A new feature on the way to ChromeOS – Focus Mode – arrived in the Canary Channel a full 4 months ago at this point. As you couldn’t access it in any other channel at the time, I took a look at it, fiddled around with it for a bit, and headed back to the […]
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Chromebooks just got way better at handling Microsoft Office files
There’s an update rolling out to ChromeOS that will address one of the more common frustrations that we hear from Chromebook users, especially those thow are switching from Windows; and that is the cumbersome process of working with Microsoft Office files. The update introduces a streamlined solution, allowing users to open and edit Office files […]
Continue ReadingThis demo of making a video with Google Vids looks pretty insane
If you haven’t heard of Google Vids just yet, trust me: you will. Introduced just a couple weeks ago and not set for wide roll-out until June, Google Vids is a new, big swing from Google to give users a tool to build videos from the ground up with a lot of help from AI. […]
Continue ReadingYour Google Photos library is about to get far less cluttered
Get ready for a cleaner, more organized Google Photos experience very soon. Recent finds from AssembleDebug (via PiunikaWeb) point to a major update that should help every single Google Photos user who feels a tad bit overwhelmed by their image library’s continual collecting of not only treasured memories, but one-time use items like memes, screenshots […]
Continue ReadingThis needed Chromebook feature could tempt me back to Pixel
It’s no secret that I’ve long since left the Pixel community for Samsung. What started with a move to the excellent Galaxy S23 has culminated in my having the Galaxy Z Fold 5 in my pocket for a solid 5 months at this point and there’s no urge in me to change to anything else […]
Continue ReadingChrome on Windows is finally getting a PDF inking tool Chromebooks have had for years
It only took 5 short years for a feature to migrate over to Windows that we ChromeOS folks have been used to using in the PDF Viewer: pen annotation. When I was made aware of this change, I at first thought the article in question was misinformed. Surely there was no way after all this […]
Continue ReadingI’m unsure when this new Chromebook calendar feature arrived, but I love it
Right off the bat, here, let me make this 100% clear: this new-to-me feature may have been around for a little while. I’ll explain why I’m just seeing it today in a moment, but we posted about ChromeOS’ Up Next pop-up in the Canary Channel of ChromeOS back in February of 2023, so it’s been […]
Continue ReadingChrome 123’s cleaned up Side Panel is rolling out
If you are a user of the Chrome Side Panel on your Chromebook or other laptop, get ready for a change in how you manage that section of your browser. Rolling out now (I have it on a few devices and not yet on others), Google has removed the specific side panel button and opted […]
Continue ReadingGoogle adds new advanced security for Chrome, but it’ll cost you
Google Chrome still holds the title as the world’s most popular web browser by a very wide margin. Its intuitive interface, constant updates and massive library of extensions make it the easy choice for most people choosing how to browse the web. But just as important as all those other features are, security is and […]
Continue ReadingMore Google Photos AI editing tools are on the way for Chromebook Plus
Yesterday, Google made an announcement that I wasn’t too shocked by. As a matter of fact, I glanced at the story, shrugged my shoulders, and moved on with my day. But hidden just under the surface in their post about Google Photos generally getting some of the once-Pixel-only AI editing features, there lurked a tidbit […]
Continue ReadingA few fun facts about the upcoming Chromebook Plus AI wallpapers and backgrounds
We talked earlier this week about our exclusive look at the new AI features on the way for Chromebook Plus, but I wanted to take a few minutes to really look a bit more closely at the wallpaper and video background features that are coming. While “Help me write” is probably the most headline-grabbing addition […]
Continue ReadingNew keyboard brightness controls on the way to Chromebooks
Thanks to a pretty cool find by @cajl_jbmm over on X (formerly Twitter), we’ve been made aware of a small-but-important new feature on the way for Chromebooks. While adding keyboard backlight controls in the main settings app doesn’t sound super important, it makes a lot of sense from a standard UI viewpoint. At the moment, […]
Continue ReadingExclusive: Google demoed the new Chromebook Plus AI features for us [VIDEO]
I’ve been a bit tough on the ChromeOS team of late. From updates with ghost “new features” to the missing AI toys we were promised all the way back in October as Chromebook Plus was launched, I’ve not been shy about calling out Google on these things. As an independent media outlet, we sometimes get […]
Continue ReadingA couple small, new additions we’ve found in ChromeOS 123
Just yesterday, we reported on the release of ChromeOS 123 and the handful of useful customization features that rolled out along with it this time around. And as I finished that post, I remarked that there’s a good chance we’d run into a few small, new features along the way as we always do, and […]
Continue ReadingChromeOS 123 is here with some nice customization tricks
According to a quick peek over at cros.tech, it looks like the vast majority of Chromebook users should now have the ability to update to the latest version of Chrome OS 123 on their devices. The only notable device I see that is still on 122 is the ASUS Chromebook Plus CX34. Whatever small hiccup […]
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