Chromebooks Stories October 13
The explosion of Chrome OS over the past 18 to 20 months and at-home working similarly expanding unlike ever before, it’s refreshing to know that you don’t need to deal with cheap, underpowered Windows laptops or PCs to get actual work done. A case in point is the excellent Acer Chromebook Spin 713.
At today’s Next@Acer event, the company unveiled a suite of new Chromebooks including the revamped Acer Chromebook Spin 514.
Chromebooks Stories September 23
Last March, Google announced a “Works With Chromebook” program to certify and badge accessories for Chrome OS. The latest peripheral to come out of this certification is docking stations.
Chromebooks Stories September 15
Chromebooks may add a built-in recovery feature that doesn’t require the use of another computer
Google’s Chrome OS platform is generally pretty reliable, but power users especially can run into issues that require more work for a fix. For that, Google provides recovery images to fix any Chromebook, and soon, that feature may be built into the laptop.
Chromebooks Stories September 9
Nearly a year after its release in early access, Amazon Luna is announcing some major expansions today including a family-focused subscription, Chromebook support, and more.
Chromebooks Stories September 7
After launching one of the first mainstream Chrome OS tablets in 2020, Lenovo is building on that success with its new Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5, a premium tablet with a bigger OLED display and other upgrades.
Chromebooks Stories September 1
After several leaks and our own exclusive reporting, Google announced last month that it would debut its first self-designed smartphone chip in the Pixel 6 series later this year. Apparently, the company’s ambitions don’t stop there. Today, a new report claims that Google is also building chips for future Chromebooks.
Chromebooks Stories August 25
Google’s Chromebooks play best with Google Drive and its associated apps, but others are available, including Microsoft Office. However, Microsoft is about to pull the plug on supporting its Android app on Chrome OS.
Chromebooks Stories July 30
The rush to working and educating from home due to the outbreak of COVID-19 last year essentially exploded the Chromebook market, pushing sales higher than they’ve ever gone. While that growth continued into 2021, Chromebook sales are definitely slowing down, as Q2 saw a big drop.
Chromebooks Stories July 21
Asus starts selling premium Chromebook CX9 and Chromebook Flip CX5
Following its announcement back at the virtual-CES in January, Asus has started selling its super-premium Chromebook, the CX9 and the Chromebook Flip CX5.
Chromebooks Stories July 16
If your Chromebook suddenly feels slower lately, it’s not your fault. It seems that the latest Chrome OS update, v91, is causing performance issues for some users.
Chromebooks Stories July 15
Asus brings a collection of new Chromebooks to India w/ Celeron processors, $300 prices
Much of the explosive growth Chromebooks have experienced over the past year has come from just one market, the United States. In a bid to get more customers in on the action, though, Asus has just debuted several new Chromebooks in India that all carry affordable price tags.
Chromebooks Stories July 13
Google’s Chromebook bet paid off in a big way last year as the popularity of Chromebooks hit record highs, making Chrome OS the second-most popular desktop operating system in the world. However, that growth may slow down this year, as Chromebook makers are finding the popular low-end models “unprofitable.”
Chromebooks Stories July 6
As Chrome OS continues to explode in popularity, Google is updating the platform with more features and bug fixes. Now, the company appears to be looking at fixing an issue that causes dramatic battery drain on Android phones using the Phone Hub feature on Chrome OS.
Chromebooks Stories July 1
As far as third-party browsers go, there are none that are fully optimized for Chromebooks and Chrome OS, that is until now with the popular Opera Browser.
Chromebooks Stories June 29
Zoom became a household name in 2020 as a result of COVID-19 lockdowns. It was clear pretty quickly, though, that the company wasn’t fully prepared for the massive influx of customers as security flaws and missing features quickly became evident. This week, over a year into the pandemic that’s made video calls more important than ever, Zoom is debuting its new PWA that enhances its functionality on the web and, specifically, on Chromebooks.
Gaming is one of the last thoughts that surround traditionally low-powered Chromebooks, but as the platform continues to explode in popularity, it’s something that more and more people are looking to do. While cloud gaming fills a lot of the gaps, Unity is now making it possible for game developers to natively target Chrome OS.
Chromebooks Stories June 26
Video conferencing exploded in popularity during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the early days as many businesses and schools went remote for the safety of employees and students. Zoom was the biggest name in the game for quite a while and still is extremely popular, but if you’ve ever used it on a Chromebook, you’re probably aware that it’s not quite up to snuff. Next week, though, that’s apparently set to change.
Chromebooks Stories June 24
Ahead of MWC 2021, Lenovo has launched two brand-new Chrome OS-powered IdeaPad 5i and Flex 5i laptops to compete at the low to-mid-end of the market.
Chromebooks Stories June 14
CES 2021 has seen the debut of a few Chromebooks, including a spectacular option from Acer. Today, Asus is bringing two new Chromebooks to the table including the Chromebook Flip CM5, which is powered by AMD chips.
Update 6/14: Asus has launched the CM5 officially launched for $499 and is now shipping in the US.
Chromebooks Stories June 9
Chrome OS tablets were once viewed as Google’s potential answer to the iPad, but to date only one major release has hit the market. Now, we’re finally seeing a second Chrome OS tablet for the mass market in the Asus Chromebook Detachable CM3.
Chromebooks Stories May 27
Google’s ‘Works With Chromebook’ program now certifies monitors
At the start of last year, Google announced a certification program for Chrome OS accessories. Since then, the Works With Chromebook badge has been applied to docking stations and now monitors, including one from HP.
Chromebooks have, over the past couple of years, graduated from the cheap alternative to Windows/Mac and have become real options in the laptop market. As a result, a lot of the hardware out there is solid but nothing remarkable. That’s the impression I walked away with after spending a few days with the new Acer Chromebook 514, a delightful laptop that does everything well.
During the Next @ Acer event, the company unveiled four new Chrome OS devices, including world’s firsts with the first Chromebook with a 17-inch screen, and the first to be Intel Evo certified.
Chromebooks Stories May 25
More devices with 11th Gen Intel processors continue to be announced, and the latest is HP’s Pro c640 G2 Chromebook. Visually, this latest generation is not too different from the original, but there are some nice upgrades.
Chromebooks Stories May 20
Since their debut years ago, Chromebooks have long been criticized for lacking native apps. That’s something Google has addressed by delivering support for Android apps and, more importantly, Linux apps on Chromebooks, and now the latter is finally dropping its beta label.
Chromebooks Stories May 5
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in huge growth for PCs and tablets as a whole, but it was Google’s Chromebook initiative that really proved to be a hit during the pandemic. According to a new report from Canalys, though, things were even better than we thought, with Chromebooks seeing 275% growth entering 2021.
Chromebooks Stories March 31
A useful feature of Chrome OS is Guest Mode, which essentially acts as an incognito mode for a friend or family member to use your machine without access to any of your data. Unfortunately, though, there’s a bug that can actually reveal your location data to another user who is on Chromebook’s guest mode.
Chromebooks Stories March 8
Google has rolled out a new wallpaper collection to Chromebooks called “Imaginary” that adds 12 colorful new images to Chrome OS. Each background contains a fun, digitally-sculpted scene.
After 10 years, Chrome OS has become the second-most popular operating system for computers in the world, and as a result, we’re seeing more players in the place. In the past year or so, AMD has taken a bigger interest in Chromebooks, bringing its Ryzen chips to the platform. Over the past several weeks, we’ve had the chance to use one of the first AMD Ryzen Chromebooks and put it through its paces, and the results are a bit of a mixed bag.
Chromebooks Stories February 16
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 launches March 1, pre-orders open today w/ $50 promo
The latest Chromebook from Samsung is about to drop. After being announced at CES, the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 is now available for pre-order ahead of its March 1 release date.
Chromebooks Stories February 11
While question marks and doom do unfortunately surround the cloud gaming platform at the moment, Google will be hoping for big growth after confirming that all new Chromebooks will come with Stadia pre-installed.
Chromebooks Stories January 29
COVID-19 has had a lot of negative effects on the market, but it’s been great for the PC market as millions of people transitioned to working and learning from home. As a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chromebook market in particular exploded with growth over 4x.
Chromebooks Stories January 27
Wacom picks up ‘Works with Chromebook’ certification for its drawing tablet and pen
Chromebooks have become valuable tools for consumers and for the classroom, and now they’re getting a handy addition. This week, the “One by Wacom” drawing tablet and pen has been granted the “Works with Chromebook” certification.
Chromebooks Stories January 19
Chromebooks Stories January 13
Dell has refreshed the popular Chromebook 3100 lineup to add LTE connectivity, making the entry-level devices a solid option for at-home learning or learning on the go.
Chromebooks Stories January 7
For years Chromebooks have arrived with mostly Intel and some MediaTek chipsets, but in late 2020 AMD announced a new series of Chromebook chips. Now, Acer is adopting AMD Ryzen in its new Chromebook Spin 514.
A year ago, Samsung managed to surprise everyone with the debut of its super-premium Galaxy Chromebook, and to kick off 2021, the company has a sequel. The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 keeps some of the high-end design traits, but cuts costs in some major ways.
Chromebooks Stories December 23, 2020
Following a render leak on Monday, key specs for the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 have now emerged with a possible starting price. This comes from a slide tweeted by Microsoft leaker WalkingCat (@h0x0d) today.
Chromebooks Stories December 21, 2020
At the start of this month, a rumor suggested that Samsung was working on a follow-up to the premium Chrome OS device that it announced in January. A render of the Galaxy Chromebook 2 has now leaked and leaves little to the imagination.
Chromebooks Stories December 2, 2020
‘Galaxy Chromebook 2’ reportedly incoming, this time hopefully w/ a respectable battery
Samsung isn’t the biggest name in Chromebooks, but last year, the company tried its hand at a high-end machine running Google’s OS. Now, it appears Samsung is preparing to debut a Galaxy Chromebook 2.
Chromebooks Stories November 30, 2020
Best Chromebook Cyber Monday deals: Samsung Galaxy $200 off, ASUS Flip $700, more from $219
With Black Friday behind us, we’re now turning our attention to Cyber Monday, as deals continue to pour in. That’s still true for Chromebooks, as plenty of new discounts are joining the price cuts that are still alive and kicking. So whether you’re looking for an entry-level machine or something more premium, we’re sure to see popular retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart offering aggressive discounts on Chrome OS machines. You’ll find all of the best Chromebook Cyber Monday deals down below.
Chromebooks Stories October 28, 2020
Chromebooks have a slightly different keyboard layout compared to most laptops, in part because there’s no CAPS LOCK key on the left side. Now, that button has a name. Every Chromebook now has an “Everything” button.
Chromebooks Stories October 22, 2020
Just about every Chromebook has access to a variety of different perks from free storage to apps and games. Now, the latest perk is a free 3-month subscription to Nvidia GeForce Now, a service that just recently extended support to Chromebooks.
Chromebooks Stories October 15, 2020
Despite all the reasons we love Chrome OS, the one major downside is that Chromebooks come with an expiration date, after which they’ll no longer receive updates. Google is now giving some Chromebooks just shy of nine years of guaranteed support.
Chromebooks Stories October 12, 2020
The first thing you probably think of with Google’s Chrome OS platform is a cheap laptop. That’s understandable — the platform has built its popularity on super-affordable laptops that don’t suck. However, there’s a whole other side to the Chrome OS coin. Premium Chromebooks offer the simplicity of Google’s platform with killer performance and premium features. Lately, I’ve been testing out two premium Chromebooks from HP — the HP x360 14c and the HP C640 Pro. Here’s why they’re some of the best “high-end” Chromebooks you can buy, and possibly better than Google’s Pixelbook Go.
Lenovo has announced the ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook Enterprise, one of the only Chrome OS devices to offer a “pointing stick” cursor.
