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Articles by Kent Duke
Linux Apps | Android Police
Do you want more buttons on your next smartphone? Yes, load me up with all the physical shortcuts it can take. 13%, 58 votes I'll take one more additional button, but nothing more. 7%, 31 votes Only if the additional button(s) can be programmed to the task of my liking. 38%, 174 votes No, the usual combination of power and volume buttons is fine for me. 38%, 174 votes Something else (leave a comment). 4%, 27 votes Total Votes: 464
Google is working on a dazzling new wallpaper collection for Chromebooks
Share Tweet Email And you can download them early, right here Wallpaper sets the mood for your device, and whether you're choosing between sweeping landscapes, subtle gradients, or even a massive picture of your favorite band, which wallpaper you roll with can make a surprising difference in your user experience. If you're on a Chromebook, Google offers an extensive library of high-resolution wallpapers that make your laptop feel a bit more like, well, your device.
Download all of Google's beautiful Chromebook wallpapers for Chrome OS right here
Are you tired of looking at your old boring wallpaper? Google recently published some fancy new wallpapers for Chrome OS, and you can download them right now — even if you don't own a Chromebook. I get it: Having a plain, solid color background is important to keep you less distracted from your work in an enterprise setting. But with your own device, personalization is key to making your PC and smartphone fresh and exciting.
Here's how to use Android's Nearby Share on your Chromebook
For nearly a decade, Chromebooks lacked any cross-device synergy with Android smartphones. Google attempted to bridge the gap between its devices with its suite of Better Together features, but it felt like an afterthought compared to Apple's Mac-to-iPhone integration. That all changed when Google introduced Phone Hub in its big Chrome OS 89 update, and with OS 91, Google finally made it easy to share family memories, documents, and files between Chromebooks and Android devices with Nearby Share.
Asus Chromebook CX9 Review: Too much of a good thing
Share Tweet Email Limiting software holds back Asus's pricey Chromebook There are a ton of dependable Chromebook options, whether you’re a casual user browsing the web or a serious professional that demands the best hardware. And while Chromebooks have a reputation for being cheap, that doesn’t mean there can’t be powerhouse Chromebooks. There’s a clear case to be made for a nicer piece of hardware like the Asus Chromebook CX9.
Acer Chromebook Spin 713 (2021) review: The best Chromebook of 2021
Share Tweet Email Acer’s newest Spin 713 is a performance juggernaut for the price For the first few years, Chromebooks were merely an affordable solution for people to go online. With the ever-improving feature set of Chrome OS, manufacturers like Acer have seen more demand for premium Chromebook hardware. Last year, Acer released its successful Spin 713, which exceeded our expectations by packing speedy performance at a decent price.
Wiping away the mess... and your money
This story was originally published 2021/04/29 8:00am PDTon Apr 29, 2021 and last updated 2021/09/23 8:17am PDTon Sep 23, 2021. Robot vacuums have been exploding in popularity over the last few years, and there are plenty of inexpensive units that get the job done. For some, a better vacuum that saves more time is worth a premium price, and Roborock is happy to offer very expensive vacuums like the new Roborock S7 to those folks.
Our favorite Chrome OS 93 flags you should try on your Chromebook
Chrome OS 93 arrived for Chromebooks on Tuesday of last week, and it's packed with quality-of-life polish to help you enjoy your Chromebook even more. There are several additional features and tweaks that are not yet part of the default experience — including four that we detailed earlier this week. That's because they're still in development and need further refinement before being made available for millions of Chromebook users around the globe.
Chrome OS is getting a fresh set of new wallpapers — download them here
This story was originally published 2020/09/14 3:24pm PDTon Sep 14, 2020 and last updated 2021/09/15 2:20pm PDTon Sep 15, 2021. Are you tired of looking at your old boring wallpaper? Google recently published some new wallpaper collections for Chrome OS, and you can download them right now — even if you don't own a Chromebook. I get it: Having a plain, solid color background is important to keep you less distracted from your work in an enterprise setting.
4 hidden Chromebook features to supercharge your productivity on Chrome OS 93
Chrome OS 93 arrived for most Chromebooks last week, and it refines the core experience with polish (like adding a ) to help make your device more enjoyable to use. It's not the most exciting release out-of-the-box, but with a little tweaking on your end, you'll be able to take advantage of some even-more-useful but experimental features that aren't part of the default Chrome OS experience yet. Here are a few of them we've found that will help take your productivity to the next level.
Chrome OS 93 is heading to your Chromebook today, and it's all about the details
Today Google is launching Chrome OS 93 to Chromebooks, just a week after it released Chrome 93 to mobile and desktop platforms. Chromebooks have seen wild success over the last couple of years thanks to Chrome OS being reliable, secure, and easy to use, and Chrome OS 93 adds polish here and there to help you enjoy your Chromebook even more. Here are all the important features and tweaks coming with this update.
Chrome OS is working to help solve your Chromebook's audio problems
It's frustrating to deal with broken audio on your Chromebook. With much of the world relying on video calls to communicate with family, friends, and work colleagues, issues with audio input and output can be a pain to troubleshoot and threaten disrupt an otherwise productive day. But with the help of a forthcoming Chrome OS update, you might just be able to find out why your speaker or microphone isn't performing as intended.
Eufy's subscription-free doorbell is even cheaper on Amazon today, but the deal won't last long
A smart doorbell camera can make keeping an eye on your home much easier, whether receiving a package from UPS or weeding out "guests" trying to sell you their services. While big players like Google Nest and Ring have some of the most advanced doorbells on the market, their price tags are enough to make your wallet quiver in fear. Thankfully, Eufy's battery-powered video doorbell camera won't break the bank, and you can pick one up for a mere $80 on Amazon today — no subscription needed.
Chrome is getting a fresh Material makeover for its system pages
It's been a few years now since Google gave Chrome one of its biggest makeovers to date — a perfect treat (for most) to celebrate the browser's first decade. Its Material makeover ditched the and drab gray for a modern, rounded look that's more in line with Google's updated design system. However, the lack of theming in Chrome's system pages (settings and bookmarks, for example) is a testament to the absence of consistency in Google's implementation of Material Design.
Chrome is working to support one of Android 12's best features
A lot of us take screenshots with our phones, but when trying to do something like sharing a cool, long article with friends and family, that can sometimes mean snapping a bunch of them. We've been waiting forever for Google to add scrolling screenshots natively into Android, and for good reason — it's way more convenient to just take a single capture of content that extends past what's viewable on our phone's screen.
Save big on both generations of Samsung's flashy Galaxy Chromebook
Summer vacation has come and gone — it's already August, our (not really) favorite time of the year when many of us head back to the classroom. If you've been eyeing a laptop for your daily schooling needs, there's no better way to catch the attention of your peers than by grabbing Samsung's flashy fiesta-red Galaxy Chromebook. And today, you can save big on both generations of these attractive Chromebooks — up to $300 off the premium model.
Android gaming on Chromebooks will soon be a little less frustrating
Many of us have been working from home for a long time now, and if you've got a stressful job, it's vital to take time relaxing and winding down after work.
Save up to 25% on Eufy's home security systems on Amazon today
It's more important than ever to keep your home safe and secure, especially when you're away at work. While it can be expensive to invest in a full monitoring system, thankfully there are plenty of outdoor cameras that will help look after your home 24/7 without breaking the bank. Anker's eufyCam 2 is a solid option for an affordable security camera, and for today only, you can save up to 25% on its security system as part of Amazon's Deal of the Day.
'Cursive' for Chromebooks could finally be the digital notebook you wish you had
More and more of us are going completely digital these days, replacing our pens and paper with a tablet-and-stylus combo. With the right software and hardware, tablets could be the perfect medium for taking notes in class, illustrating, and doing everything a traditional PC can do. Sadly, decent apps for taking handwritten notes on Chromebooks are few and far between — most suffering from high input latency and random instability.
Chrome gets even more colorful with its big Material You revamp
Google announced Material You at this year's I/O conference, and this post-Material Design chapter looks like it's arguably the company's most ambitious move yet. Material You is all about embracing emotion and expression, using humanistic principles like soft shapes and dynamic color theming that adapt to your wallpaper.
Our favorite Chrome flags you should try on your Chromebook
This story was originally published 2020/10/18 7:00am PDTon Oct 18, 2020 and last updated 2021/08/07 12:53pm PDTon Aug 7, 2021. Chrome OS 92 arrived to Chromebooks on Monday this week following a week of delay, and it's packed with a ton of helpful features to supercharge your ability to communicate on Chrome OS. There are several additional features and tweaks that are not yet part of the default experience — a few we detailed earlier this week.
Save a cool $100 on Google's i5 Pixelbook Go
It's been almost two years since Google made a proper Chromebook for the masses. The Pixelbook Go is the company's most recent device meant for the casual user, with a more traditional form factor and magnesium chassis to improve its affordability and longevity. Despite Google's cost-saving measures, the laptop has simply been too expensive, with a $650 sticker price being less competitive than similarly equipped Chromebooks.
How to stop your Chromebook from opening Chrome on startup
Your Chromebook is no ordinary PC: it's powered by Google's Chrome browser, providing a speedy, simple, and secure online experience. It's precisely this reason that Chrome launches automatically whenever you sign back in — there's no better way to showcase your Chromebook's strength than by putting the browser front and center. However, some people just prefer starting with a blank desktop instead, whether they want to use other apps instead, or for minimalism reasons.
Get the most out of your Chromebook with noise cancellation and these other hidden features
Chrome OS 92 has finally rolled out to Chromebooks following a week's delay, and it's packed with goodies like a brand new emoji picker and a clipboard manager for tablets. We've been digging into the new update and pulling up even more features that should help you get the most out of your Chromebook. Here are a few advantageous but experimental features we've found that you can take advantage of today.
Chrome OS 92 is rolling out to Chromebooks with a huge focus on communication
There's no denying that Google has had a rough couple of weeks following its recent attempts to fix Chrome OS. After a brief delay, the company is now jumping back on track and announcing the next major update for Chromebooks — two weeks after Chrome 92 launched for mobile and desktop platforms. Chrome OS 92 sweetens the user experience with a sprinkle of new features; here are all the important bits Google announced today.
Google is working to fix a surprising oversight in the Chrome OS media app
The media app on Chromebooks has been around forever — or at least since Google launched its operating system over a decade ago. Historically it's been a bit rudimentary; just about the only thing you could do back then was actually view your photos, with no built-in editing abilities.
This Chromebook would make a perfect first laptop for your kid, and it's super affordable right now
Acer's a well-established name in the Chromebook market. With its newest Tigerlake Chromebooks tearing through even the heaviest desktop apps, it's getting increasingly clear that the company is betting big with its hardware. As more institutions turn to Google's platform to bring millions of students online, Acer's Chromebook 512 is a no-brainer play by Acer to expand even further into the booming education market.
There's no stopping Chromebooks from dominating the world
Chromebooks have proven to be terrific machines for students — or really, just about anyone working from home these days. Chromebooks have seen tremendous sales over the past year, with whopping 275% year-on-year growth in the first quarter of 2021. While growth has now slowed, Chromebook sales continue to do strongly in Q2 2021. Q2 2021 global market growth in the PC market.
An upcoming Chrome test fills its homepage with even more useless clickbait
This story was originally published 2021/05/24 10:36am PDTon May 24, 2021 and last updated 2021/07/29 3:36pm PDTon Jul 29, 2021. Google is no stranger to pushing its popular Discover feed across its various platforms and products. You can even find it in Chrome's new tab page on Android these days, with its curated news feed based on your interests. Discover was first introduced in Chrome 54 and has received iterative updates to make it more prominent.
Snag our favorite Chromebook with this epic deal
Chromebooks have never seen so much growth as they have since the global pandemic brought the world home, and for good reason: they're fast, reliable, and secure — all for a low price. Acer is one of the most committed Chromebook manufacturers out there, and its Spin 713 from last year is still one of the hottest Chrome devices on the market today, offering terrific bang for your buck with its premium specifications and cheap price.
You probably never thought you'd be making goofy GIF selfies on your Chromebook, but here we are
GIFs have ruled the internet for the past three decades, and while other image file formats offer more colors and better compression, they just can't touch GIF's trump card: animation. People use these eye-catchy animations everywhere, whether expressing their mood, or reacting to a meme on platforms like Instagram or Twitter. If you're tired of using the same GIFs over and over, there are plenty of tools around for making your own animations.
Google is giving your Chromebook the nerdiest possible customization
Network administration is one of those annoying realities of using so many connected devices, and while there are plenty of tools that can help streamline things, sometimes it feels like Chromebooks are doing everything they can to make the task more difficult. Right now, it's a hassle to even identify your Chromebook on your local network because Chrome OS doesn't broadcast your device's hostname — a unique label that helps it stand out.
Get ready to say goodbye to potato-quality Chromebook screen captures
It's no secret that it can be a Herculean effort to find decent screen recorder software for Chromebooks. Most online capture tools lock functionality (like recording in native resolution) behind an expensive subscription paywall, so you'd have to pay up just to unlock a basic feature. Google has been working to end your recording woes by adding a native solution for Chrome OS in its big 89 update, but and lackluster video quality made it mostly useless.
Google just pushed out a new Chrome OS 91 build — update now
It's no secret that Google really screwed over Chromebook users with its botched Chrome OS 91 update. When it released 91.0.4772.165 on Monday, it locked many people out of their devices, forcing them to powerwash and lose their valuable files. We learned yesterday that Google forgot to add a second "&" to a conditional statement, which broke its ability to decrypt login information (required to sign you in).
Google Assistant is going goth, with dark mode coming to a future Chrome OS update
It's been almost a year since Google started working on giving Chrome OS some darker hues. Despite dark mode's long development time, it still looks pretty unfinished today (even in Canary), and we'll probably be waiting for some time before Google officially launches it.
Google messed up all those Chromebooks yesterday because of a single typo
This story was originally published 2021/07/19 12:32pm PDTon Jul 19, 2021 and last updated 2021/07/20 1:49pm PDTon Jul 20, 2021. Google can't seem to catch a break when it comes to Chrome OS 91. First we saw many users reporting their devices using an egregious amount of CPU after upgrading to 91.0.4472.147. While Google pulled the update shortly thereafter and rolled everyone back to 91.0.4472.114, that managed to lock out Linux apps.
A new Chrome OS 91 update is breaking Chromebooks like a bull in a china shop
Google can't seem to catch a break when it comes to Chrome OS 91. First we saw many users reporting their devices using an egregious amount of CPU after upgrading to 91.0.4472.147. While Google pulled the update shortly thereafter and rolled everyone back to 91.0.4472.114, that managed to lock out Linux apps. Now we're seeing the arrival of 91.0.4772.165, and this update introduces an awful bug that's breaking Chromebooks left and right.
Here's how to keep yourself protected
Your security is critical to a positive web surfing experience, and Google is constantly pushing updates to Chrome so you'll stay protected from malicious websites. Some security flaws inevitably fall through the cracks — a reminder you should always use the latest version of Chrome. There's a newly discovered Chrome exploit being actively exploited today, and while Google promptly released a fix for it, there's a chance you could still be running an old, vulnerable version.
Chrome for Android could get a shopping list feature that works like bookmarks
It's no secret that we're constantly looking for ways to save our hard-earned cash when we purchase things. While there are plenty of resources to help us hunt for deals, it still requires a bit of work on our end to find the best prices. Thankfully, Google has been working to bring a price tracker to Chrome for Android, and with a future update, it could be even easier to find products at their best prices.
Google is adding a document scanner to the Chrome OS Camera app
The demand for flatbed scanners has been soaring ever since many of us started working from home because of the global pandemic. If you don't have access to that kind of hardware, being asked to sign and send a document might seem like an impossible task. Thankfully, the Chromebook you're using right now could soon double as a scanner. We've spotted a series of commits at the Chromium Gerrit that integrate a document scanner right into the Chrome OS camera app.
Your Chromebook is getting a new wallpaper app with Material You vibes
Personalizing your Chromebook's desktop is key to spicing up your device with a modern, fresh look. With Google's attractive selection of stock backgrounds (that you can download here), it's easy to find a wallpaper that matches your style — as long as you don't mind dealing with its mediocre wallpaper-selection interface. For years, choosing a background has been a bit of a drag thanks to awkward sorting and confusingly poor performance.
Pick up the best premium Chromebook with Best Buy's killer deal
Chrome OS is a lot more capable than it once was. Unlike the "Chrome" moniker implies, it's a swiss-army knife that runs a wide range of Android apps and powerful desktop Linux tools. The versatility means you'll need a beefier laptop, and nothing fits the bill better than the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 refreshed this year.
Your Chromebook will finally let you sort your apps in the launcher
It's no secret that your Chromebook's app launcher could use a serious user experience overhaul. As it is today, Chrome OS is devoid of any method of sorting your apps, meaning all rearrangement of your apps has to be done by hand, and it creates new pages in the launcher seemingly at random. The end result is an unusable mess, making it frustrating to find your important apps unless you use the search bar.
Managing downloads in Chrome OS is about to get much easier
There's no question that Chrome OS does (mostly) everything these days, from productivity to entertainment. One of several aspects we've grown to love is its focus on usability, and we think Tote (formally Holding Space) is a brilliant feature that can take your productivity to the next level. Google is planning on supercharging Tote even further with a fresh update we're sure most would find handy.
One of our top wireless earbuds picks is nearly 50% off today
There are a lot of wireless earbuds you can purchase online, but if you want a quality listening experience without breaking the bank, you'll have to dig deep. Matter of fact, there's a drought of quality buds out there — between audio cuts, short battery lifespan, and awful durability, it's tough to separate the quality buds from the ones that belong in the trash.
Chrome won't spam you with notifications thanks to this upcoming change
There's no denying that getting slammed with notifications is quite distracting. With the global pandemic causing a dramatic shift in how many of us do our jobs, it's now more important than ever to present at your best with screen sharing tools like Google Meet — free from any distraction. An upcoming Chrome change will take that one step further to help you stay focused and on track.
Amazfit's bestselling smartwatch is nearly half off today
It's tough to find that perfect smartwatch for your wrist, especially with the Apple Watch single-handedly dominating the wearable market. Thankfully, there are plentiful of other decent smartwatches that won't lure you into Apple's proverbial walled garden, including Amazfit's bestselling GTS watch. It's an excellent companion that screams premium at every angle, and you can snag one for $80 at B&H — nearly half off its $140 MSRP.
Chrome is about to be more forgiving with accidentally closing your tabs
We've all made that annoying mistake of accidentally closing our Chrome browser tabs and windows. It's especially a hassle to wait for Chrome to reload them — it takes even longer depending on your network and how heavy the webpages are. Accidental closers won't have to grieve much longer, as Google is working on a nifty "magic trick" to remove the time spent waiting for Chrome to reload your tabs.
Samsung's brand-new Galaxy Tab A7 Lite is already 20% off
It's tough for Android tablets to compete in the market, especially with Apple's iPad single-handedly dominating the space. But for casual users looking for a cheap and portable "Netflix machine" to stream from the comfort of their couch, nothing fits the bill better than Samsung's Galaxy Tab A7 Lite. It's a great bang-for-buck tablet that could easily outpace its Amazon Fire competition, and today, you can pick one up for $130 on Amazon and B&H — normally priced at $160.
Chrome OS will soon let you link up with your phone without utterly destroying its battery
Phone Hub was a big deal when Google launched it with Chrome OS 89 a few months back. The feature finally brought the cross-device synergy that Android and Chromebook fans have been waiting for, with the ability to respond to your phone's messages, view its status, and more. The launch didn't go smoothly at all, however, with many reporting bugs like severe Android battery drain that outweighs any reason to use it.
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