The Chrome Cast

This week's episode of The Chrome Cast is about as straightforward as they come.  Just last night, very convincing renders of the Pixel 6 showed up and as we tend to do, we prognosticated quite a bit about the legitimacy of those leaks, what they could mean, and when we might actually here something official from Google about the whole thing.  In the second half of the podcast, we're joined by John Sowash, an expert on all things EDU and Chromebook.  He's written a few articles here at Chrome Unboxed and this is his second time on the podcast.  We had some user-submitted questions he is kind enough to weigh in on and our conversations was both fun and informative: hope you enjoy it!

This episode is brought to you by VIZOR for Chromebooks! Are you a School or District with a Chromebook 1:1 program? If so, get ready for your summer intake today with VIZOR for Chromebooks. VIZOR is a Chromebook management solution that seamlessly integrates with the Google Admin Console and your Student information system. With VIZOR you can easily see which student has which Chromebook, manage repairs, and even automate disabling lost or stolen devices while notifying parents, all in one click. Listeners to this podcast get 2 months free, so be sure to tell them you heard about VIZOR on The Chrome Cast podcast to qualify. Click here to learn more about VIZOR for Chromebooks and qualify for 2 months free!

This episode is brought to you by CTL.  Based here in the USA, CTL builds Chrome devices that are sturdy, well-made, and above all, affordable.  Whether it be for the classroom or enterprise deployment, CTL offers a wide variety of Chromebooks and Chromeboxes to meet any need.  Click here if you’d like to learn more about them. 

This episode is brought to you by NordVPN. Get a VPN that takes your privacy seriously. NordVPN is our VPN of choice and will secure your browsing on your Chromebook or on any device. Use NordVPN to keep your private data to yourself whether you are at home or on the go! Click here to try it out and get a 3-year deal for $3.49/month.

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This week on The Chrome Cast, we begin the show by talking a bit in depth about the new ASUS Chromebook CX5 and, more importantly, about the difference Tiger Lake Intel processors are poised to make in the Chromebook market. This device is not only attractive and well-made, it is by far the fastest Chromebook we’ve ever had in the office and demolishes even the 10th-gen Core i7 in every benchmark across the board. What this means for the future of mid/high-range Chromebooks this year is incredibly promising.

In the second half of the show, we talk through the updated Google I/O 2021 website and how simple Google is making it this year for those who want to take in some sessions. The site is easy to distill and navigate and it makes finding just the right content very intuitive. What we’ll see at I/O still remains a bit of a mystery, but with this session layout, we at least have a bit of a look at what’s coming. With one of those sessions again being centered on Android apps on Chromebooks, we’re hopeful the consistent messaging from Google on this paired with the huge Q1 sales numbers for Chromebooks combine to get more developers on board to make Android apps run well on larger screens.

This episode is brought to you by Fresh Roasted Coffee, a coffee website that we have been using for a while now. We made the switch to FRC from the hand-roasting coffee method we had been doing for years and couldn't be happier. They offer great prices and they roast the coffee right before it is shipped to your doorstep! To check it out, go to https://chromeunboxed.com/coffee/ and use the discount code CHROMEUNBOXED for 15% off your initial purchase of coffee and/or tea!

This episode is also brought to you by NordVPN. Get a VPN that takes your privacy seriously. NordVPN is our VPN of choice and will secure your browsing on your Chromebook or on any device. Use NordVPN to keep your private data to yourself whether you are at home or on the go! CLICK HERE to try it out and get a 3-year deal for $3.49/month.

Join our Patreon community and get access to things like behind-the-scenes footage, early access to videos, private Discord server access, an ad-free experience on the mobile and desktop versions of the website, your name listed on all our YouTube videos, and monthly live stream Q&A. CLICK HERE to be a part of our community.

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This week on The Chrome Cast, we spend the first part of the show discussing the new Chromebook hardware that is in the office and on the way.  From ASUS, there is the new pre-order of the CM5, the impending CM3 Detachable, and the CX5 we have in the office and unboxed earlier this week.  On the Acer front, we talk quite a bit about our upcoming review of the Acer Chromebook Spin 513 and what the first Snapdragon Chromebook brings to the table.

In the second half, we're in Google I/O 2021 mode, talking through all the teases that have us believing there will be some new hardware shown off at Google's return to their annual developer conference.  Though there aren't many leaks aside from the new Pixel 5a and Pixel Buds A, it seems Google may have other new hardware lined up to announce that hasn't leaked out prior.  It will be a fun few days in mid-May either way, and we're even more excited for it now.

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This episode is also brought to you by NordVPN. Get a VPN that takes your privacy seriously. NordVPN is our VPN of choice and will secure your browsing on your Chromebook or on any device. Use NordVPN to keep your private data to yourself whether you are at home or on the go! CLICK HERE to try it out and get a 3-year deal for $3.49/month.

Join our Patreon community and get access to things like behind-the-scenes footage, early access to videos, private Discord server access, an ad-free experience on the mobile and desktop versions of the website, your name listed on all our YouTube videos, and monthly live stream Q&A. CLICK HERE to be a part of our community.

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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on The Chrome Cast, we're delving into all the features that came along with the recent update to Chrome OS 90.  While not everyone has it just yet, you can rest assured the update is on the way and when it arrives, some cool new tricks are on the way along with it.  In the second half of the show, we get into some of the new hardware that is right around the corner and already arriving in stores as we speak.

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This episode is also brought to you by NordVPN. Get a VPN that takes your privacy seriously. NordVPN is our VPN of choice and will secure your browsing on your Chromebook or on any device. Use NordVPN to keep your private data to yourself whether you are at home or on the go! CLICK HERE to try it out and get a 3-year deal for $3.49/month.

Join our Patreon community and get access to things like behind-the-scenes footage, early access to videos, private Discord server access, an ad-free experience on the mobile and desktop versions of the website, your name listed on all our YouTube videos, and monthly live stream Q&A. CLICK HERE to be a part of our community.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is sponsored by VIZOR for Chromebooks. Schools, do you have Chromebooks? Get ready for summer intake with VIZOR, a Chromebook management solution that goes beyond Google Admin functionality. VIZOR integrates with the Google Admin Console and with your Student Information System. Track who has what, manage 1:1 check-out programs, and track repairs. Click here to learn more and qualify for 2 months free!

This week on The Chrome Cast, we begin by discussing our recent review of the 2nd-gen Google Nest Hub and all the things that are great and not so great about it. From the sleep tracking to the updated speaker, we talk quite a bit about our experiences and why this version is definitely worth the current $10 uptick in pricing over the original.

In the second half of the show, we dive into quite a few things going on in the Snapdragon Chromebook space. With the Acer Chromebook Spin 513 beginning to show up at retailers, ‘Homestar’ getting an OLED screen and a quad speaker setup and Sharp getting into the Chromebook game with its own Snapdragon-powered device, there’s a lot going on with Qualcomm and Chrome OS right now.

Finally, we discuss NVIDIA’s pronouncement of intent to begin shipping their RTX GPUs alongside MediaTek ARM chips. This could be a big deal for Chromebooks down the road and will likely play a big part in the continuing move to a broader processor ecosystem for Chrome OS.

This episode is also brought to you by NordVPN. Get a VPN that takes your privacy seriously. NordVPN is our VPN of choice and will secure your browsing on your Chromebook or on any device. Use NordVPN to keep your private data to yourself whether you are at home or on the go! CLICK HERE to try it out and get a 3-year deal for $3.49/month.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on The Chrome Cast, our entire show revolves around Google hardware.  From the leaks of the Pixel Watch to the interesting saga of the Pixel 5a to the Pixel 6 and it's Google-made silicon, this week we're all-in on upcoming stuff that is made by Google.  In addition to talking through solid leaks from this week, we also spend a bit of time recapping the importance of ARM and custom silicon when it comes to Chromebooks, too.  Oh, and we can't forget: Google I/O is back this year, all virtual, and coming at us quick on May 18th.

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This episode is brought to you by Fresh Roasted Coffee, a new coffee website that we have been using for a while now. We made the switch to FRC from the hand-roasting coffee method we had been doing for years and couldn't be happier. They offer great prices and they roast the coffee right before it is shipped to your doorstep! To check it out, go to https://chromeunboxed.com/coffee and use the discount code CHROMEUNBOXED for 15% off your initial purchase of coffee and/or tea!

This episode is also brought to you by NordVPN. Get a VPN that takes your privacy seriously. NordVPN is our VPN of choice and will secure your browsing on your Chromebook or on any device. Use NordVPN to keep your private data to yourself whether you are at home or on the go! CLICK HERE to try it out and get a 3-year deal for $3.49/month.

Join our Patreon community and get access to things like behind-the-scenes footage, early access to videos, private Discord server access, an ad-free experience on the mobile and desktop versions of the website, your name listed on all our YouTube videos, and monthly live stream Q&A. CLICK HERE to be a part of our community.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the Chrome Cast, we open the show with a more in-depth discussion over the recently-released Ultimate Desk Setup video. We go into a bit more detail about all the items in the video, why we chose them, and why this desk setup took so long to finally pull off. All told, the desk is now in its permanent home in the Chrome Cast studio where we’ll hopefully be creating podcast-centered video content in the coming weeks.

The second half of the show is all about upcoming hardware and all the questions we have around these items. With new Pixel Buds hitting the FCC lately and the mysterious appearance of a Chromebook with the signature Google lightbar up top, things are really starting to heat up a bit in the Google hardware space as we move into the middle parts of 2021.

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This episode is brought to you by Fresh Roasted Coffee, a new coffee website that we have been using for a while now. We made the switch to FRC from the hand-roasting coffee method we had been doing for years and couldn't be happier. They offer great prices and they roast the coffee right before it is shipped to your doorstep! To check it out, go to https://chromeunboxed.com/coffee and use the discount code CHROMEUNBOXED for 15% off your initial purchase of coffee and/or tea!

This episode is also brought to you by NordVPN. Get a VPN that takes your privacy seriously. NordVPN is our VPN of choice and will secure your browsing on your Chromebook or on any device. Use NordVPN to keep your private data to yourself whether you are at home or on the go! CLICK HERE to try it out and get a 3-year deal for $3.49/month.

Join our Patreon community and get access to things like behind-the-scenes footage, early access to videos, private Discord server access, an ad-free experience on the mobile and desktop versions of the website, your name listed on all our YouTube videos, and monthly live stream Q&A. CLICK HERE to be a part of our community.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on The Chrome Cast, we start the show by digging into Android 11 and its limited arrival on Chromebooks with 10th-gen Intel processors in the Beta Channel.  With this update, Android now finds itself inside a new container - moving from ARC++ to ARCVM - and your Play Store apps now scale to match the Chromebook's display.  While the move to an updated container for Android apps is realistically the bigger deal here, users will likely find more immediate value in the fact that their apps now look more native on-screen.

From there we move on to 'Borealis' and the coming Game Mode that will be on Chomebooks likely later this year.  As another container on your Chromebooks - this time made specifically for Steam - we're very interested in how all this will play out later in the year on Chromebooks that have far better GPUs on board with Intel's Tiger Lake processors.  We wrap up by discussing Samsung's Galaxy Chromebook 2, our review process, and what we feel is the consensus opinion about Samsung's 'sequel' to the original Galaxy Chromebook.

NOTABLE LINKS

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This episode is also brought to you by NordVPN. Get a VPN that takes your privacy seriously. NordVPN is our VPN of choice and will secure your browsing on your Chromebook or on any device. Use NordVPN to keep your private data to yourself whether you are at home or on the go! CLICK HERE to try it out and get a 3-year deal for $3.49/month.

Join our Patreon community and get access to things like behind-the-scenes footage, early access to videos, private Discord server access, an ad-free experience on the mobile and desktop versions of the website, your name listed on all our YouTube videos, and monthly live stream Q&A. CLICK HERE to be a part of our community.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week on The Chrome Cast, we sat down (virtually) with Alexander Kuscher, Chrome OS Director of Product, and talked about the last 10 years of Chrome OS and what the future holds. With Chrome OS 89 so chock-full of new features, we realized this week that we’d not taken the time to talk through all of them with our podcast audience, so that’s what we’re doing this week. There’s a lot going on in M89, and we’re digging into all of it after having the update on all our devices for over a week at this point. Enjoy!

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This episode is brought to you by Fresh Roasted Coffee, a new coffee website that we have been using for a while now. We made the switch to FRC from the hand-roasting coffee method we had been doing for years and couldn't be happier. They offer great prices and they roast the coffee right before it is shipped to your doorstep! To check it out, go to https://chromeunboxed.com/coffee and use the discount code CHROMEUNBOXED for 15% off your initial purchase of coffee and/or tea!

This episode is also brought to you by NordVPN. Get a VPN that takes your privacy seriously. NordVPN is our VPN of choice and will secure your browsing on your Chromebook or on any device. Use NordVPN to keep your private data to yourself whether you are at home or on the go! CLICK HERE to try it out and get a 3-year deal for $3.49/month.

Join our Patreon community and get access to things like behind-the-scenes footage, early access to videos, private Discord server access, an ad-free experience on the mobile and desktop versions of the website, your name listed on all our YouTube videos, and monthly live stream Q&A. CLICK HERE to be a part of our community.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are continuing our celebration of Chrome OS' 10th Birthday with a special guest! Alexander Kuscher leads the software product team for Chrome OS, overseeing product management, program management, and developer relations teams. Since joining Google in 2010, Alexander has built products & features across multiple products including Mobile Advertisement, Chrome, and Chrome OS. Alexander holds numerous patents in the areas of user interfaces, computer hardware, as well as advertising technologies. Alexander earned a Master’s degree in Advanced Computer Science with an emphasis on Human-Computer Interaction at Cambridge as well as a bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering from the Hasso-Plattner-Institute in Germany.

Find Alex on Twitter: @afkuscher

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Are you a school with Chromebooks? VIZOR for Chromebooks is a Chromebook management solution. It seamlessly integrates with the Google Admin Console and student information systems. With VIZOR for Chromebooks, you can easily see which student has which Chromebook, you can manage repairs, and you can automate processes for lost or stolen devices. Get 2 FREE MONTHS here: vizor.cloud/cast

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