android experience, has allowed them to see this huge gain.

Nokia 6, Nokia 7 Plus and Nokia 8 Sirocco

You can read the full report over at Counterpoint Research to get further details on their perspectives on the market.

The post Counterpoint Research Report Pegs Nokia’s Growth at Over 780% Since Last Year appeared first on ClintonFitch.com.

pic.twitter.com/ovby4pC3ph

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) August 2, 2018

Given that it is pretty much a given that Android P will launch in August, it wasn’t super hard to figure out what was meant by the post.

Historically, August 20th fits the trend of the past few releases of Android.  Android Oreo was released August 21, 2017 and Android Nougat was released on August 22, 2016.  It also fits well with the overall schedule that Google set for the release back when it was first rolled out to developers.

Of course, the big surprise with this release of Android remains:  What will it be named?  The odds-on favorite seems to be Pistachio Ice Cream but really it is just a guessing game until the actual release date.  The Pistachio name got a lot of support after a Huawei support tech referenced it in a support case with a customer.

Finally, as a reminder for those who are new to Android, if the August 20th release date stands, it will only be released for the lineup of Pixel devices initially while those companies with phones in the Android Beta Program like Essential and OnePlus (with the OnePlus 6) will likely see it shortly thereafter.  Others will have to wait potentially many months to get it.

The post Android P Expected to be Released on August 20th appeared first on ClintonFitch.com.

First up in this update is the ability to make a GIF from Text.  Gboard has had the ability for users to make their own GIFs for some time now but it was always photo based.  Now you can make one from text as well.

Second is the new languages supported in this update.  In all, 28 new languages are now supported in Gboard for Android.  Here is the rundown for you:

• Bagri
• Batak Toba
• Bench
• Bhili
• Capiznon
• Chavacano
• Eastern Min
• Fiji Hindi
• Ge’ez
• Gurani
• Ingush
• Karachay
• Khorasani Turkic
• Kipsigis
• Maharashtrian Konkani
• Lezgian
• Mizo
• Maguindanao
• Malay (Brunei)
• Maranao
• Southern Min
• Northern Sami
• Qashqa’i
• Rinconada Bikol
• Surjapuri
• Tausug
• Upper Saxon
• Vasavi

Google has long said they want to position Gboard as the go-to keyboard for Android and has spent a huge amount of time to get the language support into the app.  The keyboard app now supports well over 300 different languages natively.

If you have Gboard installed, you should have the update already or will very shortly once it is available on your account.

The post Gboard for Android Update Brings Support for 28 New Languages appeared first on ClintonFitch.com.

Once you have updated, you can go to the FAB (Floating Action Button) which has your current account balance and tap it and then go to the Add money option.  There you will see your credit card information you normally use to top up your card but if you use change the Payment type, you will see that Google Pay is an option.

When you use the feature, your Starbucks account will have funds added from whatever your default payment mode is in Google Pay.

Add Funds to Your Starbucks Card From Google Pay

While you can setup Google Pay as a one time funds addition in the app, you can’t set it up as your reoccurring option for automatic reloading of your account.  You still have to configure a debit or credit card for that feature.

The Starbucks app is free to download from the Play Store if you don’t have it already.

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