Google did an interesting thing this year when they launched the Pixel Slate: they included a 3rd-party accessory in the hands-on portion of the event. While Google-made accessories aren’t too out of place at this yearly media show, devices from companies other than Google are quite rare.
Continue ReadingChrome 73 Brings “Back To Tab” Button For PIP Video Windows
Back in Chrome OS 70 we were introduced to the idea of PIP (picture-in-picture) video playback on desktop. The idea is similar to what we’ve become used to using on our phones. If you are watching a video and minimize the window or tab your playback is happening in, the PIP will kick in and […]
Continue ReadingChrome Canvas: A Web App For Drawing On Your Chromebook From Google
Pen support has been a normality in Chrome OS since the early days of Chrome Unboxed. The device that pioneered the entire effort was one we tracked from the earliest stages: the Samsung Chromebook Plus. I remember stumbling upon pen support for what was known as ‘Kevin’ at the time and being so excited to […]
Continue ReadingBest Affordable Chromebooks For Kids: Late 2018 [VIDEO]
The end of the holiday season is rapidly approaching and, around the office, we’ve noticed a trend pop up that hasn’t been a trend before this year. It revolves around a question that we’ve been asked so regularly (in the office, via email, in chats, and in comments) that we stopped other video production and […]
Continue ReadingChrome OS 71 Rolling Out With Android Integrations, Native Google Assistant & More
One of the benefits of being a Chromebook user is the schedule of regular updates your device will always receive quietly and in the background. For all the things many people think Chromebooks lack, they can’t argue with the fantastic update experience Chrome OS offers its users.
Continue ReadingKiller Deal On The Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14 & Free Google Home Mini
Dell launched the new Inspiron Chromebook over a month ago, and for most of that available time, this device has been $599 from either Best Buy or Dell. While I think that is a tad high, I wasn’t overly offended by the base price on this device while using it.
Continue ReadingNative PDF Pen Annotation On The Way For Chromebooks
PDFs have become quite the standard over the years. Of all of Adobe’s contributions to the software world, the PDF will likely stand the test of time as the de facto sharable public document. Though originally created by Adobe, they handed control of the PDF file over to the international community back in 2007 and […]
Continue ReadingHP Chromebook x360 14 Initial Impressions [VIDEO]
November and December have been crazy for us here at Chrome Unboxed. Between Google’s new hardware and most major Chromebook vendors launching new devices, it has been a non-stop stream for the past few weeks. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a good thing for everyone!
Continue ReadingNew Chromecast Interface Rolling Out For Chrome
The Chromecast experience on Chrome has been largely the same for quite some time. They’ve slowly changed small features and layouts along the way, but it seems a pretty significant overhaul is happening with the Casting interface. We’re oddly only seeing this change occurring on the HP Chromebook x360 at the moment and that device […]
Continue ReadingNo, There Are No NVMe Storage Options For Pixel Slate
This one hurts quite a bit. Back in August, we reported that the Pixel Slate (then known as ‘Nocturne’) was being tested with the ultra-fast NVMe storage available in the Pixelbook’s top-level configuration. The commit was pretty straightforward and everything was pointing clearly towards the Pixel Slate equipping this much-improved storage at least on the […]
Continue ReadingQualcomm Snapdragon 845 Chromebook ‘Cheza’ Shows Up In GeekBench With Low Scores
In the past couple months, we’ve been a bit overwhelmed with new Chromebook models left and right. From HP, Dell, Google, Lenovo, and Acer, the new mid-to-high-end Chromebooks have been great and we’ve really enjoyed working through reviews for each. As excited as we’ve been by all these devices, there is a new frontier we’ve […]
Continue ReadingGoogle Pixel Slate Review: The Chrome OS Tablet Future
Since we began here at Chrome Unboxed, the landscape of Chromebooks has changed mightily. From an ecosystem dominated by clamshells we transitioned to an ecosystem dominated by convertibles. In 2018, we are set for yet another transition: the transition to tablets.
Continue ReadingYou Can Get A Chromecast Audio for $15 Right Now
The Chromecast Audio is an underrated and awesome little streaming device. The promise of this dongle is simple: turn any set of speakers you own into sweet, high-fidelity, Cast-enabled playback machines. Many of us already own good speakers in one form or another, but those devices tend to be wired or Bluetooth. If you’ve ever […]
Continue ReadingAcer Chromebook Spin 13 Review: Performance at a Premium
The journey of the Acer Chromebook Spin 13 has been a slightly odd one. Way back in May, we were up in New York where Acer debuted the device on stage and had units on hand for us to actually use. They were buggy and barely working, but the hardware seemed pretty close to finished. […]
Continue ReadingChromebooks To Get Fast Pair For Bluetooth Devices With Google Account Sync
If you’ve never heard of Google’s Fast Pair, that’s OK. Most people haven’t. Though it has been around since October of 2017 when it launched with the Pixel 2, little has been done with this fantastic step forward in Bluetooth accessory pairing. In a nutshell, Fast Pair takes all the fumbling out of pairing up […]
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