Category: Android

With Android app support already there and Linux support on its way, Chrome OS has a platform is evolving quickly.  That evolution means that how we view and use our Chromebook has to change too, particularly the Files app.  A new commit and a new flag in the Chrome OS Dev Channel gives us a solid clue as to where the file management app built into the platform is heading.

The commit points to there being a revamp of the Files app to allow for four distinct sections:  My Drive (Google Drive and Team Drive if you have a G Suite account), Linux files, Android Files, and File System Providers like Microsoft’s OneDrive or Dropbox.

The popular weather app Dark Sky has a new update rolling out that brings a much needed User Interface update along with a handful of new features.  The update is version 2.0 of the app and if you already have the app installed, you should have the update already or very soon.

The bulk of the changes in this update to Dark Sky are around the apps interfaces.  For example, there is no a unified forecast tab with the next 24 hour and week forecast.  You can also save up to six locations in the app to swipe between so they are always available to you.

The Android Enterprise Recommended program has been expanded and now includes Android tablets for the first time.  The new Huawei MediaPad M5 tablets, which were announced as being available in the US yesterday, are now a part of the program.

For those that don’d recall, the Android Enterprise Recommended program certifies devices that meet criteria for manageability, support, productivity, security, and reliability.  The idea behind the program is to eliminate the guesswork on which devices are up to the task of being ready to handle the wear-and-tear of being an enterprise phone but also manageable from an enterprise IT perspective.

If your Pixel 2 XL seems to have slowed down on wake-up after the June Android Security Update, you are not alone.  Yesterday Google confirmed that a bug, which was likely introduced with the update, has caused devices to take 1-3 seconds to wake up after the power button is pressed or the fingerprint scanner is used.  They also identified that the issue only impacts Pixel 2 XLs that have had the Ambient Display is disabled in Settings.

The work around to the problem is to turn the Ambient Display setting to Always On until Google can roll out a patch to fix the issue.

Huawei has announced this morning that the company’s MediaPad M5 lineup is now available in the United States.  Coming in both an 8.4″ and 10.8″ with 2D curved glass – a first for tablets, the Huawei MediaPad M5 brings a powerful Android tablet experience that really no other manufacture can match these days.  Both tablet sizes are powered by the Kirin 960 SoC built by Huawei, 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM.

The MediaPad M5 lineup will be available from Huawei’s Amazon storefront.  The 8.4″ model is $319.99 while the 10.8″ model is $359.99.  Both models are currently in stock.

A new Material Design look is in the process of rolling out for Google Maps on Android devices.  The update is a cloud-side change but you’ll want to make sure that you have the latest version of the app installed on your phone.  For those curious, that’s version 9.79.2.  Since this is a cloud-side update to Google Maps, not everyone is seeing the changes just yet.  It will likely be several days before all accounts get it.

Once you do, the changes will be immediately noticeable.  Gone are the square information blocks and icons on the Explore tab, replaced with bright, rounded corner information boxes and round icons.