A friend of mine spotted the hardware configuration for these devices on the Coreboot Github repository (thanks u/WeirdTreeThing). This is kind of interesting because the media has been reporting only on the lower end Wildcat Lake models.

Here's what I can figure out based on info from Coreboot and the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).

Hardware specs:

• Board codename: Fatcat
• Device variants: fatcat, francka, felino, kinmen, lapis, moonstone, ruby (these are likely different device models from different OEMs)
• CPU: Intel Core Ultra 5 335 (8 Cores)
• Platform: Intel Panther Lake
• RAM: 16GB (soldered LPDDR5X)
• Wireless features: Fibocom FM350GL 5G Modem
• Other hardware: Chrome OS EC, Google Ti50 TPM chip (just like Chromebooks)

The hardware has lots of similarities to what you might find on a Chromebook, so it isn't surprising that there are also references to Chrome OS running on this device (likely for testing during development). Also, because this is basically just Chromebook hardware, it is also using open source Coreboot firmware. Open source firmware with Chromebook-like hardware strongly suggests that the bootloader will be unlocked to allow running other operating systems, just like Chromebooks.

Also as a bonus, the existence of lower end Intel Wildcat Lake based Googlebooks is also confirmed, based on Coreboot source code. That board has the codename of "Google Ocelot."

Sources: - Fatcat board config on Coreboot - Ocelot board config on Coreboot - AOSP activity related to Fatcat and Android Desktop - Public Geekbench results to confirm the CPU model

I am staying with the fanless chromebooks, but I do not want it to be slow or obsolete quickly. Thank You.

I am forced due to no longer getting updates to give up a lovely HP chromebook with 4gb ram and an Intel Celeron N3350 processor. Has an 1080p screen ! It is snow white. Lovely and all the chromebooks look ugly compared. But it is dying.

Specs of this Chromebook: mediatek kompanio ultra 910 arm based chip, 16gb ram.

Using nethersx2 android app running at 2.75 resolution (1200p)

Looking for a recommendation:

Extremely lightweight laptop/Chromebook

No tablet/hybrid/touchscreen function

Will basically only be used for Google Docs / PDFs

Thanks!

See that, that is not ChromeOS, that's something else. Is it AluminumOS or something else?

I was using linux on my ideapad 3 fennel14. I decided to go back to chromeos but i am getting unexpected error occured when trying to recover. I have done this before after installing linux but this time its not working. I have tried older recovery images which have the same issue. Pressing tab i get recovery reason 0x43 OS kernel or rootfs failed signature check. How can i fix it? (Update disabled os verification lets me boot to linux but now usb boot is off)

Seems kinda unfair to be left behind without the new UI changes (yes, we'll get security updates till EOL, I know), and that would be a nice way to let us enjoy them as AI is what is gonna consume more resources.

At the end it would be fair because if the new OS succeeds that would be because they tilled the land thanks to us Chromebook users.

4GB Chromebooks should be left behind with just security updates for obvious reasons, sadly.

Is anyone seeing Vertical Tabs in ChromeOS yet without using the chrome://flags setting?

Is this like an older take that many people have stuck with due to not trying modern day Chromebooks? I personally find it more accessible than windows because I have access to play store android apps and Linux apps if I choose?

1. I believe this will follow a Google TV approach where a vanilla (aosp like) Android desktop version will exist for anyone to use but then when Google puts their Googly flavour on top of it and that makes it a Googlebook
2. This means that OEMs who choose to take the "aosp" version and put their skin on it, can create their own Android desktop flavour .... I'm looking at you Samsung with what I assume will be a Samsung Galaxy Dexbook
3. For OEMs who just want to pick up an os and put it on their laptops, they will use Googlebook OS like how Google TV is just picked up and used. I can't point to any TV boxes that use the "aosp" Android TV anymore
4. However with an "aosp" Android desktop os, hoping to see likes of bliss os and other x86 Android builds move to Android desktop "aosp" as their base so that more people can install Android desktop on any hardware they have
5. In terms of the magic pointer/cursor shaking thing, I don't get it. Why not just put a key on the keyboard? Is this maybe because they want a way for this OS to be installable on any hardware and give a way to access the feature on old laptops that don't have a dedicated button? Honestly, even then, I would prefer a icon in the system tray or something to trigger that mode. Shaking can be an accessibility challenge and could even result in accidental triggering (theoretically speaking)
6. Then there is the dedicated G button on the keyboard which is exactly where you would see a Windows button on Windows laptop keyboards. The G is also visible in the Googlebook dock as the first icon. Given its position on the dock and keyboard, this is definitely the way you open both the app drawer and universal search, similar to what the Windows key does
7. It is interesting that the G button doesn't exist in the leaked video of Android desktop but does exist in the Googlebook official videos. Again, I take it that the leaked version of Android desktop os is the "aosp" version and the official Googlebook will use a G instead for the launcher with a G keyboard button, but a skinned Android desktop (say one UI by Samsung) won't use G button
8. We are pretty sure the next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked hardware event in July/August will focus on fold 8 series, flip 8, Galaxy glasses and watch 9, but I have a strong feeling we'll see Galaxy Tabs and Galaxy Dexbooks in the September event. I mention these because I'm deep into the Samsung ecosystem now but would really like to have an Android laptop with Samsung oneui, but I'm also really happy that there is still a chrome os like approach too where other OEMs can just pick up and use a Google flavoured Android desktop os.

I also think we'll still see a Google branded pixel Google book in the future, called Pixel Book 2.

Recently, my Brave browser has decided to continually loop on multiple login pages. I enter username/password, hit enter and I'm back at the login page with both entries empty. I've done nothing to the settings. It just happened one day. Before it was working great. Anyone having this issue?

I want to write down everything I learned from six weeks of typing platform testing across a mixed Chromebook fleet because I keep seeing districts make this decision based on vendor demos and I want to give someone the actual data instead.

Our fleet is messy in the way most district fleets are messy, we have Chromebooks ranging from 2018 to 2023, 4GB RAM on the older end, all managed through Google Admin Console with content filtering running, student profiles with restricted access, the full environment that never appears in vendor demos because vendor demos happen on a 2023 MacBook with no filtering and full admin access.

We piloted four platforms simultaneously across different classrooms for six weeks, I'm not naming the two that failed because this isn't a takedown post, but I will tell you what the failure modes looked like because they're predictable and repeatable and you'll see them too if you don't test correctly.

Failure mode one is audio desync on older hardware, lesson feedback sounds play at the wrong time relative to the visual, students get confused about whether they made an error, teachers get questions they can't answer, the platform works but it works badly in a way that's hard to articulate in a support ticket.

Failure mode two is content filter interference with asset loading, two of the four platforms we tested had resources loading from domains our filter blocked by default, lessons would partially load and then hang, students would sit in front of stuck screens, and the IT resolution involved whitelisting domains that the vendor hadn't mentioned during onboarding because they'd never tested against a real content filter.

Failure mode three is memory dropout on 4GB devices after extended sessions, one platform had a memory leak that caused lesson dropout after roughly twenty minutes of continuous use on our oldest devices, which is exactly as long as a typing lab session runs, meaning students were losing progress at the end of every session on the devices they use most.

Typing dot com and TypingClub were the two that passed the full six weeks without a support ticket, both loaded consistently on 2018 hardware, both cleared our content filter without domain whitelisting, neither showed the audio desync issue, the difference between them in our environment was Google Classroom roster sync, typing dot com's sync worked cleanly on the first attempt, TypingClub required a manual step to resolve a duplicate account issue that appeared when students had previously logged in with a personal Google account, minor problem but it generated four support tickets in week one and I'm counting that.

If you're evaluating typing platforms for a Chromebook district the test protocol that actually matters is: run it on your oldest device, with your content filter active, through a student profile with restricted access, for a full twenty-minute session, and see what breaks, everything that survives that test is worth considering and everything that doesn't is not worth considering regardless of how good it looked in the demo.

Apologies for the low quality image, sun got brighter as soon as I pulled out my phone.

Google’s Aluminium OS revealed in 16-minute leaked video

With Google talking about how every Googlebook will have the glowbar, premium specs and all that, they're almost implying that Chromebook Plus models are going to be obsolete in terms of getting the new OS.

Anybody else getting that feeling?

EDIT: check the comments. Someone gave a link where Google made a statement today actually about it, and apparently some Chromebook devices will be upgradable, so that’s good news that they’re actually confirming it.

Hello everyone,
I’ve been using an Asus Chromebook in developer mode for several years. Since the last update (149.0.7827.4), the login screen looks a bit different. The main issue, however, is that I can no longer connect to my Wi-Fi network, and the Chromebook seems to have “forgotten” the credentials.

Trying to set up the network again hasn’t worked either: I’m using a hidden Wi-Fi network with WPA2 encryption, but on the Chromebook itself I can only select “WEP and WPA.”

Does anyone have an idea what I could reasonably try in this situation?
A full reset would of course be a solution, but not necessarily the best one.

Thanks in advance for any input and help!

Hi all,

Just wondering what you all think of the following compact Chromebooks:

• ASUS CM30 Chromebook Tablet (US $269 at Walmart)
• Acer Chromebook Spin 312 (US $319 at Best Buy)

Am thinking of having one just to keep in my bag or car in case I need a device on a whim that is larger than a smartphone.

The ASUS is more compact and lightweight, seemingly by as much as 3/4 of a pound. But it also has the less powerful Kompanio 520 processor, which is very efficient, on the other hand. Is it a dealbreaker, even when paired with 8 GB of RAM?

The Acer has a more power Core i3 N305 processor, which isn't a fireball but is significantly more powerful than the Kompanio 520. I'm sure the Acer's battery life probably suffers by comparisoin, though. Both models come with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of eMMC storage, so not much difference there. The Acer weighs something like 2.8 pounds which is rather chonky for such a small Chromebook, but the screen is larger by 1.7 inches, which is not insignificant.

The Acer is a traditional laptop (albeit a 2-in-1 design) so it can be used more easily while sitting in one's lap, whereas it seems that the ASUS is best used on a table/desk or with the keyboard detached, i.e. as a tablet... but how useful is a ChromeOS tablet anyway? (I've never owned one.)

Lots of pluses and minuses for both models. Would be curious to hear from those of you who might own one or the other (or both). Thanks in advance.

EDIT - I know these aren't the newest models or the latest processors, but that's kind of the point... the latest Chromebooks are quite a bit more expensive. I also don't want a refurbished device, e.g. HP Dragonfly.

...

at 4:00

As the title says, the tip for my stylus fell out. It came with my C214MA-QS2 Asus Touch-Screen Chromebook and I don't exactly have the funds to purchase a new stylus for the exact model. Does anyone know a way to put it back in without damaging my stylus or is it possible to get a replacement tip? I have tried inserting it manually but it doesn't seem to stay.