ChromeOS

While ChromeOS has become more and more capable over the years, the occasional need for a traditional desktop operating system, namely Windows, has never really gone away. To solve that, some apps and services have allowed Chromebooks to run Windows, including Parallels, which is said to be shutting down later this year.

ChromeOS 130 will introduce a new audio Recorder later this month. While some AI features are exclusive to Plus devices, all Chromebooks will have access to the Recorder app.

With ChromeOS 130 later this month, Google will roll out a Recorder app for Chromebook Plus. From real-time transcription that works offline to speaker identification and summaries, there are more than a few similarities with the Pixel Recorder app.

A project at Google that allowed Android devices to run ChromeOS with essentially the click of a button is coming to an end, as Google isn’t further developing “Ferrochrome.”

Google is rolling out ChromeOS 129 with the latest Chromebook Plus features announced yesterday, including the Quick Insert menu.

Google today is announcing the latest ChromeOS devices and Chromebook Plus features. This includes a new physical Quick Insert key that changes the Chromebook keyboard.

In addition to the Quick Insert menu, the latest set of Chromebook Plus features, including a new Recorder app, are rolling out over the coming weeks.

Google is rolling out ChromeOS 128 starting today with a number of sizable updates for Chromebooks. 

Intel has launched its latest generation of laptop chips, “Lunar Lake,” with the promise of massive performance and battery life gains.

Following Android (and even iOS with a shortcut), Circle to Search — officially “Drag to search” —  is coming to desktop Chrome/Chromebooks with a very prominent Google Lens icon.

Google is rolling out ChromeOS 127 as a smaller update for Chromebook owners this month. It will be available in the coming weeks.

Last month, Google announced that ChromeOS would use “large portions of the Android stack” going forward. This is a long-term effort that will take “quite some time,” but one immediate change is Google ending development on Lacros, an experiment to update the Chrome browser independently of ChromeOS.

After the big Chromebook update last month, ChromeOS 126 is rolling out as a moderate update over the coming weeks. 

Google announced today that ChromeOS will be “developed on large portions of the Android stack” going forward.

Google has acquired Cameyo to encourage enterprise adoption of ChromeOS by making it easy to run legacy Windows apps.

In announcing the latest Chromebook Plus features and devices, Google today also previewed what’s coming next to ChromeOS.

Google announced Chromebook Plus in October and the next set of software features — both AI and nice quality-of-life additions to ChromeOS — and hardware are here. The highlight is how buying Chromebook Plus will get you 12 free months of Google One AI Premium, while Plus hardware now starts at $349 (from $399).

As a ChromeOS user, be on the lookout for a new “Add to Chromebook” badge that will make it easier to install Progressive Web Apps (PWAs).

Earlier this week it was revealed that Google Pixel devices, thanks to changes in Android, technically had the capability to run ChromeOS. That won’t be coming anytime soon though, it seems, as Google has confirmed that work was only a proof-of-concept.

The dream of using your smartphone to power an entire computing experience is very much alive and well and, according to a new report, Google has shown off that its possible to have a Pixel phone powering ChromeOS on an external monitor.

Google is working to bring Spatial Audio to Chromebooks, enabling a more immersive listening experience.