chrome os

Google may be cutting down on its work with hardware products in the very near future, per an announcement made to some employees at the business this week. It's been suggested by several people familiar with the matter that Google's informed "dozens" of engineers and program managers that they should seek employment elsewhere within Alphabet. That doesn't bode well for any sort of major expansion of products in the near future.

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Short of Fuschia really becoming a thing, Chrome OS is, for all intents and purposes, the Google OS people have been speculating about years ago. From a limited, web-centric, and almost negligible platform designed for schools, Chrome OS has fully blossomed to become a serious threat to the duopoly of Windows and Mac on desktops.

As Chrome OS expands both its software and hardware ecosystem beyond its humble roots, it has the potential to become the consumption and production platform to beat. That, however, depends on one crucial, missing piece.

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Samsung recently announced the Galaxy Tab S5e without much fanfare and it was received with equal amounts of interest. Granted, the tablet sounded more like an "economy" (Samsung will probably call it "essentials") edition of a proper Galaxy Tab S5, but the silent treatment closely echoes the reception of Android tablets of late, even from brands like Lenovo and Huawei.

Android tablets are, for all intents and purposes, dead and there is little to no hope of a revival. Chromebooks, or Chrome OS tablets, do seem to be the way forward but Google and its partners need to be careful lest they repeat the same mistakes all over again.

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Although not exactly billed as a mostly consumption platform like Android, Chrome OS's image has mostly been limited to basic computing tasks, especially word processing and Internet-related activities that students and office workers often do. It was only recently that Google made serious efforts to present Chrome OS as a place to get real work done, especially in contrast to iOS on iPads. Its next trick will take it further in that direction, putting it on the same level as desktop operating systems with virtual desktops.

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Google Chrome developers are currently testing a mode dubbed "NeverSlowMode" by its creator. This function is not yet live in Google Chrome in any public form, but might soon be - if all its cards are played JUST right. The deal is that this code will flip a switch on the internet, making your internet feel very, very quick! Unfortunately, there's a rather sizable drawback.

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Chrome OS was and always has been designed for use with a keyboard and mouse but its predominant form has been laptops. But just like Android, that has never stopped anyone, be it users or even OEMs, from taking the OS and putting it in other form factors. Many of those Chrome OS devices have all but disappeared but Acer had just announced two new Chromebase all-in-one computers to give the dying breed one last hurrah.

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Assuming your smartphone has the ability to tether to other devices and share internet, your Chromebook might well be able to make use of said ability this week. The most recent update from Chromebooks Product Manager Jesse Johnston gives us the situation - there's need to get on the web on your Chromebook, but there's no local wi-fi. What do you do? You start your smartphone's cellular network connection tethering ability up and you're on your way.

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Although some laptops these days are starting to sport SIM card lots for their own connectivity, majority still don’t. That’s true even for more portable 2-in-1s. And while it’s possible to use your phone as a hotspot, the process of tethering isn’t as seamless and quick as just flipping a single switch. Google’s solution, inspired by Apple’s Instant Hotspot, is to implement Instant Tethering between Chrome OS and Pixel or Nexus phones. Now that feature is reportedly becoming available even on phones not made by Google.

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Oregon-based CTL has revealed the Chromebook Tablet Tx1, a rugged 9.7-inch tablet that runs Chrome OS and features an integrated Wacom EMR stylus. The tablet is designed for education, providing access to Google's various products, as well as other apps supported by Chrome OS. Among other things, the tablet boasts a 10-hour battery life intended to get students through a school day.

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Among Acer's computing wares this year is the Chromebook 315, a generously sized laptop running Chrome OS and packing a number of features. Though the model won't blow anyone away, the device's price tag beckons consumers to take a second look. With a starting price of $280 USD, the Acer Chromebook 315 has a lot to offer buyers compared to other laptops in this price range.

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It seems that the age of AMD-powered Chromebooks is coming. Granted, two doesn’t really make for a new trend but that’s still two more than none. But while Acer boasted to be the first to announce one such Chromebook, HP will actually have the first bite of that market. The new HP Chromebook 14 will land on shelves first and it will truly put to the test whether AMD’s system-on-chip will have more to say, no to mention more battery life, than Intel’s equivalents.

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Up until recently, Chromebooks were mostly regarded to be the successors of netbooks, smaller or weaker cousins of laptops built for very basic use and low prices. In the past two years or so, the platform has outgrown that image and has branched not only into new form factors as well as more powerful hardware, the latter mostly made up of a very small number of Intel-powered devices. Not one to be left behind, AMD has teamed up with Acer to build the Acer Chromebook 315, the first of its kind to run not only on an AMD processor but also a Radeon graphics chip.

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