I don't know whether this is related to Android 14, but I found that app streaming is now working between my Pixel 7a and my Pixelbook. App streaming enables me to use apps that are on my phone using the display, keyboard, and trackpad on the Pixelbook; it's like remote desktop except with the phone. I have found that apps that require biometric security don't stream, which makes sense considering the extra security that I enable. App streaming also appears to have a little problem keeping track of audio playback when I use Spotify playing via the Pixel Buds Pro, when I interact with the app using the Pixelbook the audio switches from the Pixel Buds Pro to the Pixelbook.#

Google announced the Pixel Watch 2 during the Pixel event earlier this week. I've been wearing the original Pixel Watch and the sports band it came with, for about a year. I am not planning to buy the Pixel Watch 2 so when I learned about the Spigen Lite Fit band I decided to buy it to change the appearance of what I have been wearing. The band is elastic nylon in a single loop with size adjusted by a buckle. I find the band is very comfortable to wear. One thing I have found is that charging the watch is now a bit more cumbersome because I can't just place the watch on top of the charging puck and let it magnetically snap in to place, instead I have to slide the puck underneath the watch and some times the alignment isn't perfect. Not sure whether the pins on the Pixel Watch 2 charger will make this alignment easier. #

Ever since I upgrade the microcode and the kernel to Proxmox on the Beelink U59 Pro the VMs running on it have not failed. It looks to me like that did the fix. I note that the VM I built running Xebian never did fail even before the microcode and kernel updates, and as far as I can tell one of the main differences is that VM does not have any power saving settings enabled. My theory is that the "default" VMs I had been building had some power saving configurations that has issues. Regardless, I am happy the problem appears resolved.#

Forecasting the future. Right now the price breakdowns for the Pixel phones are, Pixel 8 at $699, Pixel 7 at $599, and Pixel 7a at $499. If you want lower you can get the Pixel 6a for $349. Sales often appear that provide even better prices, for example on Amazon Prime day I bought a Pixel 6 for $250. I expect that Google will drop the A series, and use the previous model Pixel as the lowest price models, which is what Apple does. Apple actually keeps two past years of phones on their store, so if Google were to do the same thing then next year the announce the Pixel 9, and drop the prices of the Pixel 8 and or 7 and stop selling the Pixel 7a. I suspect we will learn whether this is true next spring as Google I/O 2024 approaches.#

If I am right about Google dropping the A series, I think they should announce that the Pixel 7 will get the same 7 years of updates so all their models have the same supported life span. Financially this all makes sense except for the fact that as far as I know the A series has actually been the best selling of the Pixel line, most likely because it has all the right features in common with the more premium models at a lower price. In the past I preferred the A series because it was lighter, smaller, and cheaper, but given that the Pixel 7a is as large and heavy as the Pixel 7 those benefits no longer exist and the $100 lower price is not large enough when one makes the comparison I describe below.#

I bought the Pixel 7a this spring shortly after it was announced, but had I known that Google would be expanding to 7 years of OS support starting with the Pixel 8 I probably would have waited. I think the extra support along with the slightly better features justify the $100 higher price. Not that I am not happy with the Pixel 7a, but I think the Pixel 8 is a better value for the money and that I think is further evidence of the possibility Google will stop the A series. #

Google's Pixel event last year was on this date. Reading my notes from that event, I am reminded that the Pixel 7 had a 6.3 inch display and is 6.1" tall. The Pixel 8 has a 6.2 inch display and is just under 6 inches tall, so basically Google got the "main" Pixel under the 6 inch mark, which I am happy to see particularly if they decide to stop the A series. My Pixel 7a is actually a little bit taller than the Pixel 8 though it has a 6.1" display. Here is a comparison between the three phones. #