Weekly Digest From Chrome Unboxed

View this email in your browser The Chrome Cast 251: the wildly-encouraging state of affordable Chromebooks On this episode of The Chrome Cast, we begin by talking about the amazing deals out there right now for Chromebooks under $300, and the conversation simply took off from that point. We’re in a stage in the Chromebook story where Chromebook Plus is a relevant player in the overall narrative that is driving prices […] Read More These new icons are a hidden ChromeOS feature I absolutely love For the past couple updates of ChromeOS, a new feature showed up that is quiet, out of the way, and has now become indispensable to my daily workflow. That feature is what I’ll simply call Multi-Paste Icons, and it has made the simple task of copying and pasting content from one place to the next […] Read More The best Chromebook deals today: last-minute edition For at least the foreseeable future, there are going to be great Chromebook deals available. But those deals shift, move and change frequently. In response to this, we try our best to highlight individual deals that are not just a great savings, but a great value as well. But our posts for those deals are […] Read More Chromebooks, PWAs and the Play Store: why we need a way to force Android app downloads Back in 2020, Google began introducing the ability for app developers to push their PWA to Chromebooks from the Play Store instead of the Android app. And I 100% love this decision. In many cases, PWAs (progressive web apps) are a far better experience on the desktop and work much smoother with the overall way […] Read More Google's new Video Boost is both awesome and mostly impractical Over the past week or so, I’ve been giving Google’s Video Boost for Pixel 8 Pro a try, and I’ve been both impressed and frustrated by it. Google’s lagged behind Apple for years with phone-based video creation, and I think Video Boost is a novel way for Google – largely a software/services company – to […] Read More Our favorite budget Chromebooks under $300 Here at Chrome Unboxed, we’re dedicated to helping you make informed purchase decisions. We have spent countless hours researching, testing, and evaluating Chromebooks so that we can help our readers find the perfect Chromebook for them. While we like to indulge in expensive devices like the elegant Dragonfly Pro Chromebook, we understand that for many […] Read More Chrome 120 arrives with Saved Tab Groups, enhanced Safety Check, and more Chrome 120 for desktop is set to arrive shortly and with it comes a few nice feature upgrades that further enhance the performance and safety of Chrome for users across all desktop platforms. Obviously, other bug fixes and security patches are along for the ride, too, but let’s look at a few of the key […] Read More 10 ways AI is being used on Chromebooks right now Back in October at the Chromebook Plus Event, the ChromeOS team did something they don’t normally do: they gave us a look at some new features that would be “coming soon” to Chromebook Plus models. These new features were all centered around bringing Google’s AI capabilities directly to ChromeOS and Chromebook Plus models and will […] Read More At just $229, the Lenovo Flex 3i Chromebook is an absolute steal Of all the Chromebooks that emerged in 2023, the Lenovo Flex 3i Chromebook was one of the first out of the gate that ended up being an absolute favorite all year. Though we’ve still yet to see the full onslaught of more affordable Chromebooks with the Intel N100/N200/N305 inside as I predicted after seeing the […] Read More The WhatsApp Android app has become fantastic on Chromebook I’ve been using WhatsApp across the board since the demise of Allo (remember Google’s Allo?) in 2018. In that time, I’ve largely relied on the web version for messaging from my Chromebook and things have been relatively good from that standpoint. Sure, the web version is less capable than the actual app, but it really […] Read More Account-based Fast Pair quietly arrives for Chromebooks [VIDEO] With all the drama and instability surrounding the roll-out of ChromeOS 119, it was bound to happen that we’d miss a few details here and there. I said as much when we covered some of the new stuff in the 119 update, and it turns out I was right. In the midst of new features […] Read More Nevermind: no rush to convert your Stadia controller by 2024 It’s sort of funny when “hard deadlines” simply vanish and get pushed down the road. In the case of the Stadia controller Bluetooth conversion deadline that has been in place for well over a year at this point, it seems Google isn’t too worried about sticking to its guns on the self-imposed deadline of December […] Read More Lenovo's most popular Chromebook tablet gets a sweet last-minute discount Don’t look now, but what is likely the most popular Chromebook in 2023 (even though it was released in 2022) – the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 – is once again on sale and it’s just in time for last-minute Christmas shopping. And even better, the update fiasco that has plagued this tablet is no longer […] Read More Google makes Pixel repairs far easier and safer with new tools We will inevitably all drop our phones and crack the screen at some point. Or maybe something like the speakers will randomly stop working. Stronger glass on the screens and better build materials thankfully make these occurrences less frequent but they do happen and for Pixel users, you now have more repair options. In a […] Read More Why I'm considering a Samsung tablet for gaming This morning, I found myself on OnePlus’ website looking at the OnePlus Open. Since it was leaked months ago, I’ve been fawning over it quite a bit. I hoped that it would arrive at T-Mobile and give me the opportunity to leverage some sort of wacky trade-in deal to get my hands on it, but […] Read More We don't need AI hardware in Chromebook Plus to use AI features…yet You know what I’m already getting a bit fatigued hearing about? AI infused into just about everything you can imagine. There’s a great number of things AI will assist us with in the coming years – that much is certain. But for the time being, this somewhat-ridiculous marketing hype around processors with AI at the […] Read More The Lenovo Slim 3 Chromebook goes sub-$200 again for last-minute shoppers There are Chromebook deals and then there are Chromebook deals. Any time a solid device drops below the $200 barrier, it’s worth noting; and any time a Chromebook this good jumps all the way down to $149, you have to sit up and take notice. The Lenovo Slim 3 Chromebook is simply too well-built and […] Read More The Chrome Cast 250: ASUS launches the new King of Chromebooks On this episode of The Chrome Cast, we really did attempt to continue with our one-subject-per-podcast format this week, but in talking about ASUS’ newly-launched ExpertBook CX54 Chromebook Plus, our conversation diverged to include not just ASUS’ new top-dog Chromebook, but Chromebook Plus, the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook, Intel Core i3 performance, and Intel’s new […] Read More You can now try Google's AI note-taking app, NotebookLM Google’s latest AI-powered innovation, NotebookLM, is moving out of the waitlist phase and is now ready for you to try it out. In a post on the Keyword Blog, Google says that Notebook LM is now widely available in the United States, with new features like a noteboard space and suggested actions that can magically […] Read More Chromebooks getting a new 'Focus Mode' that is mostly working in Canary Thanks to a bit of digging and testing by our friend @cr_c2cv over on X, we’ve been made aware of a new feature currently in testing for Chromebooks in the latest Canary Channel build of ChromeOS 122 simply called Focus Mode. As the name implies, it seems the feature is here to help ChromeOS users […] Read More ASUS ExpertBook CX54 Chromebook Plus: the new King of Chromebooks? Out of nowhere, ASUS has announced and soft-launched a new Chromebook Plus model that is unequivocally the best device in this new class of Chromebooks. Well, in the group of branded Chromebook Plus models, I mean. If we add in all the certified Chromebook Plus models, we have to include the current King of Chromebooks: […] Read More The larger HP 15.6-inch Chromebook Plus is down to just $299 With only a couple weeks left in the year, the crazy buying season is quickly coming to an end. But in the world of Chromebooks, that doesn’t mean too much. Most of 2023 was littered with great Chromebook deals left and right, and that’s a big reason we created the post that highlights the best […] Read More PSA: Get your final Stadia controller updates before December 31st Not long ago, we posted about the looming deadline for converting your Stadia controller over to Bluetooth-only mode. At the end of the year, the tool for changing your controller over will expire, and so will your opportunity to keep your awesome Stadia controller around as a fantastic accessory. Nothing has changed on that front […] Read More Google Assistant Quick Phrases are super helpful and arriving on Pixel Buds Pro In the event that you didn’t already know this was a thing, you can do a few Google Assistant actions on your Pixel phone without the need of uttering “Hey Google” beforehand. Pixel phones are able to answer, silence, or fully decline incoming calls with just the vocal command – “answer”, “decline” or “silence” – […] Read More The ASUS Chromebook Plus CX34 is finally on sale again Of all the Chromebook Plus models that arrived in October, one of the more-elusive models is the ASUS Chromebook Plus CX34 that is exclusive to Target. While it has been available and in stock most of the time since launch, it hasn’t been discounted nearly as often as its counterparts. But today, only a week […] Read More The 10 Best Chromebooks in 2023 [VIDEO] As we come to the end of 2023, it’s been a pretty wild ride in the world of Chromebooks. We began the year with the introduction of quite possibly the best overall Chromebook ever made in the HP Dragonfly Pro and finished with the introduction of a new class of Chromebook in Chromebook Plus. In […] Read More Google TV spreads holiday cheer with performance updates and new features It’s been a good year for Google TV, highlighted by new features, design tweaks, free channels, and performance upgrades. As 2023 draws to a close, Google is spreading some holiday cheer with improvements to enhance your Google TV experience, including updates to the Live tab and more free channels. One of the improvements that you […] Read More Chromebook Plus and GeForce NOW shock gamers in new ad spot During the Game Awards that aired on YouTube (and tons of other streaming platforms) on December 7th, there was an ad that ran towards the latter half of the program that was pretty eye-opening and featured Chromebook Plus and GeForce NOW in a very interesting setting. With no prior knowledge, actual gamers were brought into […] Read More Why you should buy the Acer Chromebook 516 GE at it's lowest-ever price ($419) I’ve made no bones about it: the Acer Chromebook 516 GE is my absolute go-to device when I need a Chromebook I can really rely on. In so many circumstances it has been the best choice for me to keep around in my book bag, and I can think of no device that makes me […] Read More I just got the Pixel Video Boost feature today, and it is a true test in patience Early this morning, I opened my camera on the Pixel 8 Pro to scan a QR code and the notification I’ve been waiting on since the October hardware event showed up, signifying that it was finally my turn to try out the new Video Boost feature Google showed off with the launch of the Pixel […] 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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