Technology & Business
Google's Chrome Remote Desktop has been refreshed and is still free
Chrome Remote Desktop has been around for years and has always been a free and reliable alternative to products like TeamViewer, GoToMyPC, and many more. Not only was (and is) it a free service but even the most non-technical user could get it setup and running in a matter of minutes: download the Chrome extension, install a mini app, set up a local password and voila. Long live Progressive Web Apps I will write about Progressive Web Apps in a future article but I am in love with them.
3 writing tips when using Google Apps
Google apps have hundreds of features (some from Google, some from third parties) most users don't know about. In this short article, I want to share four tips that will make your life writing in Google apps easier (useful for students and professionals alike). Voice Typing Over the years, I have spent hundreds of dollars on voice typing apps for Mac and Windows (most going to the Dragon Naturally speaking product line from Nuance software). For 85% of users, these expensive & complicated products are overkill, and Google makes it's excellent voice recognition engine available for free to all Google Docs users.
Canada Promo : Buy a Google Pixelbook and a free Google Home
If you buy Google new premium Chromebook, the Pixelbook, you now receive a free Google Home. This promo is live now and runs until December 31, 2017, and is open to Canadian customers. To receive your free Google Home, all you have to do is add it to your shopping cart with the Pixelbook, and the price will be $0. Offer is available while supplies last (shouldn't be a problem) and remember that the Pixelbook is not available in Quebec (probably since they don't offer french keyboard, box and manuals.
OnePlus 5T: The good and the bad
There are hundreds of reviews on the internet explaining the specifications and showing performance tests. I won't rehash any of that information. Instead, I will provide my personal opinion on the phone. My opinion is based on a short usage window thanks to a friend that lent me the device. This will be a short, easy to read review that can help you make a purchasing decision (if you are on the fence). The OnePlus 5T Screen The OnePlus 5T moved to an 18:9 (tall and narrow display).
Essential now has an Android 8 Oreo beta porogram
Android 8 Oreo is the next thing for Android devices and everybody is working hard to bring it to their phones. Now Essential has implemented a special Oreo beta program for owners of its beautiful Essential Phone. Where Samsung allows you to install the Oreo beta (on the S8 and S8 Plus) via OTA update, Essential will force you to use ADB. Essential does provide clear instructions but this can be seen as a natural filter that disqualifies anyone that doesn't really understand how Android works or understand what a beta is.
Google's FilesGo File Manager cleaner is now available as beta
TL;DR : Go here and download this app (while it's available). Earlier this week, we saw FileGo leak on the Google Play Store but it was quickly taken down. FileGo is specifically built to help users (even novices) manage and clean files from their devices (duplicate photos, application cache files, etc). FileGo also contains a function (similar to Apple's AirDrop) that allows Android users within close proximity to transfer files to each other. FilesGo is still beta software (aka it could still have bugs) but in my testing has been reasonably reliable and hasn't crashed yet (tested on a Nexus 6P and Note 8).
Essential phone get's another $50 price drop at BestBuy
I wrote a short article about the merits and issues with the Essential phone here. I wrote that review because dozens of readers wanted to know if the phone was worth it at its newly reduce $499 price. Another day and another discount for the struggling Essential phone. Now BestBuy is kicking in another $50 off (bringing the price to $449.99). For $449, you can buy a beautiful unlocked Android smartphone with the latest specs including: Snapdragon 835 4GB of RAM 128GB of storage Dual cameras If you read my review, there are some shortcomings but at $449, it is hard to complain.
Is the $499 Essential phone worth it?
No other Android smartphone in 2017 has been as polarizing as the Essential phone. Created by the father of Android, many of us (tech reviewers) wanted a no compromise phone we could love. A device that would be a trailblazer showing other manufacturers what is possible and ushering in an new era of innovation through competition. Instead the Essential phone is a device I want to love but can't. Essential recently dropped its Canadian and US price and many readers wanted to know if I could recommend this phone at the new price.
Important issues with the Google Pixelbook
So the Google Pixelbook is the most elegant expression of what a Chromebook could be. There are dozens of review on the internet extolling the wondrous virtues of the device. I think it is a fantastic device for the right user because it is fast, hassle-free and as secure as a mobile computing device can be. Instead of just writing another copycat article about the positives, I wanted to share some of the less than perfect elements of the device.
Samsung releases ad to mock Google's Pixel 2 XL screen issues
We regularly see mobile carriers release commercials mocking competitors but we rarely see this with smartphone manufacturers. Samsung has been watching all of the flack reviewers are throwing at Google regarding the screen on its new flagship Pixel 2 XL. And good ol Sammy decided it's time to use Google's misstep to its advantage with a short commercial talking about the incredible screen on its own devices. I'm in the market for a new smartphone and actually ordered a Panda Pixel 2XL from Google (scheduled to arrive Dec 18).