Google’s AI-generated widgets from Android phones will also come over to Googlebooks. The widgets are more limited than you might expect, though. They can collect data from the web, as well as certain content from your Google apps, to create a “personalized dashboard” for your home screen. The format and style will be adapted to the laptop form factor.
Phone apps and not phone apps
Google seems to be avoiding an explicit mention of Android when discussing Googlebooks, but that’s the underlying software. That gives the devices access to a wide variety of apps—Google tried for years to shoehorn Android apps into Chrome OS with limited success, but it should be easier with laptops that run the apps natively.
These devices will have the Play Store, of course, but the rest of the software situation is hazy. Google is in the process of certifying third-party app stores for Android while also clamping down on sideloaded APKs, and we don’t know where Googlebooks will end up in the openness spectrum. Google has refused to comment on specifics right now, saying only that it will have more to share regarding its “app ecosystem partners” closer to launch.
You might not have to install very many apps on a Googlebook, though. The platform will integrate deeply with your Android phone, allowing you to stream apps right to your laptop. A dedicated button in the taskbar lists all the apps on your phone. Click one, and it will appear on the Googlebook in a floating window. It’s similar if you need a file from your phone—Googlebooks can seamlessly transfer files from your phone when you need them.
Glowing up later this year
Google has not discussed any plans to build its own Googlebook. Instead, most of the OEMs that have been making Chromebooks will also offer Googlebooks when they launch, including Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo. You can expect devices with varying prices and hardware configurations, but you’ll know they’re Googlebooks from the Glowbar on the lid.
This illuminated design feature is reminiscent of the bar on some older Google devices like the Pixel C tablet and Chromebook Pixel. On those devices, the light bar would indicate the battery level. Google says the bar on Googlebooks is both “functional and beautiful,” but it hasn’t explained the functionality yet. We’ve asked for details.