A large number of Android devices won’t be able to run Google Chrome soon

A recent commit for Google Chrome suggests at least 32 million Android devices won’t be able to use the mobile browser soon. The API level for the Chrome mobile browser will be raised from 4.1 to 4.4, so this means those devices that still run on Android Jelly Bean will not be able to use Chrome. Based on the latest figures, Jelly Bean is still used on 3.2% of Android devices and if there are roughly one billion phones and tablets using Google’s open source mobile OS, this means it can possibly affect 32 million devices. But then again, it might be time for an upgrade. Android 4.1 Jelly Bean first came out on July 10, 2012, while the first stable version of Chrome on mobile came out on June 27, 2012.

Source: PhoneArena

Rumoured Google Home Hub might launch alongside Pixel 3, arrive as soon as October 22nd

Rumours of Google’s take on the Echo Show surfaced when a recent FCC filing suggested the existence of an “Interactive Video Streaming Device.”  It’s being called the Home Hub and a leak from YouTuber Jon Prosser suggests the Home Hub will be launching alongside the Pixel 3 and the other hardware coming out on October 9^th. The photo he showed gave some more details about what the Home Hub can do. These include the basic functions of the Google Home speaker, plus it will support Voice Match, which lets it recognize different people’s voices and pull up specific information for said person. The Home Hub has a display to display information the user needs and can bring up relevant YouTube videos on it, too. If there’s any truth to the leak, it looks like the Home Hub will come out as early as October 22^nd.

Source: The Verge

Microsoft pulls Windows 10 October 2018 update after reports surface that it’s deleting files

Microsoft has pulled the Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) after reports have surfaced that it’s been deleting personal files in some users’ document folders. Thankfully, Microsoft hasn’t pushed the update to install automatically yet but for those who had their files deleted, Microsoft is recommending that they contact the company directly. Microsoft has also taken down the link to the update. Some of the other complaints about the update include the Microsoft Edge browser and other store apps not being able to connect to the internet and some users have the update blocked because of Intel driver incompatibilities.

Source: Engadget + The Verge

Netflix to adapt ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ into ‘new series and film projects’

Walt Disney Pictures/Walden Media

For the first time ever, an entertainment company has managed to get rights to all seven The Chronicles of Narnia books. And Netflix plans to take big advantage of this. The streaming service will be producing “new series and film projects” based on the children’s fantasy books that came out between 1950 and 1956. This might be the first time we’ll get to see the series adapted in its entirety. Previous cinematic adaptation attempt stopped after 2010’s The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

This isn’t the first time Netflix has acquired rights to books and adapted them into shows or movies. They are currently in the middle of a three-season adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Source: The Verge