Past the Alphabet
Past the Alphabet is a weekly column that focuses on the tech world each inside and outside of the confines of Mountain View.
I’ve had my justifiable share of Chromebooks come throughout my desk, and Google has achieved a reasonably nice job at making my life straightforward. At any time when I sign up with my Google account, nearly every part is synced from one Chromebook to the subsequent.
Even nonetheless, there are some things that I am going by and arrange to be able to give myself entry to the entire apps and options I care about. There is a good likelihood that you simply may not care about a few of these, however I hope that you simply check out others simply to see what’s attainable.
Verify for updates
Whether or not it is a evaluation unit or a Chromebook I’ve bought for myself, the very first thing I do after signing in is to verify ChromeOS is updated. Your Chromebook ought to mechanically do that at any time when it is linked to Wi-Fi, making periodic checks and downloading obtainable updates so you do not have to. However if you first get a ChromeOS machine, you wish to ensure you have entry to all the newest options from the get-go.
Actually, it is one thing that I like to recommend doing, it doesn’t matter what form of machine you simply picked up.Â
This fashion, I haven’t got to fret about making an attempt to make use of a characteristic that I used to be utilizing earlier than, solely to seek out that it is not there as a result of the software program is outdated. This additionally goes for any Android apps, so I fireplace up the Play Retailer and set up any potential updates which might be in ready.
Assessment my apps and extensions
If there’s one factor you may need realized about me over time, it is that I really like putting in and messing round with completely different apps. The identical goes for Chrome extensions, albeit to a lesser extent.Â
I imply, Chrome already eats up all of my RAM as it’s, and I do not want it getting worse. That being stated, I am going by my app drawer and uninstall any apps that I not want. What is the level of taking over house if it is one thing I am going to by no means use? Nonetheless, you must also remember to take away or set up Chrome extensions to be able to get probably the most out of your shopping expertise.
Once more, reviewing put in apps is one thing it is best to do on any machine, particularly Android telephones, which frequently come preinstalled with loads of bloatware.
Linux is a should have
Because of the truth that a Chromebook is basically only a Linux laptop computer, Google makes it extremely straightforward to set up and run Linux apps. In doing so, this provides me entry to extra highly effective purposes than what I’d discover on the Play Retailer or on the internet. One such instance is having the ability to set up GIMP for modifying pictures or Obsidian for writing articles and taking notes.
And don’t fret, it is truly a lot simpler than it sounds.
Change to a unique channel
In contrast to the subsequent part, switching from the Secure channel in your Chromebook is not one thing that I like to recommend everybody else do. And by this, I imply the Beta or Dev channel, which gives entry to new or upcoming options or people who may nonetheless be early in improvement. A part of why I do it may be blamed on my masochistic mentality with regards to being on the “bleeding edge” of apps and software program.Â
On the similar time, doing so opens the doorways for me to see and fiddle with new options which may find yourself trickling down into the Secure construct of ChromeOS. However once more, it is not for the faint of coronary heart, and one dangerous replace may go away you with a mountain of frustration.
Tinker with flags
Admittedly, this one takes a little bit of trial and error, however I love wanting by the endless record of ChromeOS flags, which are sometimes the ways in which you entry lots of the hidden, in-development options earlier than they turn into extra publicly obtainable. It is positively a “your mileage could differ” form of state of affairs, as some options may work whereas others may not.Â
Plus, relying on what Channel you are on, flags may seem that give us a glimpse at future ChromeOS options. On the similar time, a very cool characteristic may present up solely to be taken away with the subsequent replace, so it is best to at all times take what you see with a grain of salt.
Arrange Telephone Hub
I cycle by nearly as many Android telephones as I do Chromebooks. Due to that, it is a fairly good assumption that I am utilizing a unique telephone by the point a brand new Chromebook arrives. Telephone Hub is a vital a part of my day by day workflow, and I would like to verify it is able to go when I’m.
Having the ability to view something that comes by my telephone from my Chromebook saves me time and helps me keep centered on no matter I am doing. To not point out, latest updates to Fast Share make it extremely straightforward to switch information and pictures backwards and forwards with out ready for them to be uploaded to Drive or Images.
All of the cloud storage
Certainly one of my largest complaints about Chromebooks, even Chromebook Plus fashions, is that there simply is not sufficient built-in storage. Clearly, these are speculated to be cloud-first computer systems, however after organising Linux and putting in Steam, it is simply not sufficient. Possibly it is largely a “me” drawback, and that is high-quality, however there are sure to be different Chromebook homeowners who really feel my ache.
Nonetheless, I am additionally very grateful that Google makes it attainable to use OneDrive along with Google Drive. Between these two cloud storage options, I basically have entry to 4TB of storage on prime of no matter measurement exhausting drive the Chromebook has. It isn’t an ideal answer, but it surely’s nonetheless one thing.
Verify for perks
More often than not, your new and glossy Chromebook comes with fairly a bit greater than no matter’s within the field. By means of the Discover app, there is a good likelihood you will discover just a few freebies which might be included. More often than not, there might be a perk for 3 months of YouTube Premium or a further 100GB of cloud storage by Google One.Â
However sometimes, one thing even higher will come by the pipeline, akin to a free GeForce Now trial or a reduction code for a brand new app. On the very least, it by no means hurts to no less than verify and see what you would get at no cost.
Set up Steam
I do know that this does not actually make a lot sense, provided that I can simply fireplace up GeForce Now or Xbox Recreation Go to play plenty of my favourite video games. Nonetheless, much more than a yr after being formally launched, I nonetheless cannot recover from the truth that I’ve Steam on my Chromebook, which is a good way to play video games on a machine that clearly wasn’t constructed for it.
No, I nonetheless cannot play video games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Helldivers II. Fortunately, there are nonetheless sufficient nice video games that will run on lots of the finest Chromebooks. And for people who do not, effectively, that is the place cloud gaming companies come into play.
Your Chromebook is not only a net browser anymore
All of us may need our personal gripes about Chromebooks and ChromeOS as a platform. However, there isn’t any denying that it is continued to develop in each kind and performance. In case you had informed me 5 years in the past that there could be a Chromebook with interchangeable elements, I in all probability would have laughed at you.
What makes this evolution much more unbelievable is that it was achieved with out Google releasing an up to date model of the Pixelbook. As a substitute, Google is placing the {hardware} improvement into the arms of various laptop computer makers. Nonetheless, at its core, Google remains to be steering the ship with ChromeOS.
In case you simply bought your individual Chromebook, hopefully my first steps may also help information you in organising your machine simply the way you prefer it.
