Category: Chrome OS

Chromebooks have come a long way these past six years both in overall design and function as well as Chrome OS itself.  While there are still plenty of budget friendly, sub-$200 options out there, there are also more powerful devices out there aimed at being your daily driver of a laptop.  The pinnacle of this is, of course, the Google Pixelbook.  But at a base price of $999, it is out of the reach of some who still need something as powerful or close to it.  That is where the ASUS Flip C302CA could prove to be a viable option.

The base model of the C302CA is price at $449 with the top-end, Intel m5 equipped model topping out at $609.  While the mCore processors don’t have the same grunt as the iCore processors, for the majority of users it will get the job done.  Is it also lightweight, has an excellent screen and solid, all day battery life.

I was recently sent an ASUS Flip C302CA to review and having used it as my primary laptop device for the past couple of weeks, I believe it is the second best option out there in the current lineup of high-end, power Chromebooks behind the Pixelbook.  Yes it has some compromises but I do not think they are deal breakers for the majority of people reading this review.

A commit that was discovered by the Chrome Story team suggest that Chrome OS could have the ability for administrators to sideload Android apps on devices.  Currently the only way you can sideload an APK to a Chromebook is if the device is in Developer Mode.  That mode essentially bypasses all of the Google security measures like boot loader verification.

If this Commit makes it through the gauntlet and arrives on Chrome OS, there would be a mechanism by which administrators could load apps that are not in the Google Play Store, currently the only way to install apps outside of the afore mentioned Developer Mode.  For now, it appears that this would only be an Enterprise level administrator feature in the platform.

A new commit found in the Chromium Gerrit for Chrome OS suggest that Android Oreo style App Notifications are going to be making their way to Chrome OS.  The commit indicates that the notifications would be for apps that are pinned to your Chromebook’s shelf and would work with both Chrome-based apps as well as Android apps.  Further, there is also a file associated with the commit that suggests app shortcuts could be coming to Chrome OS too.

The commit for these new features appears to be well down the path of being implemented with bug reports being filed within the Chromium team.  What that means for end users is that we could see these new features show up in the beta of Chrome 65 or 66 with a stable channel release later this year, possibly in the first half of the year.

Today’s Deal is on the Google Pixelbook and lets you score a free Pixelbook Pen.  Now through February 1st, if you order a Pixelbook from Amazon or the Google Store, you will get a free Pixelbook Pen, a $99 value.  There is no special code required on either site.  On Amazon, visit the Google Pixelbook page, select the configuration you want and make sure you select the Pixelbook + Pixelbook Pen option.  It will be added to your cart at no charge.  At the Google Store, add the two to your cart and you will see a $99 credit applied to your cart at checkout.

The Pixelbook Pen allows you to access Google Assistant with a press of a button on it, so you can circle something on the screen and get information about it.  It also allows for digital writing and other editing features you would expect from a digital pen.

The Chromium team has updated the list of Chromebooks that can run Android apps either in the Chrome OS beta or stable channels.  In all, 10 devices are able to run Android apps now, bringing the total number up to 67 different Chromebooks and Chromeboxes that can run Android apps.

When it comes to pure new additions to the list, there are eight new devices that moved into the beta channel.  That includes the likes of the Toshiba Chromebook 2 (2015), the Haier Chromebook 11 C, and the Viglen Chromebook 360.  Two devices, the Acer Chromebook 11 (C740) and the Dell Chromebook 13 (7310) moved from the Beta channel to the Stable channel, meaning they are fully supported by those devices.

While the growth of Android apps on Chrome OS has been great to see, it doesn’t mean it hasn’t been without its challenges or limitations.  One such limitation is the ability for those apps to read a USB drive attached to your Chromebook.  The Android app is completely blind to that drive being there and can’t access.  It looks like that could be changing.

A new commit in the Chrome OS Gerrit suggests that through a settings in Flags that Android apps can be given permission to access the USB drive attached to your Chromebook.

const char kArcUsbHostName[] = “Enable ARC USB host integration”;
const char kArcUsbHostDescription[] =
“Allow Android apps to use USB host feature on ChromeOS devices.”;

When enabled, this would allow your Android apps to see your USB drive on your Chromebook.