Weekly Digest From Chrome Unboxed

View this email in your browser I'm shocked there was no mention of the rumored Pixel Watch 2 at Google I/O It wasn’t more than a week or so ago that we discussed the Pixel Watch on the podcast in the lead-up to Google I/O 2023. Specifically, the discussion circled around the fact that up to that point, we’d not heard a peep from anyone about a follow-up to the successful Pixel Watch. For most big […] Read More Chromebook launcher adding badge counts for folders with more than four apps in them ChromeOS is always getting new features, and while these start out in the Canary channel for early testing, they often find their way to the Stable release for everyone to use. The latest one is a small but helpful addition to the launcher. Now, in ChromeOS Canary 115, folders that contain more than four apps […] Read More How to clean up broken web app icons in your Chromebook launcher If you’re a Chromebook user who heavily relies on web apps, you may have encountered the frustrating issue of generic grey icons appearing in your launcher. These placeholders with only the first letter of the app’s name can clutter your workspace and make app identification a challenge. Oh, and they’re also incredibly annoying. This problem […] Read More The Chrome Cast 226: Google I/O 2023, AI, and new Pixel Hardware It’s no surprise what dominates the discussion this week. As Google I/O 2023 is now in the rear-view mirror, we have a lot of new discussion surrounding Google’s moves in AI and new Pixel-branded hardware. From new tricks for Bard to other interesting ways Google is leveraging AI in their products, there’s much to be […] Read More "Ad blockers are not allowed on YouTube": Video platform cracks down on workarounds to Premium In order to avoid paying for YouTube Premium, many users employ an ad blocker in their browser in order to improve their experience and keep their wallet from being drained by Google. However, according to a user on Reddit (Kudos: 9to5Google), who provided the screenshot seen below, the tech giant has started to crack down […] Read More Google announces its response to Microsoft 365 Copilot as Duet AI for Google Workspace Google’s event yesterday was a feast of artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives across its portfolio of apps and services. The integration of generative AI into its Search engine was the crowning reveal, but Google Workspace was no less impressive. This is now officially being dubbed ‘Duet AI for Google Workspace’. Duet AI is an evolution of […] Read More Google Drive is getting a Spam folder Google has gotten pretty good at helping users avoid spam emails and Drive files over the years. If you use Gmail, you might say that the spam filter is too good as you dig through the spam folder to find that email that you overlooked from your boss. Still, the automated nature of the Gmail […] Read More Get it while it's hot: The Sparkling Black HP Dragonfly Pro is back in stock The uncontested King of Chromebooks, in our humble opinion, has been one of the most difficult laptops to actually get your hands on since it debuted back in March. At best, one of the two models becomes available for purchase for short stints of two days or even less. Each morning, I check HP’s website […] Read More Wear OS 4 will finally fix my biggest gripe with Android watches Amid the new hardware and the extensive talks about responsible A.I., Google I/O saw the announcement of Wear OS 4 which is now available as a Developer Preview for testing and feedback. The new version of Wear OS is slated for release later this year and with it, some new updates will arrive to address […] Read More Pre-order the Pixel Fold from Google and get some free goodies Now that the Pixel Fold is out there and official, it’s time to talk about pre-orders. With solid-looking hardware, some really interesting tricks, and a form factor we’ve never had in a Google-made Pixel phone up to this point, the Pixel Fold has a lot going for it. And judging by the crowd reaction live […] Read More You can pre-order the Pixel Tablet for $499 As expected, Google took to the stage today at I/O and talked a lot about AI but that wasn’t all they talked about. We knew that there was hardware coming and while there weren’t really any surprises, I was relieved to see that the long-awaited Pixel Tablet was going to ship with the docking station/smart […] Read More Google Search gets with the times, officially announces generative AI integration Today, Google unveiled its official artificial intelligence efforts and how it plans to integrate them into Search. In a Keyword blog post, the company announced what are called Search Labs or SGE (Search Generative Experience), which will allow users to generate AI-driven responses to their search queries. The company hopes to catch up to Bing […] Read More 3 new Android tricks on the Pixel Fold that look really amazing Today’s Google I/O 2023 keynote was pretty heavy on the AI just as we assumed it would be. Google needs to save some face after being caught off guard a bit when OpenAI and ChatGPT turned the tech world on its head late in 2022. It was a long, somewhat-excruciating wait for the hardware portion […] Read More Where to buy the all-new Pixel 7a Two hours later, the 2023 Google I/O keynote has finally wrapped up and boy is that a lot to talk about in the coming days. What we’re most excited about is the long-awaited Pixel Fold that just went up for pre-order on the Google Store but it will be a few weeks before we see […] Read More Revamped and Ready: Google Home app redesigned to be more user friendly and useful We’ve known about a Google Home app redesign for some time now, but today, it’s officially been unveiled. The company, in hopes of making it more user friendly, has now added a few new tabs to the bottom of the home screen to help you easily control your connected devices, create automations, and see what’s […] Read More Pixel 7a unboxing and first impressions with Google's latest affordable phone [VIDEO] Now that Google I/O 2023 is in the books, we can share a few thoughts on the Pixel 7a. While I am bursting with anticipation about the Pixel Fold finally getting in my hands in the coming weeks, the Pixel 7a is a surprisingly capable phone from Google at a pretty aggressive price point. We’ll […] Read More Google I/O 2023: where to watch live and how to join our watch party Well folks, today is the day. Google I/O 2023 is set to kick off at 10AM PST or 1PM EST with both the main keynote and Android keynote following directly after. After the keynotes, all of the individual, web-based sessions will be available to watch as well and after that – for the most part […] Read More Google Play Books is getting its fifth logo redesign in just over a decade In contrast to Coca Cola’s classic design, many tech giants, including Google, often change logos mure more frequently. Over the past decade, Google’s app logos have undergone several transformations, especially as it’s has implemented flat design and Material You. Sadly, many of them use a wacky four color palette that makes it near impossible to […] Read More Yet another new Dell Chromebook emerges from the shadows Dell seems to be content staying out of the consumer Chromebook market. A fact that seems very odd to me given the recent expansion of premium consumer-facing devices from nearly every major OEM out there. I say nearly because no one appears to know what’s going on with Samsung but that’s another story. That said, […] Read More A new entry-level Chromebook tablet is on the way with the Kompanio 520 inside In all of our excitement surrounding ‘Geralt’ – the MediaTek MT8188-based Chromebook tablet development board – I completely missed the beginnings of yet another tablet-based ChromeOS device right under my nose. Code named ‘Starmie’, this new Chromebook development board is clearly a detachable, is coming with MediaTek’s newer entry-level Kompanio 520 inside, and from the […] Read More Stadia Exclusive game 'Gylt' is getting a second lease on life with upcoming Steam release A handful of games that launched on Google’s now defunct Stadia cloud gaming platform (rest in peace) were unfortunate enough to never again see the light of day once it shut down. However, for a select few, they’re getting a new lease on life in other places. Today, a Steam listing for the Stadia exclusive […] Read More Top 5 Chromebook deals of the week It’s I/O week and while we’re focused on Google’s next Pixel phone lineup, I wouldn’t want you to miss out on the best Chromebook deals of the week. This week, there are some oldies but goodies and a new kid on the block. All of which offer up some serious savings and will get you […] Read More Finally, WhatsApp is on the way for WearOS watches like the Pixel Watch Of all the aggravations that I have with any smartwatch I’ve used, the lacking presence of WhatsApp on my wrist is chief among my complaints. Yes, I can get WhatsApp notifications on WearOS as long as my phone is near, but the minute Bluetooth is off or my phone isn’t within range, those notifications are […] Read More Google TV is getting a redesign for its 'Apps only' mode Not everyone is interested in all of the suggestion tiles and recommendations that Google TV provides, especially as it’s become increasingly more spammy and full of advertisements, even for physical products. Under these circumstances, many will just enable ‘Apps only’ mode to cut the clutter. This has been around for a few years now, and […] Read More Pixel Buds Pro are discounted ahead of new Pixel phone announcements this week As we anticipate the full announcements of a lot of new Pixel-branded hardware in just two days from now, it looks like Google is doing a bit of pre-event build up as we head into Google I/O 2023. The Pixel Watch already hit a solid sale price this weekend, and now the Pixel Buds Pro […] Read More Acer's powerful Chromebook Spin 714 is a whopping $200 off There’s no denying that Acer knows ChromeOS. For years, the PC giant has been producing some of the best devices on the market and the company’s Chromebook resume is one of the largest of any OEM. For the past few years, Acer has offered what I consider one of the best consumer flagship Chromebooks in […] Read More This is the Google Pixel Camera feature I miss most since moving to Samsung I’ve been rocking the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra for a few months at this point and I largely don’t miss my Pixel 7 Pro on a daily basis. Sure, I still like Google’s take on Android far more than Samsung’s, but it’s not such a wildly-different experience these days. And as I’ve said before, smartphones […] Read More The best ChromeOS tablet on the market is $100 off today We are quite hopeful that the ChromeOS tablet market is being primed for a new wave of devices in the coming year but I’m also not holding my breath that the draw of detachable Chromebooks has become large enough for most OEMs to go all in, just yet. That said, the current offerings from Lenovo […] Read More Grab the amazing Pixel Watch by Google and save up to $70 Before Google officially announced the Pixel Watch last year, I was beginning to lose hope that this long-rumored wearable was ever going to actually become a reality. Eight months later, Google has what many consider the best execution of WearOS in the Pixel Watch. Even more exciting, rumors are swirling that a Pixel Watch 2 […] Read More Workspace users can now access Google's Bard AI chatbot At launch, Google’s new Apprentice Bard Artificial Intelligence chatbot was mysteriously not available to Google Workspace users, even though the company was already planning to integrate generative AI into Workspace apps like Docs with the “Help me Write” feature. However, according to Bard’s new updates log that recently implemented to show users what changes and […] Read More Join our Patreon community and get access to things like behind-the-scenes footage, early access to videos, private Discord server access, an ad-free experience on the mobile and desktop versions of the website, your name listed on all our YouTube videos, and monthly live stream Q&A. CLICK HERE to be a part of our community.  Copyright © 2023 Unboxed Media, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: Unboxed Media 111 W Dixie Ave Ste 200 Elizabethtown, KY 42701-1410 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.