Chromebook users, your laptops will soon be compatible with USB-to-display adapters, thanks to upcoming DisplayLink support. ChromeOS Release 51 will make DisplayLink devices plug-and-play for Dell and HP Chromebooks (other devices will support the protocol later).
Chromebooks with HDMI or VGA ports have long supported multi-monitor setups, but USB-to-HDMI and USB-to-VGA adapters didn’t work with ChromeOS. This is because, until now, DisplayLink didn’t offer drivers for any operating system outside Windows and Mac OS X, according to TechReport.
That all changes when ChromeOS R51, currently in beta, comes out. Drivers for DisplayLink devices will be baked into ChromeOS, the first operating system to offer this. It also means that projectors and mini-monitors that offer DisplayLink support will start working with Chromebooks.
“DisplayLink is truly excited to announce native OS support in Google’s Chrome OS from today onwards,” said DisplayLink vice president John Cummins. “No driver is required, just plug in any DisplayLink device and it just works.”
Never heard of DisplayLink? You’re not alone. This relatively small company, with just 140 employees, makes the chips in a range of devices that offer display over USB 2.0 or 3.0. For the most part this is limited to USB-to-HDMI or USB-to-VGA dongles, but some devices offer on-board DisplayLink support. Some projectors, for example, offer a DisplayLink powered USB cable, and a few tiny monitors on the market work the same way. DisplayLink also offers video support over Ethernet and Wi-Fi, though these features are less widely used.
These aren’t commonly encountered by consumers — but they’re often found in offices and classrooms, where DisplayLink is used to power presentation hardware or monitors in meeting rooms.
Chromebook sales have been growing in a PC market showing overall decline. The education marketplace is a big part of this. Half of all classroom computers are now Chromebooks in the United States, as the browser-based operating system is easy for students to use and teachers to manage.
ChromeOS is far from mainstream, but it’s growing quickly. Every new feature that makes external hardware easier to use is a feature in Google’s hat as their operating system continues to grow.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.