Michael Perrigo
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Founder of Faithdrawn Studios and Soulstream Games. Christ-follower, and ever-pensive nomad of knowledge. Game developer and Narrative Design expert
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Articles by Michael Perrigo
How to play your Sony Playstation 5 (or PS4) games from your Chromebook - Chrome Unboxed
Shopping Chromebook Plus? Chrome Unboxed recommends Best Buy! #BestBuyPartner Chrome Unboxed – The Latest Chrome OS News A Space for All Things Chrome, Google, and More! Twitter · Instagram · YouTube Facebook · Email · About August 29, 2021 By Now that more people are beginning to get their hands on Sony’s next-generation game console, the PlayStation 5, I can feel a little less guilty about having received one early on.
‘Extra dim’: Why your Google Pixel phone’s outdoor brightness probably sucks and how to fix it
I don’t go outside often, but when I do, I make sure to enjoy some sun. Unfortunately, my Pixel 6 Pro can’t exactly do the same, and often looks pretty dark in direct sunlight. It’s really not that great at outdoor viewing to begin with, but I realized something today that I keep doing and figured I would share a quick tip or reminder with you so you don’t suffer from the same mistake as I have been for the past few weeks.
Google Play Books gets AI-powered recommendations, and yes, it’s awesome
I often go on small little hunts through all of Google’s services looking for new and exciting features. One of my favorite apps in the company’s entire ecosystem is Google Play Books. Last night, I noticed a new red dot at the top right of the web app interface overlaying the cogwheels icon for the settings menu.
How to toggle your Chromebook’s night light filter or put it on a schedule
Anyone hoping to save their eyesight late at night can, of course, toggle dark mode on their Chromebook, but did you know there’s another way to save your vision without sacrificing the light mode theme if you’re a fan of it? Yep, it’s called ‘Night light’. This feature is a halogen screen filter that overlays your display and rids you of ‘blue light’, which has been shown to keep you up at night if you have too much of it before bedtime.
Smart Chips: Google Drive is getting the ability to filter files by person or group you’ve shared with
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Smart Chips: Google Drive is getting the ability to filter files by person or group you’ve shared with
This week on Google’s Workspace Updates blog, the company announced a new Smart Chip filter feature. For those unaware or who simply don’t recall, Smart Chips are a horizontal bar at the top of Drive, Gmail and other Google services that lets you quickly add search modifiers without using the search bar itself. Now, a new filter is being added for files and folders that you’ve shared with specific people or groups. Wondering what groups are?
You can now add your favorite podcasts to YouTube Music via RSS feeds
Just as I predicted, Google decided to shutter its podcasting service in favor of its new favorite child, YouTube Music. At the time this was announced, many who relied solely on the RSS import feature of Podcasts for the listening experiences that weren’t on Google’s platform were pretty perturbed that this wasn’t possible on YTM. The tech giant is known for its lack of creating feature parity in a product or service before axing it and forcing users over to something else.
Google tried to get Fortnite on the Google Play Store for $147 million
If you’re a gamer or at all interested in Fortnite, then you’ll be no stranger to the fact that Google has had an ongoing battle with Epic Games to get the popular title on the Google Play Store so that Chromebook and Android users can enjoy it. Today, it’s been discovered by The Verge that Google apparently offered Epic $147 million to make this happen! Back in 2018, the game actually arrived on Android devices, but not in a conventional method.
Google Chat rolls out its new logo and ‘Home’ tab, making it easier to everything but the app
As with all Google updates, they take about six months to a year to materialize after being announced. The same can be said of Google Chat’s new four-colored Workspace-oriented logo and revamped homepage. Luckily, today is the day I can officially announce they’re going live. Let’s take a look at everything the company discussed on its Workspace Updates blog today. First up is the revamped navigation panel.
Chrome is working to let you easily reinstall all of your web apps on a new device upon setup
Ever found yourself switching to a new phone and missing all those web apps you had installed since they were more convenient or readily available than apps? Google apparently knows the struggle and seems to be cooking up a solution that could make transitioning your web applications or ‘PWA’s to a new device a breeze. Web apps now pack as much a punch as many traditionally installed Windows software, and the web is the future.
StarTech’s USB-C Docking Station gives me the 3 monitor Chromebook desktop I’ve been begging for
Anyone who knows me will know that while I missed the Chromebox boom and craze, I’m addicted to the idea of daily driving my Chromebook as a desktop workstation. It can’t run Unreal Engine 5 just yet, and may not for quite a while, but I can do pretty much everything else on it and I believe in the power of Chromebooks replacing Windows machines for many people just like yourself.
YouTube is testing a new AI chatbot that lets you ask questions about a video while watching it
YouTube is introducing a new Premium experiment that lets you ask questions about a video that’s playing via a chat bot. Even writing that out sounds crazy, but it looks pretty interesting so far. This feature is designed to allow viewers to ask away without hitting the pause button and going to Google something.
Google Password Manager is getting an update that includes bottom navigation, more
Google’s Password manager that’s baked into Chrome isn’t everyone’s first choice, especially for those who are super privacy-minded, but it’s the go-to for many who just want a simple and at-the-ready tool for getting to their saved accounts. Now, it’s getting a slick, new interface that boasts a bottom navigation bar featuring three neatly organized tabs: “Passwords,” “Checkup,” and “Settings,”. This was first noticed by @Nail_Sadykov in a post on X as shown below.
The Backbone One PlayStation Edition controller for Android is a near perfect gaming companion
The Backbone One PlayStation Edition was previously only available for iPhone users, and while I know I’m late to review this thing, I’m excited to do so because it’s also available for anyone rocking an Android or Pixel phone. To be honest, it’s a near perfect gaming companion for around the house or on the go, and even for your Chromebook depending on who you are.
15 more things you probably didn’t know about Google Photos
Yesterday, I covered 10 things you probably didn’t know about Google Photos. Because I got a bit carried away, it was originally supposed to be 35+ things, so I decided to break it into a separate article here today. Now, I’m going to share 15 more things you probably weren’t aware that Google Photos could do. While you are likely aware of some of these, I hope that I cover a handful that are new to you so you can enjoy the service even more than before.
I found a great alternative to Google Cursive for taking handwritten notes on your Chromebook
I’ve both been infatuated with and extremely frustrated with Google Cursive, the tech giant’s web-based, Chromebook-only handwriting web app. When it’s good, it’s great, but when its flaws show, it makes me question digital bullet journaling and notetaking at its core. Instead, I want to go back to paper and pencil, despite the fact that it lacks the benefits of a digital organization system.
10 things you probably didn’t know about Google Photos
You’re all probably fairly familiar with Google Photos, especially as it took the world by storm and most Google Account holders started to trust the service with their memories and pictures of loved ones and adventure a handful of years back. In recently times, Google has really taken Photos to the next level, adding a Memories tab, and upping its AI game. However, there are plenty of things you probably didn’t know about the app or website, despite having tinkered for a while.
Your Chromebook will soon let you make use of all of those extra buttons on your gaming mouse
A new discovery by our friend C2 Productions over on X and Twosapp reveals that Google is working on giving you the ability to fully customize how each button on your mouse interacts with your Chromebook. As shown in the image below, you can “Click additional buttons on your (mouse) to add or locate buttons.
The Chromebook Files app is too simple: here are 5 things it can do to improve the user experience
Perhaps because I’ve become somewhat of a ‘power user’ on my Chromebook, I’ve started to see where many aspects of the user experience fall short. Having recently set up Ubuntu 23.10 on my desktop and processed large volumes of data, I’ve fallen in love with the files app named “Nautilus” on linux. It’s nowhere near perfect, and others certainly have better features and more robust tools, but compared to the Chromebook Files app, it’s still superior, in my opinion.
iPhone users can now move the Chrome address bar to the top of their screen
Google Chrome’s latest update for iOS introduces a flexible feature that might seem small at first, but is a significant nod to user preference: the option to move the address bar to the top of your iPhone screen. This change acknowledges the diverse ways we interact with our devices and offers a personalized touch to the browsing experience.
How to make sure only certain email addresses can be used to sign into your Chromebook
Are you trying to prevent anyone from signing into your Chromebook with their Google Account? Do you want to make sure only one account can be signed into each device you’re managing? Today, I’m going to show you how to do just that. It’s not exactly one of the features you think of when you start using your device, but once you get a bit more advanced, you start thinking of these sorts of niceties, so let’s dive in. For regular users, this feature is actually baked right into your Chromebook.
You and the kids can still play Google’s ‘The Great Ghoul Duel’ game for a bit of Halloween spirit
Halloween’s spirit isn’t just about costumes and candies; sometimes, it’s about real spirits! Well, digital ones, at least. More than anything, it’s about sharing fun moments with your family. Life takes a lot out of us, and holidays are a way to rejuvenate, even in small ways to face the day ahead. What better way to do that than diving into a playful, spooky game? This year, Google’s ‘The Great Ghoul Duel’ returns, well, sort of.
Google Collections loses its mind, starts telling me dinnerware and furniture violate its terms of service
Last month, I wrote about a reader who wrote in stating that Google Collections – now known as “Saved on Google” or “Google Save” – slapped them on the wrist for violating the terms of service for what web items you can save in a Collection. At the time, I assumed in good nature that the user had simply stored something copy written, and informed you all that you should be sure that whatever you store does not violate the terms Google has set forth for the service.
Google Drive is getting a two-page width view for PDFs documents on tablets and foldable devices
For years now, I’ve wanted Google to implement a side-by-side two page view for PDFs in Drive. It’s probably not for everyone, and one page at a time with a vertical scrolling behavior likely helps some users focus on the content more. However, because I’m accustomed to and more comfortable reading physical media like books, which are laid out exactly this way, being able to ingest and parse horizontal information this way feels more natural to me.
Tired of telling your Chromebook to restore your apps on startup? Here’s how to do it automatically
I know I’m not the only one who feels a slight annoyance every time my Chromebook asks me if I want to restore apps and my browsing session after a restart or a crash. I know that I’m a tinkerer, and you may experience this less often, but the fact that Google even offers this is great. Your Chrome tabs, Android apps and system windows can all be called back up to where you had them without having to open them one at a time or manually. If it’s so great, then why am I annoyed?
5 difference between Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Web on your Chromebook
The most popular and widely used image editing software in the world – Adobe Photoshop – is now available on Chromebooks through a dedicated web application, and I’ve previously shown you how to access and use it. I’ve also gone and ditched my previous image editing tool Pixlr for Photoshop Web, especially since you get a free three month trial through your Chromebook Perks right now.
Bard now responds in real time instead of making you wait, can also summarize emails better
Google is moving rather quickly with its artificial intelligence initiatives, and it’s evident every time I put my fingers on the keyboard. I’d say it’s moving too quickly, but it continues to assure us that it’s being as responsible as possible with AI like Bard and the mysterious Gemini as it can. Time will tell.
How to change the default search engine on your Chromebook and why you may want to
While I know it sounds ironic that one would use a “Google” Chromebook and not want to search Google, it’s a reality. Aside from incremental steps toward privacy, you may be interested in DuckDuckGo as a default Search provider on your laptop, or you just have a personal preference for Bing, Yahoo! or something else entirely.
Pixel Tablet
You are here: Home/ Archives for Pixel Tablet Contents The Pixel Tablet has been a bit of a head-scratcher since its debut. There are things to like about it for sure, but it’s overall utility has never been fully realized; and overall, it tends to feel like Google pushed this device out the door a bit faster than they should have. With few […] It’s been a month since Robby shared his insights on the Pixel Tablet, and I must admit, I’ve been wrestling with similar thoughts.
Google Photos upcoming ‘Photos stacks’ feature to lump similar shots together, helping you declutter
Spotted by AssembleDebug on X/Twitter, Google apparently has a new feature termed “Photo Stack” in the works, and it could be the key to decluttering the massive collection of Google Photos you’ve accumulated over the years. At the very least, you could sift through them easier or assist you in eliminating shots that are similar or redundant. “Photo Stack” is in active development, and is being created to clump together the five to ten shots you took consecutively.
Google is adding generative AI to Keep notes with upcoming ‘Magic Lists’ feature
If you’re at all familiar with Generative AI and Google’s latest efforts with Bard, Gemini, and more, you’ll know it’s going all in on the idea. No, I mean it’s truly ALL in. Now, thanks to an APK insights report by 9to5Ggoogle, we can see early hints that the tech giant is adding a new AI-powered feature to your Google Keep notes called “Magic Lists”. Although it’s not yet available, it’s been spotted in version 5.23.422.03.90 of Google Keep for Android app.
Here are three great ways to save battery on your Chromebook
With all of the incredible technological advancements we have these days, it’s a wonder how device battery is still one of the greatest struggles. I dream of a day when we have graphene batteries in all of our devices since they last five times longer than lithium-ion batteries, but we’re not quite there yet. Luckily, Google has done wonders with Chromebooks, and introduced the world to 10-12 hour battery on a single charge.
Google Keep is retroactively adding text formatting to your old notes
Google Keep hasn’t gotten many updates since it launched almost a decade ago. When the updates do roll in, they’re usually not seemingly that significant, yet they do impact the core user experience quite a bit. However, there is one feature note takers have been clamoring for, and it’s finally arrived – text formatting options. The ability to add emphasis to your thoughts in digital format should have been added way back in the beginning, but it was only introduced this year.
How to switch your Chrome browser’s Side Panel to the left and why you may want to
Love it or hate it, Google’s Side Panel is chock-full of great content, because, well, it’s your content! Your bookmarks, history, Reading list items you’ve saved for later, Chrome customization, and more all reside in the latest obsession created by the tech giant. At first, it was fairly rudimentary, and didn’t even let you resize it so that your saved article titles were legible, but that was quickly rectified.
Google Photos will let you create AI-drive “reels” from your memories with just a few taps
In an update post on X today, Google Photos announced a new way to create videos, and yes, you guessed it, it’s driven by artificial intelligence. The company says it’s focused on letting you automate video highlight creation with ease and personalization and just a few taps.
Accessibility: Your Chromebook will soon let you control the mouse and keyboard with your face
Well, this is a weird article. I never thought I’d be talking about Face Tracking and Google in a somewhat positive light. However, ChromeOS is currently implementing exactly that as a part of its ongoing AI improvements. Yes, you heard me right – your Chromebook will soon track your face, but not for the reasons you think. Instead, this is being added as what seems to be an Accessibility setting under the cursor and touchpad settings.
How to group your Gmail messages by ‘today’, ‘yesterday’, ‘Last Week’, and more like Inbox by Google
Do you remember Inbox by Google? Do you miss it as much as I do? Sure, Google gave us many of the features the service had, but we’re still waiting very impatiently for the ‘Bundles’ feature to come around as I think they’ve promised.
How to use your Chromebook’s Dictation tool to save yourself hours of typing
Remember back in the day when physical computer software boxes lined the shelves of Best Buy, Target, and even Circuit City? Yeah, I remember Circuit City. There was one box in particular that I always wanted to buy, but could never afford. It was the one software that made me believe that technology could feel like magic, even before Google came around with its apps and services in a bigger way. That box of software was called Dragon: Naturally Speaking.
Google takes an ‘iconic’ step toward making Gmail more accessible and glanceable
Navigating Gmail on the web with your Chromebook just got a bit easier, thanks to the new icons Google is adding to its overflow menu. Previously, the only options in the three dots ‘more’ options menu on an email you’d see were ‘Reply’ and ‘Forward’.
How to clear the cache on your Chromebook and Google Play apps
Believe it or not, it’s the little things that count. When you have a lot of apps and web apps on your Chromebook, you’d be tempted to think that deleting these would speed up your laptop, but you may not need to resort to such drastic measures to squeeze out a bit more optimization. You’re probably already familiar with the fact that Google’s ChromeOS is super snappy fast, secure and simple to use and learn.
Google Play will now scan apps at the code level before you install them to make sure they’re safe
“Google Play Protect” is a malware scanning service provided by Google that works so seamlessly in the background of your phone and Chromebook that you likely have never heard of it. Essentially, it’s like a guard that constantly checks your home for invaders. I know that sounds like a stupid analogy, but it’s true. if an app is malicious, Play Protect scans daily and removes it on your behalf.
Give your browser a new coat of paint: How to add and remove themes from Chrome
Personalizing your Chrome browser is a great way to make it feel uniquely yours. Chrome themes add a touch of flair and character to your browsing, and I may be biased, but dark theme is the only theme. Because I’m not in charge of making that a law though, here’s everything you need to know about installing and removing Chrome themes via the Chrome Web Store. So, whether you’re looking for something new or you want to return to the classic theme Chrome shipped with, I’ve got you covered.
Google Chrome gets five new address bar tweaks to make your life a bit easier
Chrome announced in a Keyword blog post yesterday that it’s rolling out five significant improvements to its address bar. These changes aim to make your web browsing experience smoother and more efficient, without the need for intricate URL knowledge, saving you time and frustration. Seriously, some of these are pretty cool! First on the list is smarter autocomplete. In the past, Chrome would only suggest URLs if you correctly entered the beginning of the website’s address.
How to check for and remove malicious Chrome extensions from your Chromebook
You’ve heard me cover plenty of Chrome extensions that take advantage of you by mining your data. Over the past few years, Google has done its best to reign this in with a ‘Seal of approval’ on the Chrome Web Store (now completely redesigned, by the way), and more.
Google’s Camera app now ‘Pixel Camera’, features new options for Low-Vision users
This week, Google Play Store users witnessed a subtle yet significant change as the beloved “Google Camera” was renamed to read “Pixel Camera.” While this rebranding may have gone unnoticed by some, it coincides with a paradigm shift for the tech giant, particularly regarding the launch of its Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro as well as a heavy leaning on its Pixel identity.
Google Wallet Photo Pass feature now rolling out, lets you add passes by snapping a picture
Google Wallet has long been a champion of reducing the bulk of physical wallets, making it possible to store essential cards securely on your smartphone, thus reducing keyring clutter and scoliosis. Now, it’s introducing a feature that simplifies this process even further. First noticed back in June, the “Photo Pass” option that lets you snap a picture of any payment card, transit pass, loyalty card, gift card or ID like a driver’s license is now rolling out to some users according to 9to5Google.
Google says wallpaper and emoji help us ‘be ourselves’, but my Pixel’s impact is greater than that
In a recent article on ‘The Keyword‘ by Google, Sebastian Bauer celebrates Android’s customization features such as wallpapers, widgets, and emoji as tools that ‘help us be ourselves’ on our phones. However, to me, what truly empowers us to be ourselves on our phones is our data, and the phone serves as a gateway to access, process, and manage this wealth of information in our lives, allowing us to be more effective and at peace.
How to install the Google Play Store on your Chromebook to unlock millions of apps and games
Back when Chromebooks first entered the scene, they were considered a “web browser in a box” – an insult meant to sting, and though times have certainly changed and the web is capable of well, practically everything now including running apps and AAA gaming, there’s no shame in wanting something a little more on the day-to-day. Luckily, your laptop came with the Google Play Store, and you have access to millions of apps, games, books, and more with just a few clicks.
Discover is coming to desktop web, currently being tested on Google.com
Google has long since decided it would keep the main Google.com search page simple and clean. In fact, back when the search engine first launched, testers sat in front of their display for an entire minute or more waiting for “the rest to load”, but there was nothing left to load. In a day and age where most other providers like Yahoo, MSN, Dogpile, Ask Jeeves and more cluttered their search homepage with news, weather and more, Google took an almost opposite approach.
You can now create AI images with text in Search thanks to Google Search Generative Experience
If you’re not yet familiar with artificial intelligence-created images using nothing but text, it’s a real thing. In fact, it’s taking the world by storm right now, and while I know how important the ethics concerns tied to these tools are, I have to admit they’re getting really impressive. While Bing was one of the first one to the AI image game, Google just announced it’s throwing its hat into the ring.
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