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After being delayed following the update of the Chrome OS Stable Channel to Chrome 67, The Chrome OS Beta Channel has now received its first Chrome 68-based build.  The channel is now running build 68.0.3440.25 (Platform version: 10718.22.0) and it is available for the majority of devices in the channel starting today.

For those that may be new to Chrome OS, the Beta Channel is the last channel prior to a build being released to the general public in the Stable Channel.  You can always change your channel on your Chromebook by typing Chrome://help and then clicking on the Build Information section of the page.  Keep in mind that the hint is in the name:  The Beta Channel is still not ready for prime time so you could run into bugs or other issues that impact your daily workflow.

If you are running Chrome 67 on your Chromebook, there is now a flag available to you that will allow you to enable the still under construction new wallpaper picker.  The new picker replaces the old style picker which has been in the platform since, well, forever.  It brings a refreshed, Material Design look to the picker and eventually will marry up with the backdrop wallpaper changer that is found in Chromecast.

That’s where the under construction part comes into the equation.  Right now there is a commit in the Chrome OS Gerrit that points to a new wallpaper that is enabled by default and that it will marry up with Chromecast.  The idea is that your Chromecast and your Chromebook will have the same look and feel and will be drawing from the same service in the background to give you your wallpaper options.

One of the more anticipated features of Android Messages, the texting app from Google, has been Messages for Web.  As the name implies, it links Messages on your phone with your laptop to allow you to send and receive text messages without having to touch your phone.  Google has flipped the switch and the new site for the feature is live.

Navigating to the Messages for Web site walks you through the instructions to link your phone to the site via a QR code.  You scan that QR code within the Android Messages app under the overflow (three vertical dots) menu.

The features and abilities of Google Assistant, both on Android and on Google Home, continue to impress and one of the latest is incredibly handy.  You can now tell Assistant where you parked your car, then ask where you parked and get directions to your car.

Isn’t living in the future cool?

How it works is pretty straightforward.  When you park your car, just open up Assistant by saying, “Hey Google, remember where I parked my car.”  You will get a confirmation and there is a special “P” pin that is put into Google Maps.