The Chrome Cast Chrome Unboxed

For this episode of The Chrome Cast, we have a very special guest joining us for a bit of post-game discussion on the heels of Google’s latest Chromebook-focused event up in New York. Stella Shannon – ChromeOS Consumer Product Lead – was gracious enough to sit down and talk through most of what we experienced at the event while digging a bit deeper into the way the ChromeOS team goes about deciding on new devices, new features, and the general path forward with all they are doing in the consumer space right now.
It was an awesome interview, and we absolutely loved getting to spend a bit more time with the person who is truly behind all the new Chromebooks we get to talk about on a daily basis around here. We hope you get time to listen through this one very soon!
Links

Hands-on with the new devices launched at the 2024 NYC Chromebook event

2024 Chromebook Showcase: Google announces a flood of awesome new features

The latest Chromebook Plus Showcase in NYC was awesome


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We’re back with another episode of The Chrome Cast podcast and this week we dive into upcoming hardware, our thoughts on the Chromebook market, and how new ARM processors might impact things moving forward. But the bulk of our discussion revolves around Robby’s discovery of a Chromebook Plus branded version of the Acer Chromebook 516 GE. If you’ve listened to the podcast before, you’ve probably heard Robby talk about the 516 GE and his love for this device, so we take some time in this episode to talk through the small tweaks that he’d like to see in an upgraded, Chromebook Plus branded version.
For the remainder of the show, we talk through developments in the ARM space, including new benchmarks of MediaTek MT8188 and how Qualcomm’s focus on their Snapdragon X Elite compute platform has us excited for that processor to maybe make it to Chromebooks down the road. We’ve been talking about ARM processors for many years and look forward to seeing how these new chips will push Chromebook innovation.
Show Links

Acer is about to give us a Chromebook 516 GE Chromebook Plus upgrade

What I’m hoping for in the new Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE

Just like that, the Acer Chromebook 516 GE is $200 off again

Upcoming Chromebook tablet ‘Ciri’ gets impressive Geekbench ML score

Why a Snapdragon X Plus Chromebook would be amazing


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This week on The Chrome Cast podcast, we have a little hardware and a little software. For the first half of the show, we focus on a few new Chromebook releases: the kind of different but kind of the same Acer Chromebook Plus 514 and the Lenovo Chromebook Slim 3i that you should not buy. We wrap up our hardware segment with a discussion of a 4K Chromecast with Google TV that is rumored to be on the way and what we hope Google brings to their next-gen streaming dongle.
In the second half of the show, we dive into a new feature coming soon in Google Photos that will help you de-clutter your library by getting rid of all those random screenshots, GIFs, and memes that have been building up. And then we finish up the show with a phone call feature that Robby thinks should head to Chromebooks soon. We even have a throwback to Andromeda, for some of you OG Chrome Unboxed readers who might remember all of those rumors back in 2016 and 2017. I hope you enjoy it, cheers!
Show Links

Acer’s new Chromebook Plus 514 is more of the same, but different

A new Lenovo Slim 3i Chromebook appears, but makes little sense

Walmart’s excellent Onn. Google TV streaming box getting a “Pro” upgrade

A new, updated 4K Chromecast w/Google TV is on the way

Your Google Photos library is about to get far less cluttered

This needed Chromebook feature could tempt me back to Pixel


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This week on The Chrome Cast podcast, we dive into a big update on the website, publishing our last YouTube video for a bit, and a mounting problem that has us frustrated with Google.
The first half of the show is all about the return of the comments section on the website. After working through what turned into a complicated issue with Disqus, we are thrilled to have comments back on the site! It’s taken some time to get everything set up correctly, but we hope our improved comments section is a place for engaging conversations. So, head to the bottom of this article and leave us a comment!
For the remainder of the show, we share our thoughts on Google’s expanding graveyard of canceled services and why we think Google needs to shift away from its “move fast, break things” startup mentality. With many great services shutting down over the last few years (many of which users relied on for personal and business use), it’s easy to understand the frustration that some users might be feeling and how it could lead to a distrust in Google services.
We make sure to end the show on a high note, though, with some exciting news on upcoming hardware so stick around for that. I hope you enjoy the show and, again, leave us a comment below with your thoughts on the topics we covered. Cheers!
Show Links

Here’s why we’re taking a break from YouTube [VIDEO]

Google kills off yet another fantastic service

Google Podcasts is officially dead: What you need to know

Walmart’s excellent Onn. Google TV streaming box getting a “Pro” upgrade

More proof that upcoming Chromebook tablet ‘Ciri’ belongs to Lenovo


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On this week’s episode of The Chrome Cast podcast, we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming with a discussion about wrapping up our Chromebook Plus reviews and an exciting exclusive demo of the upcoming Chromebook Plus AI features. We appreciate everyone tuning in last week as we explained why we’re taking a quick break from YouTube, but it was fun to get back to news coverage this week.
For the first half of the show, we dive into our Chromebook Plus review process and the collective relief we’re feeling after wrapping up our 8th Chromebook Plus review. We hope that these reviews have been helpful as you all have tried to wade through these new devices that were all launched at the Chromebook Plus event last October. We have several exciting things in the works that we can’t wait to work on after our hiatus, so stay tuned.
The remainder of the show is all about our exclusive demo of the upcoming Chromebook Plus features. Given the nature of Chromebook news, we don’t get many exclusives (other than finding things in the repositories) so it was very nice of the ChromeOS team to reach out and give us a sneak peek of the Chromebook Plus AI features that are coming soon. We’ve shared some frustration around the delivery of these features, so it was great to also get clarification on why it’s taking a little longer and why it will be worth the wait. If you’re as excited as we are about these new features, you don’t want to miss this one. Enjoy!

Show Links

All of our Chromebook Plus reviews

Acer Chromebook Plus 514 Review: solidly affordable [VIDEO]

The best all-around Chromebook Plus is down to just $389 right now

Don’t miss this incredible deal on the ASUS Chromebook Plus CM34

Exclusive: Google demoed the new Chromebook Plus AI features for us [VIDEO]

Where is Google’s promised ‘Help me write’ feature for Chromebooks?


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This week on The Chrome Cast podcast, we took a break from our normal news roundup and decided to explain some of how we got here, where we're heading, and why we've decided to take a few weeks off from publishing on YouTube. And no, Chrome Unboxed isn't going anywhere and we aren't quitting YouTube. We do talk through why this is probably happening on YouTube, but we are as focused and clear-headed about Chrome Unboxed as ever. We just need some time to focus on the launch of something exciting!
The official announcement of what we've been working on is coming soon so this episode is kind of a long-form explanation and teaser of what's coming. We will publish a more buttoned-up version of all this on YouTube next week, so keep an eye out for that. We have some exciting videos planned and some things in the works that we can't wait to tell you all about, but for right now, we want to take some time to focus on the launch of Proof Golf.
I promise we will get back to our regularly scheduled programming soon, but this was a fun conversation that gives you all a behind-the-scenes look at what we've been working on and how we operate. We dive deep into how our content strategy has evolved and how we've responded to changes in the digital publishing world. So, if you are a fan of Chrome Unboxed and want a look behind the curtain, this one is for you. As always, we greatly appreciate you all listening and supporting Chrome Unboxed. Enjoy!
Show Links

Chrome Unboxed YouTube

Proof Golf Coming Soon


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