Category: Chromebook

For a while now, the Chrome OS team has listed the various Chromebooks that support Android apps on the Chrome OS Systems Supporting Android Apps page.  To this point, the page listed the devices that would be seeing Android app support which has been through the developer and beta channels of Chrome OS.  It is expected that the stable channel will see Chrome OS 56 this month and fully launch app support for everyone.

Over the weekend, the support page changed with a clear and important statement regarding future devices.  Any Chromebook from 2017 onward will have Android app support.  While this isn’t entirely unexpected, the news is good for those who are considering a Chromebook and it further solidifies the relationship between Google’s two platforms.  While it appears unlikely we will see a merger of the two, it is clear their handshake relationship is supported and will remain so for the immediate future.

An interesting tidbit of code has shown up in the Chromium change log for Chrome OS.  The change outlines that the default wallpaper on a device can be controlled by the master configuration.  In other words, manufactures like Acer, Dell and HP could have specific wallpapers for specific Chrome OS devices.

The ability for an OEM to set a default wallpaper has been in play for some time now.  Both Acer and HP have a custom wallpaper that they have all their Chromebooks show when you first power them on.  Google is incredibly strict with what OEMs can do to the Chrome experience.  To this point, the manufactures had one wallpaper they could add and it was the same on every Chromebook.

The Chromium team at Google has rolled out a new update to Chrome OS in the Stable channel.  The updated build is 55.0.2883.87 (Platform version: 8872.70.0 or 8872.70.1) and is available now on eligible devices.  The update, however, is not available for the following Chromebooks:

• HP Chromebook 11 1100-1199 / HP Chromebook 11 G1
• Samsung Chromebook 2 11″
• HP Chromebook 14

If you have one of these devices, an update is likely going to be coming your way in a few weeks.

As with all Chrome OS updates, this one includes a number of bug fixes and security improvements but also has a number of new features too.

The Chrome OS team has pushed out a small but important update out for the platform.  Build 54.0.2840.101 (Platform version: 8743.85.0) is available for all devices running the OS and should be hitting your Chromebook or other device over the course of the next few days.  You can, of course, always force the issue by typing in chrome://help in the browser bar and it will automatically go and look for the update for you.

As is very often the case, the Chromium team did not disclose exactly what was addressed or fixed in this update to the platform.  They usually limit the amount of information released to assure that hackers don’t know about it and exploit it until a large swath of devices are updated.  In this case, no information was released.  That either means this was truly a minor update and there was nothing worth mentioning or there was a major flaw and they will be mum about it until updates are complete.  Given that there is no indication further notes will be released later, I tend to think it is the former.

Google has stopped selling their remaining flagship Chromebook device, the Chromebook Pixel 2.  The store shows that the $1299 powerhouse is no longer in stock and according to VentureBeat, the company has no plans of restocking the device.

“We’re committed to the Pixel program but we don’t have plans to restock the Pixel 2,” a Google spokesperson told VentureBeat in an email.

While there are certainly high-end Chromebooks out in the market thanks to the like of HP and Acer, having a Google Chromebook in the mix for the “ultimate” experience was fun to see – even if it was a steeply expensive “ultimate” experience.

Today’s Deal over at eBay is on a great Chromebook from Acer.  Right now you can get the Acer 14″ Chromebook with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage for $269.  This deal is being offered by Best Buy through eBay which means that you can buy it online through eBay and pick it up today at your local Best Buy store (assuming they have it in stock).  That in store pick up is free and if you don’t have a store nearby, you can have it shipped to you free as well.  Equally as important, this Chromebook is on the list of devices that will be able to run Android apps when that feature is released later this year.