The Chrome Cast

This week on The Chrome Cast, we get started by talking through The Masters website and how this yearly tournament shows off the power and capability of the open web unlike just about anything else out there in the sports world. With player profiles, live streaming, and all sort of ways to watch the sprawling golf tournament, The Masters website is a digital engineering feat that keeps us excited for what the open web continues to be capable of.

For the rest of the show, we delve into a few other topics including the upcoming iMessage solution for Android (Sunbird), Android App Streaming finally showing up for Chromebooks (sort of), and some new Chromebook hardware that is now in the office and ready for unboxing and review. It’s a packed show that covers all sorts of topics and we hope you enjoy it this week.

Fueled by Fresh Roasted Coffee! CLICK HERE to buy the special edition Chrome Unboxed bag.

This episode is also brought to you by NordVPN. CLICK HERE to try it out and get 2 years for $3.29 per month.

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This week on The Chrome Cast, we spend our time talking through two main topics. The first is our thoughts on the new, high-end, modular Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition. Our review dropped this week and, as always, we have some thoughts. For a device built to be deconstructed and upgraded, this one is pretty sleek and fun to use.

The second half of the podcast ended up being taken up by an editorial idea that was published this week as well here at Chrome Unboxed. The premise is simple: why are $1000+ Android tablets accepted while $999 Chromebooks are considered by many to be ridiculous? It’s a strange duality for sure, and it leads to some intersecting discussion.

Links

This episode is brought to you by ⁠Cameyo,⁠ the Chrome Enterprise Recommended virtualization solution that enables you to deliver all of your apps – including Windows, Linux, SaaS, and internal apps – to Chromebooks so that your people have seamless access to everything they need to be productive. Cameyo is deeply integrated with ChromeOS and Google Admin console, providing the simplest, most secure, most cost-effective way to push apps to your users as PWAs without the complexity of legacy virtual desktops. And now, Chrome Unboxed listeners get access to a special ChromeOS + Cameyo bundle that makes it easier than ever to test for yourself. Get started at ⁠cameyo.com/unboxed.⁠

The team at Chrome Unboxed is fueled by Fresh Roasted Coffee, the official coffee of The Chrome Cast podcast! ⁠CLICK HERE ⁠to buy the special edition Chrome Unboxed bag.

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This week on The Chrome Cast, we begin the show by discussing all the new leaks surrounding Google’s upcoming Pixel lineup. Between the release date of the Pixel 7a and Pixel Fold leaking to the newly-rumored, lower price tag for the Pixel Fold and interesting price point on the Pixel 7a, there are quite a few interesting things to discuss as we inch closer to a deeper understanding at Google I/O 2023 in just under 7 weeks from now.

For the second half of the show, we delve a bit into the shake-up that is happening with AI – both ChatGPT and Google’s Bard – and then shift into a discussion around the importance of a game as big as Minecraft being tailor-made for Chromebooks. It’s a fun show this week!

Links

This episode is brought to you by Cameyo, the Chrome Enterprise Recommended virtualization solution that enables you to deliver all of your apps – including Windows, Linux, SaaS, and internal apps – to Chromebooks so that your people have seamless access to everything they need to be productive. Cameyo is deeply integrated with ChromeOS and Google Admin console, providing the simplest, most secure, most cost-effective way to push apps to your users as PWAs without the complexity of legacy virtual desktops. And now, Chrome Unboxed listeners get access to a special ChromeOS + Cameyo bundle that makes it easier than ever to test for yourself. Get started at cameyo.com/unboxed.

The team at Chrome Unboxed is fueled by Fresh Roasted Coffee, the official coffee of The Chrome Cast podcast! CLICK HERE to buy the special edition Chrome Unboxed bag.

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, the star of the show is – without doubt – the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook. And though some odd news about abysmal battery has made waves on the web, the overwhelming response to this device for everyone we’ve shown it to is massively positive, and we feel that it is the flagship Chromebook we’ve all been waiting for from Google – just from HP, instead. There’s so much good going on with this device that it takes up the entire first half of the show.

For the second half, we keep it in new ChromeOS hardware mode as we discuss the many new clues we’ve found for the upcoming detachable tablet Chromebooks that should branch off of the ‘Geralt’ baseboard. One of those looks to be a successor to the pretty-awesome Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5, and if that device gets a follow-up with a handful of improvements, we’re all in for a treat.

LINKS

This episode is sponsored by VIZOR - SPECIAL OFFER 20% DISCOUNT! VIZOR is a Chromebook and IT Asset management solution designed specifically for Schools and School Districts. VIZOR integrates with the Google Admin console and with your Student Information System. Know who has what Chromebook, manage 1:1 programs, and track repairs. CLICK HERE to lock in a 20% DISCOUNT and to find out how VIZOR can help your School manage Chromebooks.

Fueled by Fresh Roasted Coffee! CLICK HERE to buy the special edition Chrome Unboxed bag.

This episode is also brought to you by NordVPN. CLICK HERE to try it out and get 2 years for $3.29 per 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, we begin the show by talking about the new HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook we have in the office in the Sparkling Black colorway. Though we’re still limited in what we can say about this Chromebook for now, this black color is pretty awesome looking and gives us yet another reason to talk about this very special Chromebook.

The rest of the show largely focuses on some new leaks around the upcoming Pixel Fold, some software choices Google has made lately regarding Google Photos sharing what were previously Pixel-only features, and the latest news surrounding Google I/O 2023, set to be held on May 10th. After taking a week off last week, there’s a lot to cover, so hop in!

This episode is brought to you by Cameyo, the Chrome Enterprise Recommended virtualization solution that enables you to deliver all of your apps - including Windows, Linux, SaaS, and internal apps - to Chromebooks. CLICK HERE to get started today.

Fueled by Fresh Roasted Coffee! CLICK HERE to buy the special edition Chrome Unboxed bag.

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 podcast, we're back with another interview episode, and this time around, we had the privilege of chatting with Jenn Chen, Product Designer and Head of UX Design & Research for ChromeOS at Google. Jenn has been working on ChromeOS for over a decade and has a vast understanding of the OS so needless to say, it was an honor to have her on the show.

For this episode, we decided to go with our "5 Questions" format that you might recall us using in our interview with Alex Kuscher back in March 2022. We dug into how ChromeOS design philosophies have changed over time, building for multiple form factors, cross-pollination with other Google teams, how they are thinking about pre-installed apps vs. those built by third-party developers, and how Jenn is thinking about the future of ChromeOS design. Jenn is so knowledgeable about the OS and how it has evolved so even if you aren't into UX or interested in OS design, I think you will still find this episode very fascinating.

This episode is sponsored by VIZOR - OFFER 20% DISCOUNT! VIZOR is a Chromebook and IT Asset management solution designed specifically for Schools and School Districts. VIZOR integrates with the Google Admin console and with your Student Information System. Know who has what Chromebook, manage 1:1 programs, and track repairs. CLICK HERE to lock in a 20% DISCOUNT and to find out how VIZOR can help your School manage Chromebooks.

Fueled by Fresh Roasted Coffee! CLICK HERE to buy the special edition Chrome Unboxed bag.

This episode is also brought to you by NordVPN. CLICK HERE to try it out and get 2 years for $3.29 per 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, we’re talking about the new HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook – as much as we can at this point, at least – and why this new device is very important in the consumer Chromebook market. Sure, there’s an impressive spec sheet, but a fantastic Chromebook needs more than just stats, and the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook has it. While we’re a bit limited in what we can say right now, I can at least say this: the Dragonfly Pro is special, and we’ll be able to tell you more about why that is in the near future.  

For the rest of the show, we discuss my recent move to Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra, the Galaxy Watch 5, and Galaxy Buds 2 Pro as my daily carry items. With so many of our audience likely carrying Samsung gadgets and the increased cohesion between Samsung and Google of late, I thought it a good time to test out the waters. We also get into the newly-found evidence for some upcoming MediaTek-powered ChromeOS tablets as well, signaling the first hope we’ve had in quite some time for some new detachable action in the Chromebook market.

LINKS

This episode is brought to you by Cameyo, the Chrome Enterprise Recommended virtualization solution that enables you to deliver all of your apps - including Windows, Linux, SaaS, and internal apps - to Chromebooks. CLICK HERE to get started today.

Shop Penoval USI 2.0 pen here (promo code 05Unboxed).

Fueled by Fresh Roasted Coffee! CLICK HERE to buy the special edition Chrome Unboxed bag.

This episode is also brought to you by NordVPN. CLICK HERE to try it out and get 2 years for $3.29 per month.

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

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

This week, we have a very special episode of The Chrome Cast Podcast as we welcome John Maletis - VP of Product, Engineering, and UX for ChromeOS - on the show.  John was in-person at HP's reviewer workshop for the upcoming Dragonfly Pro Chromebook and was kind enough to sit down and have a chat with us about where the consumer Chromebook market is headed.  In light of the imminent release of the stellar Hp Dragonfly Pro Chromebook, the consumer portion of the Chromebook market is about to get very interesting, and John has some interesting perspectives on that future.

Fueled by Fresh Roasted Coffee! CLICK HERE to buy the special edition Chrome Unboxed bag.

This episode is also brought to you by NordVPN. CLICK HERE to try it out and get 2 years for $3.29 per 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, we begin the episode by discussing our recent move from YouTube Music over to Spotify and why that transition has been so interesting.  As a music streaming service, Spotify is the best there is, and it took us all quite a while to finally move over to it.  With some updates to the way casting is handled, Spotify is now the unparalleled champ in the music streaming space, and definitely worth a look if you've been holding out.  

The second half of the episode focuses on the Chromebooks we saw at CES 2023 - the ASUS Vibe CX34 Flip and the HP Dragonfly Pro - and why we think its time for Acer to get in the game at the higher end of the consumer Chromebook market.  Though we're still waiting on the release of the Dragonfly Pro, the ASUS Vibe CX34 is in the office, and it is an impressive device.  With all this recent movement at the upper-end of the Chromebook space, Acer's Swift lineup would make a great addition.

LINKS

This episode is brought to you by Cameyo, the Chrome Enterprise Recommended virtualization solution that enables you to deliver all of your apps - including Windows, Linux, SaaS, and internal apps - to Chromebooks. CLICK HERE to get started today.

Shop Penoval USI 2.0 pen here (promo code 05Unboxed).

Fueled by Fresh Roasted Coffee! CLICK HERE to buy the special edition Chrome Unboxed bag.

This episode is also brought to you by NordVPN. CLICK HERE to try it out and get 2 years for $3.29 per 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, we spend quite a bit of time talking through the latest Unpacked event from Samsung. On February 1st, Samsung took the wraps off their new phones – the Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra – and a few other interesting new products as well.

In the midst of those other products was a new Windows laptop called the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra, and that impressive device caused a bit of a stir here in the Chrome Unboxed offices. While it had little to do with any of us wanting to buy this new laptop, the introduction and attention to detail in the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra absolutely had us all wishing Samsung would get back in the high-end Chromebook game.

LINKS

Shop Penoval USI 2.0 pen here (promo code 05Unboxed).

Fueled by Fresh Roasted Coffee! CLICK HERE to buy the special edition Chrome Unboxed bag.

This episode is also brought to you by NordVPN. CLICK HERE to try it out and get 2 years for $3.29 per month.

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

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