If you spend any time on our site or you are Chrome OS tinkerers like we are, you are likely familiar with chrome://flags. Flags are simply switches for features that are still under development, experiments or settings that may be getting deprecated in steps. These "flags" are accessible, not … [Read more...] about Chrome “Flags” Page Gets Major Overhaul: Video
Preview
Support our independent tech coverage. Chrome Unboxed is written by real people, for real people—not search algorithms. Join Chrome Unboxed Plus for just $2 a month to get an ad-free experience, access to our private Discord, and more. Learn more about membership here.
START FREE TRIAL (MONTHLY)START FREE TRIAL (ANNUAL)
Google PixelBook Roundup: Specs, Price and Release Date
In just over a week, we'll be hopping on a flight to San Francisco to see what Google has to offer up to its growing line of consumer-focused, #madebygoogle products. We can, of course, expect the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 phones from Google to be the highlight of the Oct. 4 event and believe me, we … [Read more...] about Google PixelBook Roundup: Specs, Price and Release Date
Chromebooks Get Real-time Usage Monitoring
We have been tracking this new feature for a few weeks, waiting for it to go live to see exactly what it would look like in the flesh. Thanks to Chrome Evangelist, François Beaufort, we can now check out Chrome OS system monitoring in the Canary channel. The new "system internals" flag does very … [Read more...] about Chromebooks Get Real-time Usage Monitoring
Google Assistant Headphones: Latest News
The Google Assistant is busy making its way to a wide range of devices and platforms. Third-party speakers, Chromebooks and even your washing machine will soon offer an Assistant-enabled experience to users who are so inclined to do so. One of the more intriguing devices that may soon carry the … [Read more...] about Google Assistant Headphones: Latest News
Animated Selfie Avatars Coming To Chromebooks Via Motion Stills
Some or even many of you may not be familiar with Motion Stills. For those of you who aren't, let me share this awesome little app with you. Motions Stills is a video and .gif creating app from Google first released for iOS in 2016 then later announced for Android in July of this year. Since that … [Read more...] about Animated Selfie Avatars Coming To Chromebooks Via Motion Stills
Chromebook High Contrast Mode: Inverting Colors Gets A New Shortcut
Inverting the colors on your Chromebook can make for a really cool looking desktop and for some users with vision impairments, the high-contrast mode can even be a necessity. For many Chromebook owners, however, this accessibility feature is nothing more than a nuisance that is stumbled upon … [Read more...] about Chromebook High Contrast Mode: Inverting Colors Gets A New Shortcut
SMS For Chromebooks: More Details Emerge
In late July, news of SMS notifications for Chromebooks spread like wildfire as developers added a new "SMS Connect" setting to the Developer channel of Chrome OS. At that time, we found the new setting to be completely non-functional. I'm a bit sad to report that, as of today, that has not … [Read more...] about SMS For Chromebooks: More Details Emerge
Chrome Adds New Policy Tool Page
Unless you are a Chromebook tinkerer or an administrator for managed devices, you might not know that Chrome has a large number of built-in shortcuts to access a variety of features right in the browser. If you frequent this site, the one that may be most familiar is chrome://flags. This, of … [Read more...] about Chrome Adds New Policy Tool Page
Another Google Assistant Sighting On Chromebooks
Earlier this month, the Google Assistant made its debut in the Developer channel of Chrome OS. The new setting lacked any functionality and has since been removed as work continues on this exciting new feature. Another interesting development has manifested in the latest update to the Developer … [Read more...] about Another Google Assistant Sighting On Chromebooks
Android Enabled Chromebooks: Say Goodbye To Web Store Apps
One year ago, almost to the day, the Chromium project announced the phasing out of Apps from the Chrome Web Store for Windows, MacOS and Linux users. Citing the push for truly web-based apps, it now appears that Chromebooks will shift away from "Chrome Apps" as well. If you have an … [Read more...] about Android Enabled Chromebooks: Say Goodbye To Web Store Apps
Chrome For Phones Getting A New Look?
We've reported on a lot of updates, additions, and changes to the Chrome OS ecosystem but Chromebooks aren't the only devices getting some UI tweaks from the Chromium developers. In late May, we saw a new feature in Chrome Canary for Android labeled "Chrome Home." The experimental flag … [Read more...] about Chrome For Phones Getting A New Look?
Chromebooks Getting Fresh OOBE Look
We are seeing a lot of changes to our beloved Chrome operating system as of late. From the slow rollout of Android Apps, new form-factors, and extensive Material Design changes, Chromebooks have certainly come a long way in just a few, short years. This week, we are seeing what could be a new … [Read more...] about Chromebooks Getting Fresh OOBE Look
