Category: Chrome OS

Just a day after a surprising sixth beta build of Chrome 67 was released for the Chrome OS Beta Channel, the latest version of the platform has now been promoted to the Chrome OS Stable Channel.  The build, 67.0.3396.78 (Platform version: 10575.54.0), is the exact same build that was the final beta yesterday.

The update brings a laundry list of improvements, features and fixes to the platform which I’ve listed after the break.  Some of these features, like Progressive Web App support, is a mirror of what is available on the desktop browsers for Windows and MacOS.

A new commit found in the Chromium Gerrit suggest that eSIM support for Chrome OS is in the pipeline.  The commit is codenamed Project Hermes and while very little detail is in the commit about what exactly this would look like, it explicitly calls out eSIM support for the platform, allowing for cellular network support natively in devices.

Hermes is the codename for the project of implementing eSIM support for Chrome OS. Hermes will be responsible for delivering messages between devices with eSIM chips and carrier servers through profile downloads as well as service discovery for new carriers.

This could allow for an “always on” Chromebook that, in theory, could put it head-to-head against Microsoft with their always on Windows 10 laptops.

An unexpected sixth beta build of Chrome 67 has been released to the Chrome OS Beta Channel today, indicating that the Chromium team within Google are still sorting out a few last minute bugs.  The new build is 67.0.3396.78 (Platform version: 10575.54.0) and should be available to devices that are in the beta channel.  You can check for it by typing chrome://help in the browser bar and checking for the update.

The build likely contains a fix for a bug found in the Chrome 67 version of the browser, which has already been released and was patched yesterday.  The bug found was a significant security flaw.  It is probable that the Chrome OS team wants to make sure it is stable in the platform prior to releasing to the Stable Channel.  Chrome 67 was expected to go to the Stable Channel on June 5th which clearly hasn’t happened yet.

Good news this morning for Chrome OS users on G Suite domains that leverage Google Team Drive.  In the Chrome OS Dev Channel, native support for Team Drive is now available, meaning you can see your domain’s drive as well as your personal Google Drive account all within the Files app on your Chromebook.

For those that aren’t familiar with it, Google Team Drive is a more powerful version of Google Drive that consumers use, allowing for easy file management and sharing across the G Suite domain as well as a lot of advanced security to prevent file leakage.

Back in February, I reviewed the Google Pixelbook and the Pixelbook Pen. My love of the Pixelbook that I expressed in that review remains the same today. It is the single best Chromebook I’ve ever used and probably one of the top three laptops I’ve ever used in general. But if you read that review, you know I was less than impressed with the Pixelbook Pen.

My general issues with the Pixelbook Pen came down to two key areas.  First, I did not like the AAAA battery that runs the Pen.  I thought at the time, and still do, that it creates unneeded battery waste.  Second was the price point.  At $99, I still think it is too expensive.  So if I still stand by my two primary issues with the Pen, why do I owe it an apology?  Simply put, I started using daily.  And I love it.

If you have been waiting to pick up the Google Pixelbook for yourself, now is the time for action.  Right now at the Google Store, you can pick up the entry level Pixelbook powered by the Intel i5 processor for $749.  That is a savings of $150 and represents the lowest price ever for the premium Chromebook.  As you may recall, this entry level model comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

The discount only applies to the entry level Pixelbook and not the i5 with 256GB of storage or the i7 powered version at the Google Store.  To be fair though, having used that entry level model for almost all of 2018, it is more than powerful enough to do anything you would want or need from it.  If you haven’t read my review, you can read it here.