Google has developed its new operating system, codenamed Fuchsia, for well over a year. Up until now, it’s been difficult to actually run the experimental project to get a sneak peek, but the recent addition of Pixelbook support has offered up a new way to take it for a test drive.
Beyond a lock screen and login form that will look relatively familiar to anyone who has used Google’s services, there are actually quite a few working components in the current version of Fuchsia, according to Ars Technica.
The Google bar at the bottom of the user interface is said to work in a limited capacity, although it’s rife with placeholders for the time being. It can search through local files and will offer a web launcher if you type in a URL.
The web browser is unfinished and won’t render many sites, although it’s, of course, able to display the Google homepage with no issues. There are a few other apps that work but they are said to be quite ugly and, in some cases, barely functional. Included are a video player that doesn’t play video (likely due to the lack of an internet connection), a music player that crashed, a straightforward file manager, an early iteration of a chat app, and some graphical demos.
While it’s rather impressive to see Fuchsia running on Pixelbook hardware at all, it’s clear that the laptop isn’t quite up to the task. Crashes are apparently frequent and the device is said to run very hot, even when something as simple as the lock screen is being displayed.
Google is remaining tight-lipped when it comes to Fuchsia and has yet to acknowledge its existence officially, so it’s difficult to get a read on its long-term plans for the project. Given that a big focus seems to be delivering a consistent user experience across computers and mobile devices, we can perhaps expect to see it factor into the company’s future hardware strategy.
Anyone brave enough to dive into the esoteric Fuchsia installation process can grab the source code here, but be warned: It’s not for the faint of heart.
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.