Chrome Blog
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Next step in the Chrome OS journey
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Last year we announced
a new kind of computer
This is the next step
All of you
haiku
fans (like many of us on the Chrome team) can stop here; the rest can read on for more details.
A year ago we
introduced
a new model of computing with the launch of Chromebooks. We’ve heard from many of you who’ve enjoyed the speed, simplicity and security of your Chromebooks at home, at school or at work. (Thanks for all the wonderful feedback and stories!) Today, we wanted to share some developments with you—new hardware, a major software update and many more robust apps—as we continue on our journey to make computers much better.
Next-generation devices
Our partner Samsung has just announced a new
Chromebook
and the industry’s first
Chromebox
. Like its predecessor, the newest Chromebook is a fast and portable laptop for everyday users. The Chromebox is a compact, powerful and versatile desktop perfect for the home or office.
Speed
Speed is integral to the Chrome experience. The new Chromebook and Chromebox, based on Intel Core processors, are nearly three times as fast as the first-generation Chromebooks. And support for hardware-accelerated graphics, a built-from-scratch multi-touch trackpad and an open-source firmware stack provide a much faster and more responsive computing experience. The new Chromebook boots in less than seven seconds and resumes instantly. With the Chromebox, you can be on a video conference while continuing to play your favorite role-playing game on the side.
An app-centric user interface
With the
new user interface
you can easily find and launch apps, and use them alongside your browser or other apps. You can pin commonly-used apps for quick access, display multiple windows side-by-side or experience your favorite apps in full-screen mode without any distractions.
Be much more productive...or not
Get more stuff done, online or offline: With the built-in ability to view Microsoft Office files and dozens of the
most common file formats
, you can access all your content without the hassle of installing additional software.
Google Drive
makes it easy to create, store and share with just one click. Drive will be seamlessly integrated with the File Manager and support offline access with the next release of Chrome OS in six weeks. With Google Docs offline support (rolling out over the next few weeks), you can keep working on your documents even when offline and seamlessly sync back up when you re-connect. In addition, there are hundreds of
offline-capable web apps
in the Chrome Web Store.
Have more fun: The revamped media player and a built-in photo editor and uploader enable you to easily play and manage your personal media collections. Through the Chrome Web Store, you can access entertainment apps such as
Google Play
,
Netflix
,
Kindle Cloud Reader
and
Pandora
, and thousands of games including popular games like
Angry Birds
and console titles such as
Bastion
.
Carry your other computers...inside your Chromebook: With
Chrome Remote Desktop Beta
, you can now securely connect to your PC or Mac from your Chromebook or Chromebox. With the underlying
VP8
technology, it’s almost like you’re in front of your other computers in real time.
The (always) new computer
We’ve released eight stable updates over the past year, adding a number of major features and hundreds of improvements to all Chromebooks through our seamless auto-update mechanism. There’s a lot more on the way, so all you need to do is sit back and enjoy the benefits of the (always) new computer.
For those who want to try the Chromebook and Chromebox first-hand, we’re expanding the Chrome Zone experience centers. In the U.S., Chromebooks will be available to try out in select Best Buy stores in the coming weeks. In the U.K., they’re now available in a growing list of
PC World and Currys stores
.
Starting today, you can get the new Chromebook and Chromebox from our
online retail partners
in the U.S. and U.K., and in other select countries over the coming weeks.
Posted by Linus Upson, Vice President, Engineering and Caesar Sengupta, Director of Product Management
More Chrome goodness coming your way
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Today’s Chrome
Beta channel
release is chock full of
bug fixes
. Thanks to
automatic updates
, you can sit back, relax, and let the goodness come to you.
Posted by Dharani Govindan, Technical Program Manager
Keeping tabs on your tabs
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Say you’ve found an awesome recipe on your work computer while... ahem... working hard at the office. But when you get back home, you can’t quite remember if it was two teaspoons of baking
soda
or two teaspoons of baking
powder
. Wouldn’t it be cool if you could pull up the same recipe on your home computer with one click?
With today’s
Stable release
of Chrome, you can. When you’re
signed in to Chrome
, your open tabs are synced across all your devices, so you can quickly access them from the “Other devices” menu on the New Tab page. If you’ve got
Chrome for Android Beta
, you can open the same recipe tab right on your phone when you run out to the store for more ingredients. The back and forward buttons will even work, so you can pick up browsing right where you left off.
Open tabs aren’t the only things that sync when you sign in to Chrome. Signing in to Chrome also syncs your bookmarks, apps, extensions, history, themes, and other settings. That way, when you sign in to Chrome, you can have your personal Chrome experience on all your devices. Just go to the Chrome menu and select “Sign in to Chrome.”
While Chrome will be updated to the latest Stable version over the next few days, the tab sync feature will be rolled out more gradually over the coming weeks. Thank you for your patience and we hope you enjoy staying in sync!
Posted by Raz Mathias, Software Engineer and Tab-Wrangling Server Jockey
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