Chrome OS: Tips, tools, and other Chromebook intelligence | Tech Industry
Google’s Chrome OS platform sure has come a long way.
From the early days, when Chrome OS was little more than an experimental “browser in a box,” to today — with the platform powering first-class hardware and supporting a diverse range of productivity applications — Google’s once-crazy-seeming project has turned into one of the world’s most intriguing and rapidly expanding technological forces.
I’ve been covering Chrome OS closely since the start. I lived with the first Chromebook prototype, the Cr-48, and have used Chromebooks as part of my own personal computing setup in varying capacities ever since. I write about the field not only as someone who’s studied it professionally from day 1 but also as someone who has used it personally that entire time, up through today.
So whether you’re relatively new to the realm of Chrome OS or are a Chromebook veteran yourself, I’m happy to join you on your journey and act as your guide. On this page, you’ll find all my latest Chrome OS coverage — the original analysis, the tips ‘n’ tricks, and everything in between. I’ll be updating it regularly as new subjects come up, so check back often and stay ahead of the curve with your Chromebook knowledge.
Chrome OS tips, advice, and general knowledge
Is Chrome OS right for you? A 3-question quiz to find out
Chromebooks aren’t like regular computers — so are they right for your needs? These three questions will help you (or anyone else you know) find the answer.
40 Chromebook tips for maximum productivity
Supercharge your Chrome OS experience with these time-saving tricks and techniques.
4 crazy Chromebook myths, debunked
Realize it or not, you (and/or your friends and colleagues) have probably heard plenty of hokum about Google’s Chrome OS platform. Time to separate fact from fiction.
6 important things you might not know about Chrome OS upgrades
Google’s Chrome OS isn’t like other operating systems — and the way it handles upgrades is no exception.
Reality check: Can you use a Chromebook for work?
Some fresh perspective on a Chromebook’s capabilities for professionals.
2 handy yet hidden Chromebook security features
Chromebook security gets simpler with these ultra-useful but off-the-beaten-path options.
Android apps for Chromebooks: The essentials
Turn your Chromebook into a uniquely versatile modern computing machine with these Chrome-OS-enhancing apps.
Linux apps on Chrome OS: An easy-to-follow guide
Linux apps can expand your Chromebook’s capabilities and open up all sorts of interesting options — but first, you have to know where to begin.
Crank up your Chromebook’s cloud-connecting power
With a few simple tweaks, your Chromebook can become an even more connected part of your cloud-centric setup.
How to turn any website into a custom Chrome OS app
A handy hack for customizing your Chromebook and bringing native app-like experiences to your favorite sites and services.
Chrome OS analysis
The Androidification of Chrome OS is about to go into overdrive
A string of striking changes will soon supercharge Chromebooks everywhere — and make them more Android-like than ever.
The next phase of Google’s Chrome OS takeover
As the lines continue to blur between Chrome OS and Android, some once-crazy-sounding concepts are shaking up mobile computing as we know it.
Time to call it: The Chromebook is the new Android tablet
The Android tablet is dead. Long live the Android tablet.
The game-changing side effect a Chrome OS tablet could create
How a seemingly simple new hardware form could mark a major turning point in Google’s long-standing chicken-and-egg stalemate with Android app developers.
Why Android apps on Chromebooks are a really, really big deal (really!)
There’s much more to this move than what you see on the surface. Ready to have your mind blown?
Why Linux apps on Chromebooks are a really big deal (really!)
Linux app support for Chrome OS may sound like a big heaping bowl of irrelevant geek stew, but don’t be fooled: This move is enormously significant, too.
iOS apps on Macs? Gee, that feels familiar…
Apple’s plan to bring mobile apps to the desktop validates what Google’s been doing with Android and Chrome OS for some time now — but its approach is also different in some pretty interesting ways.
The always-connected Chromebook: What’s different this time
Google’s Chrome OS has been quietly reshaping the state of modern computing for some time now — and thanks to a new twist on an old idea, it’s about to do it again.
HP’s detachable Chromebook and the ghost of Google’s past
The HP Chromebook x2 has an uncanny connection to Chrome OS and Android’s intertwined history. Ready for a haunting ghost tour?
Google Pixelbook: What the naysayers are missing
The common conclusion with Google’s Pixelbook is that you’d have to be crazy to spend that much money on a Chromebook, but that assessment is based on a flawed and myopic premise.