Weekly Digest From Chrome Unboxed

View this email in your browser Google's "Help Me Write" AI is coming to Chromebooks on a system-wide level Google has been pushing AI-driven additions to their services for a long time, but they’ve been far more verbose about it since the rise of generative AI like ChatGPT hit the scene nearly a year ago. Now, it looks like they are ready to begin showcasing more of this consumer-facing AI in the Chromebook ecosystem, […] Read More Here's what you need to know to enjoy Pokémon Go Fest 2023 Global starting tomorrow A few years back, the world went absolutely mad for Pokémon Go. You’d walk outside and see loads of people with their face in their phones, but their legs were moving. Like many, I was caught in the whirlwind, but life got in the way and my interest faded. Well, truth be told, I became […] Read More Live lyrics for YouTube Music are finally rolling out so you can enjoy some karaoke at home Back in April, we highlighted YouTube Music’s real-time lyrics feature. Fast forward to today, and that’s now rolling out in full swing. Gone are the static, tiny, hard-to-read lyrics; in their place are these new, bold, scrolling words that sync perfectly with your favorite artist’s voice, as shown below. I know Google called us out […] Read More Google Chrome's "Journeys" feature will be renamed to "Groups" in a future update Chrome’s ‘Journeys’ feature is likely about to be renamed to ‘Groups’, according to Chromestory, who first spotted a code change with new nomenclature on Chromium Gerrit. Essentially, ‘Journeys’ offered users an alternative to the regular date-based history in their browser. Instead, it “clustered” related browsing histories, providing a topical organization for easy reference, often based […] Read More ChromeOS 116 makes the move to the new Lacros Chrome browser an absolute breeze Wow. I’m legitamately blown away right now. ChromeOS 116 has started rolling out today and while we’re still looking for any other new stuff to talk about in this latest update, the one thing I’ve been a bit fixated on this week has been the new, decoupled Chrome browser for ChromeOS devices called Lacros. On […] Read More UPDATE: How to try out Google's new decoupled Chrome browser on Chromebooks UPDATE – 8/25/2023: What a difference a couple days makes! With ChromeOS 116 rolling out to most device models today, things have changed a bit. Thanks to one of our readers (thanks Eli Fennell!), we were quickly made aware this morning that the flags I point out to use in this post are no longer […] Read More Pixel 8 series could be getting my dream group photo feature For as long as group photos have been taken, I’d imagine we’ve all wished for a feature like the one that could be on the way for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. There’s no internal code name for it that we’re aware of just yet (I like “Group Top Shot”), but according to […] Read More Nvidia reveals Xbox Game Pass titles for GeForce NOW at Gamescom, includes No Man's Sky Echoes Today at Gamescom 2023, NVIDIA unveiled the list of Xbox games that will be integrated into their GeForce NOW cloud streaming platform. We previously discussed this back in February when the two companies revealed they’d be working to make this a possibility. Here’s the list of games. I’ve also included games coming to GeForce NOW […] Read More YouTube is testing "Hum to search", will direct you to music and even Shorts featuring the song Remember the good ol’ days when Shazam and Soundhound wowed us with the revolutionary ability to figure out what song you had stuck in your head simply by letting you hum it? Well, YouTube is now mimicking that feature with an experiment it’s running right now. Over on the YouTube Help page, the company announced […] Read More Google's Recorder app could be set to receive AI generated summaries In a recent post by Kamila Wojciechowska on X (Kudos: Android Police), Google’s rumored Recorder app upgrade will feature an artificial intelligence boost. It may soon be possible to generate instantaneous summaries of recordings you’ve capture. Intriguingly, the AI processing for this feature is set to take place entirely on the device, eliminating any dependence […] Read More Google TV adds 25 new free channels with classics like Baywatch, Top Gear, and more In a nod to the classics, Google TV is now rolling out 25+ new free channels in the United States. If you have a Google TV or Android TV device, you should now be able to visit the ‘Live’ TV tab and dive into shows from BBC and Lionsgate among others. It’s probably been a […] Read More The Google News Following tab redesign looks and acts suspiciously like Chrome's follow feed Remember when Google Reader was a thing? It was the go-to hub for all our RSS reading needs until it got axed in 2013. Since then, Google has made a few moves to reinvent that wheel, and lately, the wheel’s looking suspiciously familiar. Google News on Android just redesigned its “Following” feed, and let me […] Read More If you are looking for a big screen Chromebook at a great price, this is the one When we talk about Chromebook deals, there are usually two camps of people shopping: those looking for the absolute best value and those that are looking for a particular type of device at a discounted rate. This deal is more of the latter, though I’d argue that it is simply a great deal all around, […] Read More Score a 2-Pack of Google's battery-powered Nest Cam for just $260 If you’ve been on the fence about securing your home with a smart camera, now might be the perfect time to make the leap. Best Buy has rolled out a deal that makes it a little easier to pull the trigger on some home security. You can now get your hands on a 2-pack of […] Read More Google Collections renamed as 'Google Saved', may indicate greater commitment to the feature I’m a big advocate of Google Collections – the company’s bookmarking system for user curated content across literally all of its services. In fact, I’ve recently talked about how you can use emoji to quickly identify your Collections and make them glanceable, and since I did this, I’ve been saving a lot more content to […] Read More Google Photos web app editor redesigned to match its mobile counterparts, rolling out now Google Photos is finally rolling out its new web-based editor redesign. This face lift was already a thing on bigger screen Android devices and Chromebooks and was announced earlier this year in June, but now the web browser version is one-to-one with everywhere else you’d modify Google Photos! Essentially, it’s got a sleek user-friendly interface […] Read More Google Play Console confirms a few rumored Pixel Watch 2 specs Google is clearly getting ready to launch the follow-up to its first smartwatch in the Pixel Watch 2. Without any full-blown leaks, this new wearable has generated quite a bit of buzz, namely due to the fact that the first attempt was so well received overall. With a few updates and tweaks, I think most […] Read More This convertible ASUS Chromebook for $299 is almost too good to be true Continuing a summer of massive deals on Chromebooks, the new AMD-powered ASUS Chromebook CM34 Flip is back on sale once again for an unbelievable $200 off its $499 retail price. From my current experience with this device, what I can confidently tell you before we get our review out (coming soon) is that this Chromebook […] Read More YouTube TV update utilizes more of Google TV's UI design language No one would blame you for being a bit confused sometimes when it comes to the differences in Google’s large-screen television offerings. There’s Google TV, Android TV, and YouTube TV: and they are all different things. While that’s not likely to change anytime soon and each technically has its place, I’ve long thought Google could […] Read More YouTube embraces the idea of AI generated music, outlines founding principles for artists YouTube is launching a new AI music incubator and teaming up with musicians and producers from Universal Music Group, one of the biggest names in the music business. Together, they’re exploring the possibility of letting some of their talent enhance their work with artificial intelligence, but first, they’ve set some ground rules on how to […] Read More ChromeOS now has native Virtual App Delivery thanks to a new Cameyo integration Every day, businesses and organizations are constantly searching for solutions to streamline processes, improve efficiency, and ensure data security. And today, a new partnership between ChromeOS and Cameyo represents a big step in this direction, unveiling a new paradigm of Virtual App Delivery (VAD) service for Enterprise Chromebook users and admins. By leveraging the versatile, […] Read More This deal gets the new flagship Acer Chromebook Spin 714 down to a mid-range price The newest version of the Acer Chromebook Spin with the latest 13th-gen Intel processors inside is once again on sale. Though this particular version of the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 has only been on the market for a few months now, the deals have been quite frequent. At $699, Acer built (spoiler alert: review coming […] Read More Wax on, wax off: Google will remind you to clean your Pixel Buds, but don't wait until they do Let’s face it, earbuds get dirty – often. The sad reality is that they’re a breeding ground for bacteria, even if you clean your ears daily (as you should!) One thing many Pixel Bud users probably forget more often than that though, is the fact that they need to clean their earbuds too. Fortunately, Google […] Read More The new 'Floating Workspace' feature is finally beginning to show up in ChromeOS Canary For over a year and a half at this point, we’ve been on the lookout for a new turbo-charged sync ability on the way to ChromeOS called ‘Floating Workspace.’ Discovered all the way back in January of 2022, this new feature aims to take device sync to a whole new level. At its core, ‘Floating […] Read More Google brings Docs, Sheets, and Slides web UI to mobile with refreshed look on Android tablets Google just announced a “modernized visual design” for Docs, Sheets, and Slides on Android devices. The company says you can expect a refreshed look for the editing toolbar, icons, background colors, and more, all seemingly tailored to mimic its web app counterparts. However, while it wasn’t stated directly that this would be specifically for tablets, […] Read More I simply can't justify buying a Pixel Tablet, despite how gorgeous and useful it looks 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. As a tech enthusiast, I’m enticed by new gadgets, especially if it has the word ‘Pixel’ tied to its name. Yet, despite its appeal, I find myself pausing and wondering whether it’s […] Read More How to send HD photos and videos in WhatsApp and why you would want to WhatsApp – basically the standard messaging application for anyone living outside the US – is adding a pretty important upgrade to the photo and video experience for users. Replacing the average quality, highly-compressed images and video we’re used to with WhatsApp, you’ll now have the option to send media in “HD quality” moving forward. Mark […] Read More At $200 off, the 2023 HP Chromebook x360 14c is definitely worth a look Continuing the trend of massive deals we’ve been seeing on Chromebooks, the HP Chromebook x360 14c (2023) can be had at a substantial price cut, bringing it down to a very compelling $499! This $200 price reduction turns a mildly-interesting Chromebook into a far-more-tempting offer. If you’ve been looking for a solid Chromebook option for […] Read More [Video] Here's what Google Keep's Version History feature looks like in action We recently highlighted the upcoming “Version History” feature for Google Keep after I discovered it was a thing. It’s currently rolling out, and will allow you to view previous versions of your text notes (not images though). To access the version history of a note, you just need to visit Keep on the web, hover […] Read More 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 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. 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