Weekly Digest From Chrome Unboxed

View this email in your browser The Chrome Cast 235: Discontinued development Chromebooks left and right This week on The Chrome Cast, we attempt to begin the show by talking through the two groups of Chromebooks in development that recently got the axe – those powered by the Snapdragon 7c+ Gen 3 and a couple Chromebooks that were set to have NVIDIA GPUs inside. We divert into some discussion about video […] Read More Google takes a step toward mending its reputation with a new Transparency Center Google’s had a rocky go of it lately. With issues over data privacy and the company being accused and even taken to court many times over monopolistic behavior, it’s safe to say the tech giant’s shiny image has taken a hit over the years. In a move to restore its relationship with users, Google has […] Read More UWB (Ultra Wide Band) is coming to Chromebooks Not to be reduced to just the mmWave tech that companies like Verizon use as part of their 5G strategy, Ultra Wideband for localized devices is a technology that is just starting to really get its legs. From unlocking car doors to secure wireless payments, indoor location tracking to smart home accessory applications, UWB is […] Read More Chromebooks set to get diagnostic widgets in the launcher just as Nvidia GPUs get canceled Thanks to a keen eye and some tinkering by our friend C2 Productions over on ‘X’, it looks like Google is adding some much-needed diagnostic improvements to your Chromebook. Currently only in the Canary channel, the ChromeOS Launcher is set to introduce a slew of new widgets that provide essential information at your fingertips – […] Read More Yes, it's true: NVIDIA GPU Chromebooks are no longer in development So, yeah; this isn’t the greatest news. While I don’t think this is a cause for great alarm or concern, it definitely isn’t the type of thing you want to hear on the heels of Snapdragon 7c+ Gen 3 Chromebooks also getting canned last week. Alas, that’s where we are, and I’ve known about it […] Read More I love YouTube Music's new Samples feature, but its it has one seriously annoying issue YouTube Music’s new “Samples” feature is an absolutely genius idea. It’s like having YouTube Shorts-style music discovery – and I’m obsessed with it. Short, 30-second excerpts of high-quality music videos and artists are the perfect fix for my never-ending thirst for new tunes. But as much as I’ve found myself mindlessly scrolling through them, the […] Read More Unboxing the slim, MediaTek Kompanio 520-powered ASUS Chromebook CM14 Flip [VIDEO] During our time at CES 2023 in Las Vegas all the way back in January, the ASUS Chromebook CM14 Flip showed up in a pretty unexpected fashion. As it turned out, this new Chromebook wasn’t just showcased by ASUS, but by MediaTek in their booth as well. While we knew devices with the new Kompanio […] Read More How to cast to any Chromebook like a Chromecast with the CastReceiver app Casting content from one device to another has become an expected behavior with our devices for a little while now. Google’s proprietary version of this action – Google Cast – powers the well-known Chromecast devices and has been at the forefront of content casting for years at this point. But what if I told you […] Read More Netflix game streaming is coming to your Chromecast with Google TV, PC, and more I’ve been critical of Netflix’s attempts to transition from a movie streaming service to a game publisher and provider. I stand by my feelings on that, but I can at least admire the company’s efforts over the past few years. It’s been no slouch in its attempts to build its catalog and its features surrounding […] Read More YouTube is adding useful new features and more payment methods to NFL Sunday Ticket The 2023 NFL season is just around the corner, and for fans like myself that don’t want to miss a single minute of a single game (watching my Tennessee Titans, that is), the anticipation is real. With NFL Sunday Ticket now being on YouTube and YouTube TV, the experience is only set to get better […] Read More Chrome's Safety Check feature will soon tell you if your browser extensions are compromised Starting with Chrome 117, Google’s Safety Check feature will flag extensions that are no longer safe for you to keep installed. Here’s how it works – Chrome will proactively highlight extensions that have been unpublished by the developer, have been taken down for violating the Chrome Web Store policy, or that were flagged as malware. […] Read More Google introduces 'SGE while browsing' to summarize web articles and kill your attention span Okay, obviously the title is a joke, but I feel the need to state it outright. If you’re someone who gets bogged down with long web articles (I know I tend to ramble sometimes), then you’ll probably be happy to hear that Google is introducing an AI-powered summaries feature for you. As a part of […] Read More Project Gemini: Google wants to dethrone ChatGPT and others with yet another secret AI initiative Even though the famous ChatGPT, which kicked off the AI revolution for the mainstream, is nearly bankrupt this week, and even though Google already has its Bard AI chatbot in play, as well as several other artificial intelligence projects, the tech giant still isn’t satisfied. Google is serious about artificial intelligence Per The Information, Google […] Read More Don't miss your chance to win the ultimate ChromeOS for Business Bundle In case you missed our last announcement, we have teamed up with folks over at Google, LG, and Cameyo to put together the ultimate ChromeOS for Business bundle giveaway. If you’re a business owner, IT decision-maker, or even just someone who works for a company that could benefit from this bundle, you don’t want to […] Read More Google Photos is getting yet another tasteful haptic feedback feature There’s a good chance you missed the quiet inclusion of the latest haptic feedback feature in Google Photos. It showed up in version 6.47.0.553312880 (spotted by Android Police) of the app and is little more than a gentle buzz, letting the user know when they’ve either pinch/zoomed fully or zoomed back out completely. It’s a […] Read More A genius move: YouTube Music adds 'Samples' tab for Instagram Reels-style discovery YouTube Music is now rolling out a new feature called “Samples,” which will appear as a tab at the bottom of the app’s navigation once updated. This seems like it may be a server-side switch, so if you don’t see it right away, you’ll know why. The new tab is essentially Instagram Reels, TikTok or […] Read More Both of Lenovo's excellent Chromebook tablets are on sale again For the past few weeks, Best Buy has been non-stop running deals on Chromebooks left and right. From entry-level devices to well-equipped gaming Chromebooks, there’s been a bit of something for everyone at prices that are hard to ignore. But many of those weeks have gone by without regular deals on two ChromeOS devices we […] Read More Is your data safe with Google's generative AI? Here's what you need to know In a recent blog post on The Keyword, Google shared its ongoing commitment to safeguarding user privacy. Because it’s now injecting generative artificial intelligence into practically all of its products and services, and is headed full-tilt into the future it’s creating for itself with what it’s calling “Workspace Duet AI”, I imagine a lot of […] Read More Finally, we have another next-gen MediaTek MT8188 Chromebook tablet on the way Of all the hardware on the horizon both in and out of the Chromebook world, I can say without doubt that the devices I’m most excited for and most interested in are the Chromebook tablets that will house the upcoming MediaTek MT8188 SoC inside. Though we don’t have an official name for this new Chromebook […] Read More Google Pixel 8 set to get "Audio Magic Eraser" and sweet, new blue color Just like each year as we approach fall, Google has a highly-anticipated pair of phones in the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro that most Android fans are taking note of. And as we’ve seen each and every year that Google has built their own, in-house phones, leaks and sneak peeks of their new hardware […] Read More Google Photos introduces a new AI-powered scrapbook feature for your memories Google is no stranger as of late to injecting artificial intelligence into its products and services. Today, it takes another step into that new identity by introducing a new “Memories View” in Google Photos. This is an AI-driven, scrapbook-like timeline feature is designed to automatically curate and organize your photos and videos on your behalf. […] Read More Take $400 off the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook right now It’s hard to believe it’s been over three years since the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook first had us drooling at CES 2020. A lot has changed in the ChromeOS ecosystem since then, but when I first saw this particular Chromebook, I was convinced that it was going to be the next Pixelbook with its gorgeous/thin chassis, […] Read More How to connect your Apple AirPods to your Chromebook: A Simple Guide As technology continues to evolve, we’re finding that gadgets from different ecosystems can often work quite well together. Take, for instance, the Apple AirPods (or any Apple headphones for that matter). They were designed with Apple’s ecosystem in mind, but they can be used with any device that has Bluetooth functionality – including Chromebooks. So, […] Read More Google is set to increase the frequency of Chrome updates to bolster security Nowadays, there’s no escaping the constant threat of evolving digital security vulnerabilities. Any tech firm shipping and updating a web browser has to stay on their toes if they want to remain relevant. With more and more services and apps moving to the web, there are more reasons for web browsers to become targets now […] Read More [Video] Here's a first look at Google Keep's elusive text formatting tools Practically everyone who uses Google Keep for notetaking or journaling is dying for text formatting. Sadly, Google has been teasing it for over a year, and it’s still not here. Well, that’s not exactly true. Today, @AssembleDebug posted a short video clip showcasing how it looks over on X. Yep, you heard that right – […] Read More Pixel Watch 2 gets official with FCC certification, new bands, and missing UWB Google’s Pixel family of devices is set to welcome its newest members this fall, with the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro leading the charge as the primary new members. As always, however, it’s not just the new phones that are worth some of your attention as the rumors of the new Pixel Watch 2 have […] Read More Chromebook Google Tasks widget makes its first appearance, lets you quickly manage To-Do lists After the seamless integration of the Calendar widget on the ChromeOS shelf, Google is rolling out its next big thing: the Google Tasks widget. Big props to @C2 Productions on X for spotlighting this via the Canary channel. For those unaware, ChromeOS Canary where cool new features are unveiled for a bit of a test […] Read More Google Messages tests swapping reply button with setting reminders, and it's driving me crazy Sometimes, seemingly the most inconsequential UX change can have great and negative impact. In a new test over what feels like the past 24 hours, Google Messages has swapped the “Reply” and “Remind 1 hr” buttons in the notification shade. The result of this is that I and others keep setting reminders for messages instead […] Read More Your Pixel Tablet may soon let you cast from your phone simply by standing in front of it Google’s Pixel Tablet could soon let you cast to it simply by standing in front of it with your phone, which sounds like science fiction. If this comes to pass, it will be a departure from the conventional method where both the phone and tablet need to be on the same Wi-Fi network, and you […] Read More The Chrome Cast 234: Google will soon begin the split of Chrome from ChromeOS This week on The Chrome Cast, we begin the show by discussing the new revelation that the small fleet of upcoming Chromebooks with the Snapdragon 7c+ Gen 3 will no longer continue in development. Why the ‘Herobrine’ project was scrapped and whether or not Qualcomm has another path forward with Chromebooks in the near future […] 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.