3/16/2023 0 Comments Desktop puddle screen saverThe Pixel Stand's Assistant mode has its own Assistant-centric interface, y'see - one that's complete with contextual info and other Assistant-specific features. It's a similar sort of concept to this new Chromebook screensaver thingamajigger, only more advanced and even closer to the full Smart Display experience. I'm talking about the Pixel Stand - a special stand that transforms any idle Pixel phone into a stationary interface for interacting with Assistant. The progress has thus far just been limited to a small-scale accessory that's available only for one specific Android line and that's gone mostly ignored by the masses. In fact, Google's already tantalizingly close. Indeed, they should - and you know what? It wouldn't take much at all to make it happen. So what about Android phones? Shouldn't they be a part of this transformation, too, and also be getting a similar sort of dual purpose as an on-demand Smart Display during their downtime? And it wouldn't take much to bridge that gap and turn the Chromebook into a full-fledged (uppercase) Smart Display, thereby giving what's already become the "everything device" yet another category-defying role. The bigger Google Assistant pictureĪll right, so Chromebooks are getting a built-in screensaver that integrates with Photos and looks and acts like a (lowercase) smart display - almost like a simpler version of what you see with the (uppercase) Smart Display, the standalone Assistant-in-a-physical-form product. And that brings us to the broader significance of this, tying back into a theme we've talked about countless times in these quarters: the way the lines between Google's different device categories are growing increasingly blurred - and the way that could eventually shake up the way we think about all this technology. Now, to be sure, the Chrome OS screensaver setup isn't quite at the same level as what we see in those other environments - yet. Remember, too, that most current Chromebooks treat Google Assistant as a system-level feature - an all-purpose interface that's built into the recently rebranded Chrome OS "Everything button" and able to be activated with your voice, using the same "Hey Google" hotword you'd whisper seductively to your Android phone or (uppercase) Smart Display. Heck, Google itself even refers to the new feature as a "personalized smart display" (lowercase, somewhat notably) for your Chromebook. Looks kinda familiar, doesn't it? It should: The setup is awfully reminiscent of what you get with an Assistant-connected Smart Display - only here, instead of requiring separate, standalone hardware, it's built directly into the laptop you're already totin' around all day. It adds in info like current weather conditions and a music player, too, when applicable. First, some basic info to establish the framework of this conversation: The new Chrome OS screensaver - which, in typical Google form, isn't always immediately available after receiving the main OS update (grumble, grumble, fist shake, wretch) - integrates seamlessly with Google Photos and lets your Chromebook show off images from your cloud-synced photo gallery whenever your computer's inactive. We'll get into the specifics of why in a second. And it could - could - end up being far more consequential than you'd initially expect. But when you start to think beyond the surface and consider the bigger-picture implications of what this addition represents, you realize it's more than just a Chromebook story. None of this seems like much - certainly not like anything more than a mild (and fairly overdue) added convenience for one specific Google platform. A screensaver, you say? EXAGGERATED GASP! Big frickin' deal, right? I mean, come on: At first glance, what we're talking about here is the fact that Google's adding a new screensaver option into Chromebooks as of the Chrome OS 88 update that's on its way to current devices this week. ![]() First off, the development in question is connected to Chrome OS - and as we've established plenty of times over the years, lots of tech-lovin' folk have a distorted view of that platform's reach (remember, way more people bought Chromebooks than Macs in the most recent reported quarter) and its potential (long story short, we've come a looooooooong way from the basic "browser in the box" concept Chrome OS launched with nearly a decade ago).Īnd beyond that, I'll be honest: The story itself really does seem like a moist, slightly mildewy puddle of nothing - at least, on the surface. Let me take a second to let everyone off the hook a little: It's easy to see why this news isn't getting the attention it deserves.
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