Apparently, the Chromium team has seen reports of “wonky” Wi-Fi connections on Chromebooks and other Chrome OS devices. As a result, the team will be adding support for certain USB Wi-Fi dongles so users will have backup connectivity.
Author: Kevin Tofel
Kevin Tofel
After spending 15 years in IT at Fortune 100 companies, Kevin turned a hobby into a career and began covering mobile technology in 2003. He writes daily on the industry and has co-hosted the weekly MobileTechRoundup podcast since 2006. His writing has appeared in print (The New York Times, PC Magazine and PC World) and he has been featured on NBC News in Philadelphia.
To make Chrome OS and PWAs display more similarly to native or mobile apps, the Chromium team has proposed a new API that adds notification badges to Android and web apps on Chrome OS devices.
It appears that GPU hardware acceleration is now in the works for Chromebooks running Linux apps in a container as code indicates support for the Virgil3D project. Heavy duty graphics apps and games for Linux will benefit.
For two key reasons, I think the Atlas 4K Chromebook will launch as the Pixelbook 2 (or Pixelbook 2018 if you prefer) tipped to launch before the end of this year.
HP is now selling the Chromebook X2 directly on its website for $519.99, which is $80 off MSRP, with orders currently set to ship on August 3. It’s an outstanding device if you want a detachable Chromebook.
An enhanced Easy Unlock feature is coming to Chromebooks as part of the multi-device “Better Together” feature. Not only will it support Bluetooth with four proximity levels, but also fingerprints.
Currently, all Linux packages for Project Crostini on Chrome OS are installed directly in a command line interface, which can be clunky for those new to Linux. Google is simplifying the process directly through the native Files app.
Google’s internal Grab and Go project that provides ready to go Chromebooks in the case of a device swap is available for enterprises. Grab and Go reduces employee downtime while also maintaining data security thanks to Chrome OS.
There’s a number of Chromebook deals for Amazon Prime Day but if you want a flagship device, the Pixelbook has a 25 percent discount, bringing the price down to $749 today.
A touch screen issue on Chromebooks and Chrome OS tablets appears related to an experimental touch logic feature that’s enabled by default. The quick fix is to disable the feature while the long-term solution is still being worked on.
One of the best Chrome OS devices to launch last year was the Asus Chromebook Flip C302 and Amazon is now selling it for $50 off. Yes, it has an older sixth-gen Core m3 chip, but it does provide solid performance.