The Chromebook Odyssey #8 — 2016: The Play Store Lands, and Everything Changes
At Google I/O 2016, the browser-only Chromebook died: the full Android Play Store was coming to ChromeOS. Here's how it happened and what it broke and fixed.
4 min readAuthor: Chriss Rakoot
Chriss Rakoot writes and maintains the repair guides on ChromebookFixes. He trained as an engineer, specialized in IT and computer-systems maintenance, and worked for years as an in-person trainer in that field before moving his teaching online. Guides are reviewed and updated when ChromeOS changes.
The Chromebook Odyssey #7 — 2014-2015: The Flood — Bay Trail, $149 Laptops, and a Computer on a Stick
In 2014-2015, every PC maker piled into Chromebooks: fanless Intel chips, $149 price tags, the Chromebit HDMI stick, and the first Flip convertible.
4 min read
The Chromebook Odyssey #6 — 2013-2014: How Chromebooks Conquered the Classroom
While reviewers debated specs, Chromebooks quietly took over American schools. Here's how a browser-only laptop beat the iPad in education, and never let go.
4 min read
The Chromebook Odyssey #5 — 2013: Chromebook Pixel, the $1,299 Contradiction
In February 2013, Google shipped a $1,299 Chromebook with the best laptop display ever made. Critics called it absurd. Its ideas ended up in every laptop you own.
4 min read
The Chromebook Odyssey #4 — 2012: The $249 Turning Point
In late 2012, a fanless $249 Samsung Chromebook became Amazon's best-selling laptop, and Chrome OS grew a real desktop. This is the year the platform found itself.
4 min read
The Chromebook Odyssey #3 — 2011: The First Chromebooks Hit the Shelves
On June 15, 2011, the Samsung Series 5 and Acer AC700 became the first Chromebooks you could actually buy. The reviews were rough — but the model was set.
4 min read
The Chromebook Odyssey #2 — 2010: The Cr-48, Google’s Unbranded Test Laptop
Before the first Chromebook went on sale, Google mailed 60,000 mysterious black laptops to strangers for free. The Cr-48 pilot program shaped everything that followed.
4 min read
The Chromebook Odyssey #1 — 2009: Google Announces Chrome OS, and the Browser Becomes the Computer
In July 2009, Google announced an operating system that was nothing but a browser. Here's how Chrome OS was born, why people laughed, and why it worked.
5 min read
How to Pair and Connect Bluetooth Devices on a Chromebook
Setting up a Bluetooth mouse, keyboard, or headphones on a Chromebook for the first time? Here's the step-by-step pairing process.
2 min read
How to Enable Live Caption on a Chromebook
Live Caption automatically generates real-time captions for any audio or video playing in Chrome on your Chromebook. Here's how to turn it on.
2 min read