It was only a matter of time. With the oncoming arrival of Steam games on Chromebooks, we knew that we’d see at least a few ChromeOS devices show up not just with a gaming aesthetic, but with the internals to back up that look as well. While we felt 100% sure of this future, we’d […]
Continue ReadingI’m now officially addicted to high refresh rate screens when using a Chromebook
Last week, I made a purchase that I think is going to forever change the way I interact with Chromebooks. While I’ve loved my LG Ultrawide QHD display for years, it has caused me a few issues here and there when reviewing certain ChromeOS devices. With a resolution of 3440×1440, my old extended display ended […]
Continue ReadingHP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook unboxing and impressions [VIDEO]
It’s not every day that you get the chance to unbox what could end up being the best Chromebook of the year. While we had a chance to play around with an early, pre-production model of the HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook all the way back in January, it was clear that things were definitely not […]
Continue ReadingHP’s Dragonfly Chromebook convinces me it’s time for a Bluetooth haptic trackpad for ChromeOS
Years ago, my go-to desktop setup involved a lovely Bluetooth trackpad made by Logitech called the T650. If you ever had/used one, you know the brilliance contained in that wireless wonder. It was huge, glass, smooth, and had a supremely satisfying click mechanism. Early on, Google saw it as important enough to make sure the […]
Continue ReadingThe Chrome Cast 173: Cursive, USI 2.0, and the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3
This week on The Chrome Cast, we spend the first part of the show discussing Google’s Cursive handwriting PWA and the improvements that have come along with ChromeOS 102. With the full introduction of Cursive to the wider Chromebook audience, we’re seeing some solid usability for the first time with Cursive on quite a few […]
Continue ReadingGoogle Messages is set to take a page out of Gmail’s book
When talking about email, I’m likely to go down a rabbit hole discussing why it is I miss Google’s own Inbox so much. Gmail is fine, sure, but Inbox was fantastic once you understood how to leverage it. The winning formula largely came down to giving users a quick and simple way to parse and […]
Continue ReadingBody detection is coming to a Chromebook now in development by Dell
Since the fall of last year, we’ve known that Human Presence Sensing (HPS) is headed for Chromebooks and ChromeOS, even if we’ve yet to see the fruits of this work. How presence sensing will play into the Chromebook experience is still up in the air a bit, but one integration would likely be the upcoming […]
Continue ReadingGoogle’s Cursive handwriting web app is finally becoming truly useful [VIDEO]
All the way back in August of last year, Google debuted Cursive – a new progressive web app for handwritten notes – and it was…OK. Actually, “OK” is probably being kind when we talk about how half-baked it felt at first. As it became more widely available, we began testing it pretty regularly on a […]
Continue ReadingThe M2 Macbook Pro is bested by an ARM-powered Chromebook in one very important way
If you know me, you know that I give credit where and when it is due. With Apple, I’m fine with admitting that the company completely owns the tablet market, rules the smartwatch sector, and makes my favorite wireless earbuds (hopefully only until July 21st, though). Their Macbooks are very nice laptops, too, and we […]
Continue ReadingThe Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3 is USI 2.0: why that’s a good and a bad thing
In our early testing of the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3, we noticed our review unit didn’t seem to be playing nice with our array of USI pens. At first, I wondered if we had a bad unit, but after a few emails it became clear that something a bit more complex was going on. The […]
Continue ReadingThe Chrome Cast 172: Apple’s new hardware, Lenovo Duet 3 impressions, and a Pixel Watch app
This week on The Chrome Cast, we begin the show by talking about Apple’s latest announcements from WWDC 2022. With a new ARM-based M2 chip, a new Macbook Air, a confusing Macbook Pro with the M2 chip, and an interesting new multitasking tool in Stage Manager, there was a fair bit to discuss on the […]
Continue ReadingLenovo Chromebook Duet 3 pre-review sneak peek: remote working from a tablet
Due to a few interesting circumstances this morning, I find myself working out and about. It’s a thing I used to do constantly and have always enjoyed, but as we’ve settled into our office space, I find myself doing less and less. I won’t get off track on this, but I do have to point […]
Continue ReadingWhy we need a Chromecast Ultra with Google TV
When Google debuted the Chromecast with Google TV back in the fall of 2020, they changed the fundamental way users expect to interact with a Chromecast. Sure, the HDMI dongle still does all the standard casting tricks we’ve been used to for years at this point, but Google added a full UI and finally introduced […]
Continue ReadingPixel Watch will have a dedicated app and feature Android Smart Unlock
Thanks to a bit of digging by the folks over at 9to5 Google, we now know that there will be a dedicated, standalone Pixel Watch app for Android users to accompany the new hardware Google is ready to launch this fall. While there is already a Wear OS app for standard watches powered by Google’s […]
Continue ReadingLenovo Chromebook Duet 3 unboxing and impressions [VIDEO]
During MWC 2022 back in early March of this year, we had the opportunity to spend some time with a pre-production version of the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3, and we came away pretty impressed. With all the things the original Duet got right, Lenovo simply needed to show up with a version that corrected a […]
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