Chromebooks set to get diagnostic widgets in the launcher just as Nvidia GPUs get canceled

Thanks to a keen eye and some tinkering by our friend C2 Productions over on ‘X’, it looks like Google is adding some much-needed diagnostic improvements to your Chromebook. Currently only in the Canary channel, the ChromeOS Launcher is set to introduce a slew of new widgets that provide essential information at your fingertips – forget digging through your settings or opening the diagnostics app!

Last year, the company worked a bunch on new tools and features for tinkerers who want to check their device health and wellness, but they’ve been pretty quiet since then. As shown below, we’re looking at three handy diagnostic widgets that’ll make it easier to manage your Chromebook’s performance:

@michaelperrigo @GabrielBrangers @chromeunboxed @robby_payne @NexusBen
FIRST LOOK: The Everything Launcher is becoming more like it with its newest integration being the Diagnostics App!
Ever want to know your CPU Temperature or Speed quickly. Just type CPU in the launcher! pic.twitter.com/biBgvpfF1q

— C2 Productions (@cr_c2cv) August 18, 2023

Widget all the things!

First up is the battery widget. This will show you the remaining battery percentage and how much time you have left before it’s drained just as you would see at the bottom right corner of your laptop. However, it also displays the battery’s health and cycle count or how many times you’ve charged up. This is great for determining longevity. In the past you’d have to do this through the terminal!

The second widget shown is for your Chromebook’s memory or RAM. With a glance, you’ll be able to see how much of your device’s memory is being used and how much is still available. If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re pushing your Chromebook too hard or if you have room to multitask some more, this widget will definitely come in clutch.

Lastly, we have the CPU usage widget. For those who like to know what’s happening under the hood, this one will display your CPU’s temperature, usage, and current speed in GHz. As of now, the temperature is shown in Celsius, but I’m sure it will show Fahrenheit once the update rolls out, based on your system preferences.

What’s particularly neat is that the battery and RAM widgets will display a fill bar, giving you an easy visual representation of how much you’re using. This is great for diagnosing your Chromebook in essentially no time flat.

By simply tapping that ‘Everything button’ on your keyboard and typing in what you’re looking for, even just a few letters of either ‘Battery’, ‘CPU’, or ‘RAM’, you’ll be met with these as the predictive text will handle the rest.

These widgets are sadly and conveniently timed

I know a lot of you reading this probably don’t care about the specifics so long as your Chromebook doesn’t chug along, and generally, if this starts happening, you’ll likely to go and get a new laptop, but my thought on this is two-fold.

First, I think Google is doing its best to cater to every kind of user, not just those looking to browse the web. Second – and this ties to the first reason very closely – as Borealis, or Steam for Chromebooks starts being used more often, gamers are going to want to see how far they can push ChromeOS when it comes to ‘Linux gaming’ performance.

…the sad truth is we won’t get to see what the eventual combo of a discrete GPU-enabled Chromebook and a finished Borealis (Steam on Chromebooks) project would look like. And for that reason, I’m a bit bummed.

NVIDIA GPU Chromebooks are no longer in development

Unfortunately, these widgets may be even more necessary now thanks to those Nvidia GPUs being axed just recently, so it’s unlikely we’ll be getting more horsepower for Steam games anytime soon. While depressing as all get out, at least Google is thinking about how best to maximize the onboard processing power and so forth for an ideal gaming experience.

Photo credit: C2 Productions