Google is finally ready to let everyone get their hands on the new Googlebook laptops. Sporting a combination of Android and ChromeOS, these premium devices could be what we've always hoped the best Chromebooks would be.
The company says these devices are "a new category of laptops built with Gemini’s helpfulness at its core, designed to work seamlessly with the devices in your life and powered by premium hardware." Whether they can compete with the top MacBooks and premium Windows laptops remains to be seen, but I'm definitely excited to give one a shot, since it sounds like a streamlined laptop with some cool features.
And now that Google has announced that the laptops will be available for pre-order on September 21, I don't have to wait too long to get my hands on one.
Could it be my new daily laptop, replacing my MacBook Air? Maybe. Here are three reasons why I think it's possible and why I can't wait to add one of these to my daily workflow.
Google's Magic Pointer
For my money, the coolest feature of Googlebooks is the Magic Pointer. The mouse cursor has stayed pretty much the same over the years, which makes sense, since it does its job well.
But with all the AI features baked into Googlebooks, it's finally getting a useful tweak. When you give it a wiggle, the laptop will show you contextual information about what it's pointing at (a bit like Google Lens or Circle to Search for your laptop).
I don't know about you, but I feel like I'm constantly stumbling upon things I'd like to know more about online, and this feature sounds like a nice time-saver for looking up information. Plus, it's a very visually appealing cursor.
Android integration
This is a no-brainer for anyone who's ever used a Chromebook. Web apps are great, but in most cases, Android apps offer vastly superior features. And while ChromeOS emulates Android apps, it doesn't always work well. With Googlebooks, the apps are native.
In fact, in an interview with Chrome Unboxed, Google VP John Maletis said, “We now have an ability to run truly native Android applications, not emulated. So performance of these apps is incredible.” That sounds like a vast improvement over Chromebooks.
You'll also be able to cast apps from your Android phone to your Googlebook, which will fill in the gaps for any apps that aren't natively supported.
Custom widgets
What's so exciting about widgets? Just about every laptop in recent memory has had widget support for apps in one form or another.
Well, what makes these so cool is that you can create them on the fly using Gemini, so you're not limited to a bunch of predetermined functions. If you want something specific, you can describe the widget and make it exist.
Google shows an example of someone asking for a custom tracker for an upcoming trip, but there are tons of potential use cases, like live-tracking a package, controlling your music across multiple platforms and so on.
What's missing
While September 21 at 9 a.m. ET is right around the corner, and we know brands like Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo are on board; the big unknown is the final price of the new Googlebooks.
The anticipated price is between $700 and $1,000, positioning these as premium laptops. Stay tuned for our hands-on impressions to see if these Googlebooks live up to the hype.
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