Google could be working on Windows 10 for Pixelbook support, with the Chromebook getting official compatibility with Microsoft's OS. Launched late last year, the Pixelbook is Google's latest Chrome OS notebook but, though the initial response was generally positive, some insisted it was a missed opportunity too.
It really seems that Chrome OS is being groomed to be the one OS that runs them all. Well almost all. In addition to its native Chrome-based platform, it now supports Android through Google Play Store and, just recently, Linux. Because of those two, it is also possible to run Windows programs to some extent. CodeWeavers, which develops software for running Windows programs on Mac and Linux, has just shown what could be a better way to run those same programs on a Chromebook.
Today the folks behind Adobe software safety revealed a fix for a flaw for Flash. You might not use Flash actively - you might not even realize it's on your computer (desktop computer, that is,) but there it might very well be. Good news for Apple computer users is this bit of malware seems to be relegated to Windows. Maybe. Very likely, but not certainly.
Google experience a glitch in the matrix over the weekend where the last traces of Android’s tablet existence vanished without a trace. Evidence that there were, once upon a time, such things as Android tablets has since then returned but their sudden and silent removal served to confirm what many have been expecting to happen sooner rather than later. If Google is to be asked, tablets are pretty much dead in the water. Unless, of course, you’re talking about the new line of Chrome tablets and 2-in-1 devices.
The HP Chromebox G2 mini desktop announced in January is now available to purchase. HP added the device to its online store today, where it promptly sold out in certain configurations. The device, like most Chromebox models, resembles a set-top box, but packs Google's Chrome OS as an alternative to Chromebook laptops.
The ASUS Chromebox 3 has been available for pre-order for a little over a month at this point, and today, we're getting a better idea of when the new lineup will launch. ASUS has announced that the first devices in the Chromebox 3 line will be available later this month, with specific availability for each model seemingly different depending on configuration.
Last month, HP took the wraps off a gorgeous new detachable laptop running Chrome OS. Called the HP Chromebook x2, this model features a tablet that connects to a keyboard using a magnetic hinge. The model runs the latest version of Google's OS that doesn't require a keyboard, putting it up against Apple and its newest iPad model.
Unlike releases for other operating systems like Windows or macOS, Chrome OS releases often pass by unnoticed because of how fast and how often they happen, following the releases of the Chrome browser. But while Chrome OS version 66 rolled out without much fuss and fanfare, it is still quite a notable and important one. Not only does it brings features from Chrome 66 itself, it also finally closes the door on this year's biggest security scare: the Meltdown vulnerability.
In early January, ASUS introduced multiple products including the Chromebox 3, a miniature desktop that runs Google's Chrome OS. Chromebox 3 is the latest model in ASUS's Chromebox lineup; this one features an 8th-generation Intel Core processor, among other things. Now, four months later and only a couple weeks after Acer launched its own alternative, ASUS has officially started taking preorders.
Who needs a combined Android and Chrome OS when Chrome OS can pretty much run it all. There's native Chrome OS, of course, and official Android support via Google Play Store. There's even preliminary Windows support via WINE for Android on Chrome OS. And, soon, Chromebooks might be able to run Linux programs as well. That possibility already was hinted at last February but might be coming really soon with the appearance of the Terminal app in Chrome OS' dev channel.
Laptops are made for typing and Chromebooks are really no different, be it traditional, convertible, or even detachable. But typing on the go doesn't always happen in the most favorable conditions and you might find yourself fumbling in the dark for the right keys. So it was terribly baffling when Samsung launched its Chromebook Pro last year without one critical feature: a backlit keyboard. And now just as baffling, Samsung has very silently sneaked in a new Chromebook Pro model that adds exactly that but at an unsurprisingly higher price.
In January, Acer introduced a number of new products, among them the Chromebox CXI3. Unlike Chromebooks, which are laptops running Chrome OS, the Chromebox is a small desktop offering Google's operating system. A big selling point is the model's tiny size, which enables users to mount it behind a monitor or hide it away under a desk. The model is now available to preorder.