There’s been a lot of buzz in the Chrome community about touchscreens on Chromebooks and rightfully so. If you haven’t heard the news, Android apps are coming to Chromebooks later this year. For the full rundown check out Robby’s video here: Android Apps Coming to Chrome OS Very Soon
Google has released a detailed list of which devices will be receiving the Google Play Store for Android apps. To see if yours made this list check out Chromebooks That Will Be Getting The Google Play Store.
Now, there’s been a lot of debate around the Chrome Unboxed office as to whether or not touchscreen capability is really going to be a must-have once Android apps start rolling out. We will discuss that more in depth later this week. However, for those not quite ready to upgrade to a new machine just for touchscreen functionality, the guys over at Neonode© may be able to help you out.
Say hello the the AirBar.
The AirBar has been designed to add touchscreen capability to your Chromebook or Windows Laptop using an invisible light field on the surface of your display. This handy gadget is USB plug-and-play and is currently compatible with machines running Window 8 and 10 as well as Chromebooks with screen sizes of 11.6, 13.3, 14 and 15.6 inches. The AirBar is available for pre-order now for $69.99 US for all four screen dimensions.
We hope to be testing one of these soon to see just how capable and practical it will be. For those looking to gain touch capability without the costly upgrade, this could be a great option. Check back to see just how the AirBar performs.
Sources:
Chromestory
AirBar