Google launches Googlebook, an AI-first, Android-ready successor to the Chromebook
At its Android event today, Google teased a new AI-first, Android compatible laptop called Googlebook. The company is marketing the device, coming out this fall, as a premium successor to its budget-friendly Chromebook, though it has yet to release a price. It does, however, mention the word “premium” four times in the blog post. Much like the original Chromebook placed cloud tech and ChromeOS at its center, this new model highlights the company’s latest tech — namely AI — through Gemini.
In a feature called “Magic Pointer,” users can wiggle their cursor to pull up contextual information about anything on the screen. “Point at a date in an email to set up a meeting, or select two images — like your living room and a new couch — to instantly visualize them together,” the company said as an example. In a long-anticipated move, the device also deepens ecosystem ties, allowing users to run Android phone apps natively on the desktop.
The announcement comes just two months after Apple announced the MacBook Neo, a rare foray by the iPhone maker into the lower-cost laptop market dominated by the Chromebook.
In a feature called “Magic Pointer,” users can wiggle their cursor to pull up contextual information about anything on the screen. “Point at a date in an email to set up a meeting, or select two images — like your living room and a new couch — to instantly visualize them together,” the company said as an example. In a long-anticipated move, the device also deepens ecosystem ties, allowing users to run Android phone apps natively on the desktop.
The announcement comes just two months after Apple announced the MacBook Neo, a rare foray by the iPhone maker into the lower-cost laptop market dominated by the Chromebook.
