Krita, a popular open-source digital painting app, has finally launched beyond the desktop, arriving on both Chrome OS and Android. These releases are still in the beta period at this time, meaning the software may not function as well as it does on desktop. Despite that, the expansion is a welcomed one that many users have been requesting, enabling Android users to sketch directly on their tablet.
Video conferencing has become the new hot trend these days, be it for small teams or even big businesses. Sometimes all you need is a laptop with a webcam but some situations do require more specialized hardware or setups that could seem like a huge undertaking for companies that don't have any experience in that area. That's why Google and ASUS are not pushing new hardware, including a "starter kit" to help these businesses hit the road running and, in the long run, snatch more customers away from Zoom.
Lenovo's hotly-anticipated Chromebook Duet has gone on sale, with the $280 Chrome OS tablet promising to be a more affordable 2-in-1 than iPadOS and Windows rivals. Paired with an optional detachable keyboard, the Chromebook Duet has a 10.1-inch touchscreen and three modes of use.
HP has revealed a set of new Chromebooks, and while the Chrome OS notebooks may be intended for business, features like being able to clean them with disinfecting wipes could find some appeal at home in this age of coronavirus. The HP Elite c1030 Chromebook Enterprise packages Chrome OS in a sleek 13.5-inch notebook, with an integrated privacy screen to keep away prying eyes.
Chromebooks and Chrome OS have always been designed with a "web-first" experience in mind. Back then, however, that experience was less than ideal due to the lack of apps and immaturity of the web app ecosystem. Fast forward to today, Progressive Web Apps or PWAs have made significant headway into creating an experience almost on par with native Android apps. That, in turn, seems to have made Google confident enough to start making PWAs the default when you try to install an Android app from Google Play Store on Chrome OS.
The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook is quite the looker with its Fiesta Red hue and it does have some muscle to show for with the 10th gen Intel Core i5. But with a $1,000 price tag, you'd expect it to give a bit more. Sadly, one aspect where the Chrome OS convertible falls short of expectation is RAM but that may not be for long. That is if it's really the case that the company is preparing a variant that offers 16GB of RAM instead of just half.
It's a bit more difficult to pin down what Chrome OS and Chromebooks are these days. Although they started simply as a glorified browser OS running on low-power cheap laptops, the product line has stood the test of time to now include high-end hardware, convertible form factors, and support for Android and Linux apps. Part of the confusion in defining Chrome OS can sometimes be gleaned in half-baked features. Today, however, Google closes one of the gaps by making Chrome OS' tablet mode really feel like you're using a tablet.
Along with the surge in users on the Internet, there has also been a rise in the purchases of computers and especially laptops in the past weeks and months. This is mostly connected by the need to take work home during quarantine and shelter-in-place periods. Unfortunately, that fell outside the launch window of many new notebook computers that just got announced last week. The Galaxy Chromebook, however, was announced way back in January and it's only now that it's landing in the US to give Chrome OS users a stylish but expensive option.
ASUS has unveiled its latest Chrome OS notebook, with the Chromebook Flip C436 packing a 14-inch screen into a 2-in-1 foldable form-factor with up to 12 hours of battery. Headed to stores from today, the Chromebook Flip C436 tip the scales at under 2.6 pounds.
The past weeks have been difficult for everyone around the world and consumer electronics companies are no exception. Apple has had to make adjustments to its supplies and even repair programs while Samsung has reportedly seen dismal sales for its Galaxy S20 flagship phones. That, however, isn't stopping companies from pushing out their products, whether or not people will be able to pick them up anyway. Like the shiny new Samsung Galaxy Chromebook that will be marching to stores next Monday.
As businesses pare back services or shut down entirely in the face of the coronavirus outbreak, Google has apparently started making some tough decisions as well. The company announced today that it will temporarily halt new Chrome and Chrome OS releases for the time being. There's no word on when the Chrome team will be back on their normal release schedules, but it seems to depend on what happens with the COVID-19 outbreak from here.
Today, Google announced a pair of useful features that are on the way to Chrome OS. The first is a new Ambient EQ feature that does just what the name suggests: it automatically adjusts the your display based on the ambient lighting around you. So, if you've ever opened up your Chromebook in a dark room only to be blinded by how bright the screen was, this could be the remedy for that.