ChromeOS

The Chromebook market has grown considerably over the past few years, but it’s mostly been dominated by Intel and MediaTek. In 2019, AMD stepped into the market with some entry-level chips, but this year, AMD is bringing both Ryzen and Athlon chips to Chromebooks.

AMD this morning announced that it’s bringing Athlon and Ryzen chips to Chrome OS. HP is the first to unveil its AMD-powered Pro c645 Chromebook Enterprise, while also detailing the latest Intel Chromebox G3.

Google is working on a new “Holding Space” for Chrome OS that will give you quick access to your most recent and most commonly used files and screenshots.

People have been turning to all forms of entertainment amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Chromebook gaming has specifically seen a threefold increase, with Google working to improve the experience.

Earlier this year, we uncovered that Chromebooks were set to get deeper integration with Android through a new suite of “Phone Hub” features. Since then, the UI has appeared in Chrome OS Canary along with more details about how things like notification mirroring and “task continuation” will work.

Google’s Chrome OS has always offered a collection of wallpapers for Chromebook owners and, for the most part, they’re beautiful! Now, the company is refreshing that collection once again with three new categories.

When buying a new Chromebook, one thing we should all by now be trained to look out for is its “expiration date,” or the date after which you’ll no longer receive updates. It seems Google has found a clever potential solution to make the end of OS updates less of a death sentence for your Chromebook by separating browser updates from Chrome OS updates.

Update: We’ve now gotten our first look at Google’s efforts to let Chromebooks continue to get browser updates well past their “expiration date.”

Most Chromebooks aren’t capable of running modern games natively, but thanks to services such as Stadia and GeForce Now, they’re becoming capable gaming machines. Now, GeForce Now on Chromebooks is getting an upgrade to sync with your Steam library.

When you first set up your Chromebook, you’ll have a sizable suite of apps installed by default. Soon, Google Stadia will be one of the apps installed by default on Chromebooks.

After rolling out last Tuesday to Mac, Windows, Linux, and Android, Chrome OS 85 will soon be available over the coming weeks. There are a number of usability improvements in this release.

While the big highlight of each Made by Google event is always the latest Pixel phones, the company has also made fantastic laptops since 2013’s Chromebook Pixel. A new Chromebook has surfaced, codenamed “Halvor,” that looks like it could be the next Google Pixelbook.

The latest version of Google’s browser is rolling out a whole slew of changes from faster page loading to collapsible Tab Groups. Chrome 85 for Android also sees a revamped share menu, while desktops add QR code sharing.

This year, Google has been working on ways to bring Android and Chrome OS devices closer together, expanding their “Better Together” initiative. Chrome OS’s latest work-in-progress feature would allow you to sync WiFi passwords between your Android phone and your Chromebook.

As game streaming grows in popularity, current services are improving and expanding. Today, Nvidia GeForce Now is making a big expansion as it arrives on Chromebooks, at least in a beta form.

On Chrome OS today, you can easily connect your Android phone to your Chromebook for things like text/RCS messages, automatic Wi-Fi hotspot, and Smart Lock, all part of Google’s “Better Together” initiative. Now Chrome OS is getting ready to expand with a new Android “Phone Hub” that promises notifications and “task continuation.”

This year has seen premium Chrome OS devices from Samsung, HP, and Acer. Dell is now joining the fray with the Latitude 7410 Chromebook Enterprise. Featuring both a laptop and 2-in-1, this line touts a high-end design and specifications, as well as Project Athena certification.

Last month, Google announced a partnership with Parallels to bring Windows apps to Chrome OS. An interview today provided a high-level overview of how this works and what will be required.