After having brought support for running Android apps on Chromebooks, Google just launched Chrome OS 67 with support for even more apps. With the release of Chrome OS 67, Progressive Web Apps, or PWAs, can now be installed as stand-alone apps, Google noted on its blog.
As its name suggests, Progress Web Apps are web apps, but instead of running inside a Chrome browser tab, they’ll have their own window and behave more like a native app. Microsoft announced support for PWAs on Windows 10 earlier this year, and one of Google’s first PWAs to launch this year is the Google Photos app. Like their native desktop app counterparts, PWAs can function offline and are speedy to operate and load.
On Chrome OS, Progressive Web Apps are deployed as a hybrid between a native app and a web app. Borrowing from traditional web apps, they’ll have shareable URLs and come with Google Cast support, ZDNet reported. Multitasking users can also switch between windows with an alt-tab key command. Google will bring support for Progressive Web Apps to Chrome browsers on MacOS and Windows in future releases.
If you’re an owner of a Chromebook with newer form factors, like HP’s detachable Chromebook x2, Chrome OS 67 also supports a new feature that can detect when a tablet is detached from the keyboard and attached to a new base. Support for Touchable Material Design 2.0 will make it easier for Chrome OS tablets, like Acer’s Chromebook Tab 10, to interface with Chrome OS using touchscreens. For those running Android apps on a compatible Chromebook, Google noted that Chrome’s page zoom feature is now extended to Google Play apps.
Other features aimed at making Chromebooks a better experience for users focused on productivity include support for zipping files on Google Drive using the Files app and split-screen multitasking in Tablet mode. Google is also giving users more control of how they put their Chromebooks to sleep by displaying a power menu with shortcuts when the power button is held down. A cleaner Bluetooth list, support for Android Debug Bridge over USB in developer mode, and Select-to-Speak ability for text to be read aloud round out the list of new features.
This update will automatically be rolled out to Chromebooks over the next several days. Along with these new features, Google announced that the latest version of Chrome OS also comes with security fixes and other small improvements. After having been broken since the Chrome OS 64, user Mace noted on Google’s blog that Google casting is now working again on public IP addresses with this build. If you’re looking for a new Chromebook, Google is also running a huge promotion on its Pixelbook right now.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Google DeepMind's AI world model Genie 4 can now build interactive worlds that you can explore and reshape as they run. It also generates ambient sounds, music, and dialogue that respond to your actions.
The new world model builds on Genie 3 with improved realism, more natural human movement, and better simulations of real-world physics. It could eventually help with everything from game development to training robots.
Apple has an incredible talent for making me admire its products while simultaneously questioning what on earth it's thinking with the pricing. This isn't even something as bizarre as a monitor stand, but the audacity for starting a new laptop lineup from $2,000 doesn't surprise me.
The newly announced 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 is just the latest to showcase this. The funny thing is, I already know that it's going to be a reliable workstation. You get a powerful new 2nm M6 processor, a gorgeous Liquid Retina XDR display, and up to 24 hours of battery life. We were impressed by the M5 MacBook Air, so the high-end M6 powered MacBook Pro definitely won't let us down.