Google integrates Gemini (and even more AI) into the Chromebook Plus
May 28, 2024
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Chromebook Plus devices can expect a major AI update. Google is giving the devices Gemini and useful writing and imaging features. When Google has something to announce, you
Chromebook Plus devices can expect a major AI update. Google is giving the devices Gemini and useful writing and imaging features.
When Google has something to announce, you can bet that the name Gemini will be mentioned somewhere. And that’s what happened today: Google is putting Gemini in its Chromebook Plus devices. Chromebook Plus is an elite label for Chromebooks that Google introduced last year and that a select group of devices from Acer, Asus, HP and Lenovo meet.
Gemini looks over your shoulder from the home screen as a separate application. When you need an artificial soundboard, you can summon Gemini with a simple click on the app icon. This user experience is very similar to the Copilot app in Windows, although Google abhors any comparison with its main competitor.
More AI, more joy
That’s not all. Google is also bringing three AI features to the Chromebook Plus. This affects the following applications:
Help me write: AI-based suggestions for (re-)writing texts. Google will soon expand this to include a “Help with Reading” feature that summarizes long texts for you.
AI wallpapers and backgrounds for video conferencing: Design your own unique background based on a short text description.
Magic Editor: Image editing tool for Google Photos to move, enlarge or remove objects from a photo.
These features are not new and are already available on a handful of Android devices (such as the Pixel 8 and Samsung Galaxy S24 devices) and/or Google applications. Now they are also coming to ChromeOS, but only for Chromebook Plus devices. Anyone who buys a Chromebook Plus notebook now will receive 12 months of Google One AI on top, which gives access to Gemini Ultra, among other things.
So owners of a “normal” Chromebook miss out on all the AI innovations, but Google has something new in store for them too. Chromebooks and Android phones can now exchange Wi-Fi data via a QR code and screen recordings can be saved as a GIF file.
Later ChromeOS updates include transferring active Chrome tabs between your smartphone and laptop, as well as adding a focus mode and gesture controls. Since Google has a habit of releasing a new software version every month, all of these features should usually be available on your Chromebook soon
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