Tag Archives: Chromebooks

New features for Chromebook’s 10th birthday

New features for Chromebook's 10th birthday

Chromebooks launched 10 years ago with a vision to rethink computing by designing a secure, easy-to-use laptop that becomes faster and more intelligent over time. As more and more people began using devices running Chrome OS, we evolved and expanded the platform to meet their diverse needs.

Today, Chrome OS devices do everything from helping people get things done to entertaining them while they unwind. But we want to do more to provide a powerfully simple computing experience to the millions of people who use Chromebooks. We’re celebrating 10 years of Chromebooks with plenty of new features to bring our vision to life.

Move between devices with ease

More and more people are living in a world where they use multiple devices to work, keep in touch with loved ones and watch shows and movies. Today, we’re launching two solutions that help your Chromebook and Android phone work better together.

With Phone Hub, you now have a built-in control center that brings key capabilities from your Android phone to your Chromebook. Receive a text but your phone is out of reach? No problem. Respond to that message, check your phone’s battery life and cellular signal, turn on its hotspot and even locate it, all from your Chromebook. Phone Hub also shows the Chrome browser tabs you last opened on your Android phone, so you can pick up right where you left off.

We've also extended Wi-Fi Sync to work with more devices, making it easier and faster to get online. Your Chromebook can now automatically connect to trusted Wi-Fi networks you’ve used on your Android phone and other Chrome OS devices when signed in with the same Google Account — no need to enter in the credentials again.

In the coming months, you’ll also be able to use Nearby Share to instantly and securely share files between your Chromebook and other Chrome OS or Android devices. Nearby Share lets you send and receive without sharing contact details, so your information and files stay private.

These three features are just the beginning of the work we’re doing to bring Google helpfulness to more devices in your life. Stay tuned for more feature releases this year that help your devices work better together.

New features to get things done fast

We’ve redesigned key parts of the Chromebook experience based on your feedback and added new features that make it easy to get things done fast, so you can focus on your work, not your tools.

Quicker access to what’s important

The new Screen Capture tool in your Quick Settings menu lets you take precise screenshots and screen recordings without needing to remember keyboard shortcuts. Once you take a screen capture, it’ll instantly show up in Tote, a new space that keeps important files right at your fingertips. Open Tote from your Shelf and you’ll see all your recent downloads, recent screen captures and pinned files.

Your media controls are also now built directly into the Quick Settings menu, so you’ll always know where to go to play, pause or skip to the next song that you’re playing from the web or an Android app. You can pin this media player directly to your Shelf for immediate access.

We’ve also streamlined Chromebook setup for parents and guardians to highlight two important tools. Now when parents set up a new Chromebook using their child’s personal Google Account (managed with Family Link), they can immediately add a school account. Their child can then use school apps like Google Classroom while Family Link controls on their device still apply, so parents can supervise while they do homework. They can also assist their child in creating a PIN during setup, so signing in to their Chromebook is easier.

Record your screen with Screen Capture
Record your screen with Screen Capture
Pin files to Tote
Pin files to Tote
Pause or skip a song in Quick Settings
Pause or skip a song in Quick Settings
Add a school account when setting up a Chromebook
Add a school account when setting up a Chromebook

Save time as you tackle your daily tasks

With its new Clipboard, your Chromebook saves the last five items copied so you can easily paste any or all to a new page without needing to switch between windows. Just press the Everything Button + V to use your Clipboard.

There’s also Quick Answers, which automatically offers helpful information — like a definition, a translation or unit conversion — when you right-click a word. No need to open a separate tab to search for the answer.

We’ve supercharged Desks with enhancements to help you organize your workspace. Now when you reboot, all your windows will restore to their previous desks so your workflow isn’t interrupted. Right-click at the top of a window to send it directly to one or all desks, and swipe across your trackpad with four fingers to switch between desks. To get started with Desks, open Overview mode and create a new desk.

Save the last items copied with Clipboard
Save the last items copied with Clipboard
Right-click a word for Quick Answers
Right-click a word for Quick Answers
Updates to Desks
Updates to Desks

Helpful updates to existing features

Aside from new features, we’ve also enhanced several existing ones. For instance, you can now share files, images and links between apps in fewer steps. When you click “share” on a supported app or website, you’ll see a list of apps you can share content with directly. For example, you'll be able to share an image from your Files app to the Microsoft Word app, with just a few clicks.

Select-to-speak, which enables you to hear text read out loud, also has new controls that let you speed up, slow down and pause the reading voice in real-time, and easily jump to different sections of text. These are especially helpful for people with low vision and specific learning or print disabilities.

Last but certainly not least, the small things matter just as much as the big ones. The icons for your Chromebook’s built-in apps have a fresh new look, making it easier for you to find essential apps made for Chrome OS like Canvas and Explore.

Coming soon: Share artwork from Canvas on Chrome OS
Coming soon: Share artwork from Canvas on Chrome OS
New controls for Select-to-speak
New controls for Select-to-speak
A fresh look for built-in Chrome OS apps
A fresh look for built-in Chrome OS apps

Visit our website for more details about these features. We’re grateful to be celebrating this milestone, and we hope these launches help you get even more out of your Chromebook.

Source: The Official Google Blog

Chromebook turns 10: Looking back and moving forward

10 years ago, computing was complicated. Slow boot times, clunky hardware and intrusive updates were the norm. Computers were invented before the internet, and they hadn’t fully caught up to how people were using the web. So Google set out to design something new. The idea was to create a cloud-first experience that was fast, secure and easy to use — with software that stays up-to-date, automatically. A computer that boots up in seconds, and stays fast over time.

In 2011 we launched the first Chromebooks in partnership with Acer and Samsung. Today Chromebooks help millions of people stay connected while they work, study and stay entertained; this has never been more true than over the past year. As we celebrate the 10th birthday of Chromebook, we’re taking a look at how Chromebooks have evolved and where we’re headed.

Chromebook timeline
2010–2011
2012–2013
2014–2015
2016–2017
2018–2019
2020
2021 and beyond

For the past decade, we’ve stayed true to our original vision to make computing simpler and more accessible for everyone. Highlights include the Chromebook Pixel, the first Chromebook with a big, beautiful 3:2 touchscreen, which launched in 2013 and changed how people used their laptops. Then there was the first Chromebook with USB-C technology, introduced in 2015, enabling people to fast-transfer their data and charge their device quickly — all by using what’s now the universal standard. And in 2017 we launched Chromebooks with the Google-designed Titan C security chip to keep devices secure and protect user identity.

Plus, Chromebooks for Education has continued to help teachers and students modernize the learning experience, and Chromebook Enterprise has made IT administration simpler for businesses. Our Google Admin console fundamentally changed how devices are controlled, making it easy to manage thousands of Chromebooks centrally. It helps administrators get their school or business up and running in no time, and removes the day-to-day pains of running IT in large organizations.

All along the way, we remained committed to making all Chromebooks faster and smarter automatically, with updates that run in the background every few weeks.

Today, we work with several important partners — Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, AMD, Intel, MediaTek, Qualcomm, among others — to make Chromebooks of all shapes and sizes, and collaborate with over 20 Works With Chromebook partners like Anker and Logitech on compatible accessories so you can get the most out of your Chromebook. And with apps from the web and the Google Play Store, you can get more things done, boost your creativity or simply find fun ways to pass the time. If gaming is your thing, Cloud gaming platforms like Stadia and GeForce NOW are available on your Chromebook.

A selection of the latest Chromebooks
A selection of the latest Chromebooks
Acer Chromebook Spin 513
Acer Chromebook Spin 513
ASUS Chromebook CX9
ASUS Chromebook CX9
Dell Latitude 7410 Chromebook
Dell Latitude 7410 Chromebook
HP Chromebook 14b
HP Chromebook 14b
Lenovo Thinkpad C13 Yoga Chromebook
Lenovo Thinkpad C13 Yoga Chromebook
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2

Here’s to the next 10

I remember getting my first computer and using it for just a handful of basic tasks; typing things up in a word processor, doing simple math with its calculator, things like that. Fast forward to today, where we bounce from work to school to watching shows and chatting with friends and family. We make all of these transitions across multiple devices — phones, tablets, laptops. And unlike the past, people should have access to their data and a consistent experience across all these tools. So today, we’re celebrating the 10th birthday of Chromebook by launching a suite of features for Chromebook that lets people move between devices with ease, and tools that drastically improve your productivity.

We are also continuing to make Chromebooks the best devices for teaching and learning, and to help businesses scale.

It's been 10 years, but this is still just the beginning. We’re continuing to find ways to make the Chromebook experience even more helpful for everyone. Examples include things like utilizing our artificial intelligence technology to help people proactively, integrating sensor technologies for more personalized experiences, expanding our portfolio of devices with cellular connectivity and working endlessly to make your devices work better together.

Our vision for Chromebooks is to keep helping people get things done and to provide helpful and secure experiences. So here’s to the next 10 years of delivering an intelligent, powerfully simple computer for all.

Chromebook turns 10

Celebrate the 10th birthday of Chromebook with a look back and lots of new features.

View all 4 articles

Source: The Official Google Blog

Chrome OS’s Jenn Chen on a decade of design

Ten years ago, Chrome OS principal designer Jenn Chen was hardly what you’d called a techie. “I was the last person I knew who got a smartphone,” she says, laughing. “I was a total Luddite! I didn’t want to do it!” But today, things are different — and not just for Jenn. The devices we use and how we use them have both changed dramatically over the years. “Technology plays a bigger part in our day to day,” she says. “So it’s increasingly important that we have a human, respectful approach in how we design and build products.”

Chrome OS embraced that change, and Jenn’s seen the evolution from the inside. Originally, she was the only person on the team dedicated to Chrome OS user experience (UX) — now, she leads an entire team. We recently had the chance to talk to Jenn about a decade of Chrome OS, and what her path to design work was like.

What kickstarted your interest in working in UX and design?

Growing up, I had a lot of different interests but never felt like they quite added up to a clear career path. I dabbled in biology because I loved marine life, read up on cognition because I was fascinated by how minds worked and even explored being a full-time pianist. One day in college, I tagged along with a friend who organized a visit to a design agency and I found it absolutely riveting. Here were different people with different professions — anthropologists, surgeons, engineers — all working together to solve a problem through a multifaceted, human-centered approach which I learned was called “design thinking.” This really sparked my interest in learning more about product design and building creative solutions to serve real user needs, which led to studying HCI (human-computer interaction) and user experience.

What’s the “movie version” of your job? How is it portrayed in pop culture, and how does that compare to reality?

The perception is that UXers are in the lab all day, and that every user insight we learn immediately leads to a light bulb moment and design solution! There’s so much testing out ideas, learning that they won’t work and moving on — or years later, bringing that thing back and seeing there is something there, but the timing wasn't right or the tech wasn’t ready before. There’s a lot of constant failure. We designers call it “iteration,” but I think people forget that also means being wrong a lot — and being OK with being wrong, because it helps us learn. The movie version of my job glosses over all that.

Chrome OS was such a new idea. What were some of the early challenges of launching something so different?

Computers have been around much longer than Chromebooks, so people have established expectations and habits. The challenge is meaningfully rethinking what a computer can be while also meeting people where they are. I’ve been incredibly lucky to work with and learn from experts in this space as a part of the Chrome OS team and a part of the broader Google UX community.

One good example of this was that Chrome OS started out with a minimal approach when it came to task management: Users could only have full-screen windows with multiple tabs. We quickly learned that how people manage their tasks is personal, so flexibility is absolutely necessary. We introduced more window controls and tools over time. Today, we've expanded task management abilities for Desks to help people organize their apps, windows and tabs across virtual work spaces, but still benefit from a simplified, more constrained model when they only have a touchscreen handy.

What new launches are you excited about?

So many things! The team has been hard at work on a whole suite of features for Chrome OS’s 10th birthday. I’m really excited about the everyday efficiencies we’ve built, whether it’s helping you find that article you had open on your phone with Phone Hub or making screenshots and recordings more precise with Screen Capture — definitely things that I use daily as a designer.

Ten years later, what keeps you interested in this work?

I came from the startup world, and to be totally honest I didn’t think I’d be at a larger company for this long. But one of the things I love about working on Chrome OS is that it’s kind of like a startup in a big company: We’ve come a long way after starting out as a little fish in this pond, there’s much more we aspire to do, and I get the huge privilege of being a part of the journey with an amazing team of people.

What’s especially motivating for me is witnessing how computing impacts people’s economic and social mobility — whether it’s being part of the distance learning solution in a pandemic or supporting refugees in settling in to their new communities. I’m excited to see how some of the bets we’ve made play out, and to be a part of shaping the future of computing.

Source: The Official Google Blog

Celebrating 10 years of Chromebooks in education

A decade ago, we launched a small pilot program with a handful of schools. Council Bluffs in Iowa and Fon du Lac in Wisconsin were among the very first to use Chromebooks. Today, Chromebooks are as essential as a backpack for students learning in the US and in places like Australia, Brasil, Canada, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain and Sweden. As we celebrate our 10th birthday, we’re taking a look back at how far Chromebooks have come in the classroom, and announcing new features for educators and students.

From pilot program to 40 million

Googlers took the first Chromebooks into schools in the U.S. for a pilot program in 2010, and we found that students, teachers, and education leaders immediately loved how fast, simple and secure they were — three principles we still adhere to today. And with the rapid introduction of Chrome Education Upgrade, which unlocked advanced features in the operating system, Chromebooks rapidly became a hit with schools and IT administrators for their shareability and ease of management at scale. With Google Admin Console, school administrators were suddenly able to manage devices remotely, which has fundamentally shifted the computing model for schools from “computer rooms” to “shared carts” to today, assigned Chromebooks for most students – because hundreds of thousands of devices can all be managed by a single person.

Chromebooks expanded globally, scaling up in partnership with manufacturers like Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung. More recently, NEC and Sharp have all started building Chromebooks for the Japan Education market--making Chromebooks the #1 device in K-12 education globally for the last year. To open up possibilities for note taking, digital reading, art, filming video reports, podcasts, and early learning apps, Chromebooks are now available in multiple formats, like convertibles, clamshells and tablets, and come with stylus support and touchscreen functionality. And to increase access, Chromebooks now come with multiple connectivity options including WiFi and mobile broadband. Today there’s a device for every learner and a growing ecosystem of apps for students and teachers alike-- over 40 million of them around the world-- with the Chromebook App Hub offering engaging apps and fresh lesson ideas.

Chromebooks were built to be the foundation for teaching and learning, no matter where you are. And in 2020, as schools turned to distance learning, we’ve worked hard to improve the video conferencing capabilities of older as well as newly released devices to run Google Meet and Zoom, and introduced new features like Zero Touch Enrollment to help admins remotely enroll and ship devices to students and teachers at home, and extended support for automatic updates to eight years, so devices stay secure and equipped with the latest features for years to come.

Building for the future of teaching and learning

With over 40 new devices for education, we’re launching new devices for not only students, but educators and faculty as well. We’ve heard from teachers that they love having a high-powered, lightweight convertible with a stylus that fits perfectly in the nook of their arm, because it untethers them from their desktop to enable them to roam freely about the classroom and engage with students 1:1 – or use those same devices to help teach remotely.

So we’re kicking off Chromebook’s next decade with helpful productivity features for educators and students like the new Screen Capture tool that lets you take screenshots and screen recordings, perfect for recording lessons and sharing with students. When taking a screen capture, it’ll immediately show up in Tote, a new space that keeps important files right at your fingertips - perfect for adding images or videos to presentations or group projects. To help keep track of the many links and homework assignments, Chromebook now has a Clipboard that saves the last five items copied so you can easily paste any or all to a new page without needing to switch between tabs. And with support for eight Desks, students can have separate desks for each class, and teachers can keep their lesson planning separate from grading. Best of all, when you reboot, your windows will restore to their previous desks so workflows aren’t interrupted.

We’re continuing to make improvements to Select-to-speak to support students with dyslexia and those who need additional reading support. Now, students can press pause and resume play, adjust the speed at which content is being read and skip between sentences and paragraphs using the new Select-to-Speak control panel or keyboard shortcuts.

We’re also launching an API for user and printer policies, meaning IT administrators sometimes managing hundreds of thousands of Chromebooks can now write scripts to manage policies at scale, in addition to using Admin Console. And to help figure out when it’s time to switch legacy devices over to Chrome OS, the Chrome OS Readiness Tool is there to help, and our TCO Calculator will help schools determine which Chromebooks are right for them with our helpful guide, For more for IT administrators, head here.

Wherever you’re learning from, Chromebooks are easier than ever to use and manage remotely. For families helping their children learn from home, they can add a school account to their personal Google account managed with Family Link to approve content and help kids develop healthy device habits, and even create a PIN to make sign-in easier for young kids.

We’d love to hear from you on what you love most about Chromebooks. Reach out to @GoogleForEdu on Twitter, and join in the fun.

Source: The Official Google Blog

Chromebook turns 10

Source: The Official Google Blog

Chromebooks get an education refresh

Chromebooks — which last year were largely used as classroom tools for writing reports and working on projects — are now the main way many students go to school. As distance learning takes place around the world, educators and students have had to quickly adapt to teaching and learning through Chromebooks. And along the way we’ve updated features and tools to make learning from anywhere easier.

This year, we have 40 new devices and accessibility improvements coming so that every student can learn the way they want to.

Tools to help educators teach from anywhere

Teachers have long recorded lessons to help students do homework and study for tests, but in the past year it’s become downright critical for virtual learning. Which is why we’ve built a screen recording tool right into Chrome OS that is coming in the latest Chromebook update in March. With this tool, teachers and students can record lessons and reports in the classroom and at home.

Easier ways for leaders to manage technology

Chrome Education Upgrade unlocks access to Google Admin Console, making it possible for schools to centrally manage massive fleets of Chromebooks. Now, there are over 500 Chrome policies in Google Admin Console, including new ones like Zero Touch Enrollment, which make it easier to deploy and manage Chromebooks at scale — even remotely.

As schools buy hundreds or even thousands of Chromebooks for teachers and students, it’s overwhelming to find the best device to purchase. To make it easier we’ve created a resource to help you find the right Chromebook for whatever you’re looking for — whether it’s in-class learning, virtual learning or devices for faculty and staff.

Updates that equip every student, everywhere

We’re launching over 40 new Chromebooks. Many of them include convertible Chromebooks that function like a laptop and a tablet, and come with a stylus, touchscreen, and dual-cameras for students to take notes, edit videos, create podcasts, draw, publish digital books and record screencasts. Every new Chromebook is equipped to deliver exceptional Google Meet and Zoom experiences — right out of the box. We also have devices that can better support students with limited access to the internet, or in countries with strong mobile broadband networks. These devices, called Always Connected devices, have an LTE connectivity option that allows you to connect via your preferred cellular network.

Making education products that work for all students, also means creating accessibility features. And it turns out these features are helpful to everyone — including people with disabilities. ChromeVox, our full-featured screen reader, has new features including improved tutorials, the ability to search ChromeVox menus, and smooth voice switching that automatically changes the screen reader’s voice based on the language of the text.

We are also making significant audio, video and reliability improvements to Meet on Chromebooks so it continues to work smoothly for everyone.

How we’re setting the bar higher

As many students are learning from home, it has become even more important for parents and guardians to help support their child’s learning, while also making sure they’re safe online. We’re making it possible for families to add a Google Workspace for Education account to their child’s personal Google Account managed with Family Link. This lets children still log into the apps and websites they need with a school account, while making sure parents can still set guidelines for device and app usage.

We’ll continue to listen and evolve Google for Education products so they benefit educators, leaders and students. To learn more about all of the upcoming improvements to Chromebooks and Chrome OS, subscribe to our Chrome Enterprise Release notes.

Source: The Official Google Blog

How we’re improving Meet’s performance on Chromebooks

Today, students everywhere are using computers more and more. Not only to complete schoolwork, but even to livestream their lessons. And they’re using the same networks as their parents, guardians and siblings, putting heavy demand on bandwidth.

No matter how today’s students are learning — at home, in a hybrid model or in school — they deserve a clear connection to educators and classmates. Making sure devices can handle video conferences all day while running various apps and software that require a lot of power is incredibly important. That’s why we’ve been focused on improving Chromebooks, so they can work harder in the background as teaching and learning proceed smoothly.

These Chrome OS updates will help students run video calls at home while they’re using apps like Google Classroom, Docs, Sheets, Slides and other tools, regardless of the device or the strength of their internet connections. Here’s how we’re making Chrome OS and Chromebooks even better behind the scenes.

Animated gif of Google Meet on Chromebooks

Adapting to distance-learning challenges

In Chrome OS, we’ve improved how Meet videos are streamed. The improvements will make it easier for educators and students to choose a feature like grid view, where they can see images of other Meet attendees without affecting the performance of other apps. So if students are taking notes in a Google Doc while in a Meet, or running a Kahoot! game at the same time, they’ll be able to see everyone.

Better camera performance

We’ve also improved Chromebooks’ camera and video feed performance and efficiency by making sure that audio and video data don’t require any unnecessary processing. This means your device will have more processing power available for other tasks.

Meet now adjusts dynamically

We’re working on making Google Meet adapt more intelligently to your device, your network and what you’re working on. That means if students or teachers need to share their screens or take notes while in a Meet, the Meet’s video resolution or frame rate may be decreased slightly so that video performance doesn’t suffer. Meet will now also adapt to the speed of your network by temporarily turning off some video feeds, to make sure you’re not interrupted if many people are using your connection at the same time.

Features built with education in mind

Educators use Meet to run their virtual classrooms similarly to how they’d run class in person — they call on students to participate, send students into small groups and answer questions in real time. That’s why we’ve built features like hand-raising, digital whiteboards, polls, Q&A and breakout rooms, so educators can continue to use many of their in-person teaching methods in the virtual classroom.

Teaming up on Zoom improvements

Educators and learners who use Zoom should also see performance improvements during their videoconferences: Google and Zoom engineering teams have been working together on service enhancements for Chrome devices. Just like Meet, Zoom will adjust video performance based on devices in use and what participants are using their devices to do.

If you need more help getting the most out of videoconferencing, start by going over the basic hardware and software requirements for using Meet or Zoom. Plus, check out this training guide to strengthen your Meet skills, or sign up for this training for educators. And if you’re looking to support educators as well as students, help them by troubleshooting common issues with Meet.

Source: The Official Google Blog

Sign in to sites faster and personalize your lock screen

We’re always finding ways to make using Chromebooks as seamless as possible. Today, with our latest Chrome OS release, we’re introducing a faster sign-in experience as well as personalized lock screens.

And in case you missed it, we’ll share the exciting new Chromebooks that were recently announced at CES 2021.

Faster and easier web sign-in

Forget the hassle of typing in a long password or trying to remember which one you use for a specific online account. Now you can securely sign in to websites with the PIN or fingerprint you’ve set up to unlock your Chromebook with our new Web Authentication (WebAuthn) feature. Websites that support WebAuthn will let you use your Chromebook PIN or fingerprint ID—if your Chromebook has a fingerprint reader—instead of the password you’ve set for the website. And if you use 2-Step Verification to sign-in, your Chromebook PIN or fingerprint ID can be used as the second factor, so you no longer need to pull out your security key or phone to authenticate.

To get started, sign in to a supported website like Dropbox, GitHub or Okta, and you’ll be prompted to switch to using WebAuthn for future sign-ins.

Image showing a web page with the WebAuthn tool pulled up. A pop-up on the screen says "verify your identity" and has spaces for numbers to be entered.

Beautify your space with a personalized lock screen

The Chrome OS screen saver lets you transform your Chromebook’s lock screen into a personalized smart display. Show off your favorite photo album from Google Photos or pick from hundreds of art gallery images. You can use your lock screen to check information like the current weather and what music is playing; you’ll also be able to pause a track or skip songs without unlocking your device.

Go to your Chrome OS Settings and select Personalization > Screen saver to turn it on now.

Image shows an Android tablet next to an Android tablet pen. On the screen is a photo of a mountain and behind it is a pink-hued sunset.

ICYMI: New Chromebooks announced at CES 2021

Image showing three laptops. — From left to right: Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2, ASUS Chromebook Flip C536 and Acer Chromebook Spin 514

Our partners, Acer, ASUS and Samsung, introduced five new Chromebooks earlier this month: The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 and the ASUS Chromebook Flip CM5 are among the first AMD Ryzen Chromebooks in the market and deliver great performance for work and play at an affordable price. There’s also the ASUS Chromebook Flip C536 and the ASUS Chromebook CX9, which are some of the first Chromebooks to come with the latest 11th generation Intel processors, so they’re a powerful option for working or streaming video. And the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 is the first Chromebook to feature a QLED display; it has a thin, light design and comes in Fiesta Red and Mercury Gray.

That’s all for now—but check back here in March when we’ll have more news about what’s coming to Chromebooks.

Source: The Official Google Blog

Sign in to sites faster and personalize your lock screen

And in case you missed it, we’ll share the exciting new Chromebooks that were recently announced at CES 2021.

Faster and easier web sign-in

To get started, sign in to a supported website like Dropbox, GitHub or Okta, and you’ll be prompted to switch to using WebAuthn for future sign-ins.

Beautify your space with a personalized lock screen

Go to your Chrome OS Settings and select Personalization > Screen saver to turn it on now.

ICYMI: New Chromebooks announced at CES 2021

That’s all for now—but check back here in March when we’ll have more news about what’s coming to Chromebooks.

Source: The Official Google Blog

Get creative with Chromebooks

When inspiration strikes, you can turn to Chromebook to get creative. To help you get started on artistic hobbies, we’re explaining how simple it is to draw, edit photos, make movies, animate and design on Chromebook—thanks to creativity apps and new Perks. We’re also showcasing new built-in wallpapers that were designed by professional artists using a Chromebook and stylus. Plus, recent software updates for Chromebook styluses make writing or drawing feel like you're putting real pen to paper.

Up the contrast, tweak the brightness

Load your photos on Chromebook and adjust the lighting and saturation to make your nature photography look its best. Access your photos on your Chromebook through Google Photos, an SD card, an external hard drive—or wherever you have your pictures stored.

For simple editing, adjust images with the built-in gallery app on Chromebooks, which we recently improved with intuitive crop, rescaling and lighting features.

We improved the built-in gallery app on Chromebooks for simple photo editing.

For more advanced editing, Chromebooks also support Adobe Lightroom, Photopea, BeFunky and more. Photopea, for instance, lets you import PSDs, Sketch Files and .XCF files, edit them and save them back to your local hard drive right from the web.

Your inner videographer

Whether you’re making a short film or documenting a family milestone, you can stitch together and create video content on a Chromebook. Chromebooks support easy-to-use video editing software like WeVideo and Kapwing. You can also use Clipchamp to create, edit and post videos on social media easily.

Design, animate, illustrate

You can channel your inner Picasso when using your Chromebook. Build joyful animations with Adobe Spark, create professional and easy-to-share designs with Canva or Figma, and bring your creative vision to life with sketching apps like ArtFlow and Concepts.

Visit our website to find more apps that help you express your creativity on Chromebooks.

Kickstart your creativity on Chromebook today with Perks

Chromebook users get access to special deals on apps—which we call “Perks.” We just launched new creativity perks to encourage people to try out some great photo editing, video editing and design apps. The new Perks include a few months of free premium access to WeVideo, Adobe Spark, Canva and more. On your Chromebook, visit chromebook.com/perks to redeem these benefits and kickstart your creativity.

A bundle of creativity offers are available to Chromebook users today. *Terms apply. — A bundle of creativity offers are available to Chromebook users today.
*Terms apply.

Wallpapers built on Chromebook, for Chromebook

Chromebooks are suited for people who have creative hobbies, and for people who are artistic in their day jobs. To explore the creative potential of Chromebooks, our team worked with Dutch artist Rick Berkelmans, who runs a design studio in the Netherlands and recently began exploring digital illustration on Chromebook. Rick used the built-in Chrome Canvas app with a stylus to design wallpapers just for Chromebooks, using a Chromebook.

Check out a behind the scenes look into Rick’s studio and his creative process with Chromebook:

Wallpapers built on Chromebook, for Chromebook
Artist Rick Berkelmans runs a one-man design studio in the Netherlands called Hedof. Dive into his creative space and hear what inspires him as an illustrator and how he’s used a Chromebook for digital illustration.

Now, anyone whose device has the latest Chrome OS update can right click their home screen and choose “Set wallpaper” to access Rick’s designs.

An example of one of Rick’s new wallpapers, built-in with the new Chrome OS update.

Smooth drawing and natural handwriting

Finally, we recently improved the Chromebook on-screen keyboard for stylus by strengthening on-device handwriting recognition. This makes the on-screen keyboard better at recognizing different types of handwriting and annotations. So when you finish your next masterpiece and want to email it to a friend, you can do it all without putting down your stylus.

The Chromebook on-screen keyboard has evolved to enable natural annotations with a stylus.

When you write or draw with a stylus on Chromebook, it feels as natural as using real pen and paper. Look out for more stylus and handwriting updates soon.