Googlebooks are finally out in the wild. They run Googlebook OS, which you can think of as a mix between Android and ChromeOS, sport high-end designs, and Google told us our go-to apps would come along for the ride. Now, it seems that the app story comes with a few asterisks.
Developers build nearly every Android app for ARM processors, the same type of chip that powers your phone. Intel chips work differently, and you’ll find them inside three of the five Googlebooks you can buy today.
Android Authority asked Google whether this would cause trouble, and Google confirmed that a few apps may not behave perfectly on Intel models. Here’s what the company said:
“The vast majority of Android apps run smoothly across both Intel and Qualcomm Googlebooks right out of the box. Because many Android apps were originally designed for Arm chips, a small handful of complex apps or games need some developer tuning to run their best on Intel-based platforms. We’re working hand-in-hand with app developers, Intel, and Qualcomm to continuously optimize performance and expand compatibility across the entire portfolio.”
So, if your Googlebook has an Intel chip, a handful of demanding apps and games could run slower or misbehave, even though they work smoothly on Qualcomm models. Google hasn’t named any of these apps yet, which leaves buyers guessing.
At a media briefing, Google explained that the Play Store would highlight apps tailored for Googlebooks, while every other app would remain available to install. Google’s Dieter Bohn also suggested in a video on X that the whole Play Store catalog was at your fingertips. Neither message hinted at an Intel catch.
Android Phones 🤝 Googlebooks
📁 Your phone’s files are just *there* in the Files app on your Googlebook
↗️ Continue an activity from your phone in an app or browser on your Googlebook
🪄 Cast your phone apps on your Googlebook. You can resize them and continue to use your phone… pic.twitter.com/uE3i7rromo
Not necessarily. Google believes only a small number of apps need extra work. However, if one of them happens to be an app you use every day, that’s a frustrating surprise after unboxing a brand-new laptop. So, if a particular app is a must-have for you, I’d wait for the reviews before buying.
Anthropic has officially filed to go public, and buried inside its S-1 is a blunt warning about the technology at the center of its business. The maker of Claude AI says advanced AI could cause everything from large-scale cyberattacks and geopolitical instability to catastrophic or even existential risks for humanity.
The warnings take up a surprisingly large part of the filing. Axios notes that more than 90 pages, or roughly a third of the prospectus, focus on risk factors. Many of them warn about what could happen as AI systems become more capable and autonomous.
AI giants have a growing autonomy problem on their hands. A new Axios report has revealed that Anthropic's Claude recently accessed publicly available Georgia vote count without human authorization, sparking fresh concerns about AI security ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.
Some of the best shots in Grok Imagine’s AI-made Odyssey don’t contain actors. Ancient landscapes stretch into the distance. Close-ups of grimy hands suggest people who have touched something rougher than a keyboard. For a few seconds, the illusion holds.
https://twitter.com/imagine/status/2113712964419063911