Buried in recent commits to the Chromium open-source project that underpins Google Chrome, and by extension Chrome OS, is an update incorporating face detection. While this may have future ramifications for Google Chrome that one can only speculate on, this update seems primarily aimed at enabling Chromebooks with the right hardware to perform unlocking via facial recognition (more commonly known as “face unlocking”).
Currently, there is no confirmed date for the public, stable release of face unlocking functionality. But considering that Google has teased gesture control in the Pixel 4 uncharacteristically early, there is a good chance that it might reveal Chrome OS face unlocking to the world as part of the full unveiling of the Pixel 4 since they both include substantial new hands-free control options.
This latest peek at upcoming Chrome OS features coincides with a number of other planned additions to breathe new life into an ecosystem that, outside of education, is often eclipsed by their heavyweight desktop OS competitors. Google recently addressed Chrome OS’s messy approach to how apps interact with OS data by introducing its “App Service” to the platform. More significantly, the company signaled a seismic shift in the entire Chrome OS ecosystem by announcing that it would soon be able to download and install full-fledged Linux software, a move which would usher in a dramatic explosion in the variety of applications that Chromebooks could handle.
All of this taken together makes for a clear indication that Google, far from letting Chrome OS languish, is continuing to forge ahead with the platform. Some whisperings suggest that the expected face unlock functionality could be a major selling point for the “Atlas” Pixelbook 2, allowing it to better compete in the traditional desktop market which Chromebooks have struggled to put a dent in.
One question that Google will have to answer before face unlocking can hope to take hold in Chrome OS is how it will respect consumer privacy. In the eyes of many, Chromebooks are closely associated with education, so a feature which is so dependent on data as personal as one’s face will need to come with privacy reassurances in order to keep from alienating its core, highly privacy-conscious market.
Mozilla is giving Firefox’s Smart Window two new tricks. If you haven’t tried it yet, Smart Window is an optional AI mode in Firefox with a built-in chat that helps you get things done while you browse. With this update, it can fill out online forms using details from your tabs and keep an eye on websites for you.
Tired of typing the same details into every form?
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.