Google announced the Chromebook Plus in October, and the next set of software features — both artificial intelligence and premium ChromeOS add-ons — and hardware are here. Most importantly, purchasing a Chromebook Plus will get you 12 free months of Google One AI Premium, while Plus hardware now starts at $349 (up from $399).
Additional features of Google AI
Coinciding with ChromeOS 125, the new AI features start with the ability to generate images. When video conferencing with any application, you can create your own background by opening the microphone/camera control panel in the shelf. “Image” combines blur options with one of eight themes, such as Style Office, Terrain, and Dreamland. Each one has a prompt that you can customize, such as “A [valley] with shining [river]” for Glowscapes. Each one has a few predefined options, and there’s also a random “Inspire me” button.
Generative wallpapers for your wallpaper work the same way: right click on desktop > Set wallpaper and style > Wallpaper > Generate with AI.
As in Chrome on the desktop, you can invoke typing assistance by right-clicking in most text fields and typing a prompt. If you select text you’ve already written, right-clicking will bring up the Overwrite box, where you have options to Rephrase, Emojify, Shorten, Elaborate, and Formalize. You also have the option to enter a challenge like “do it more confidently”.
Finally, Google Photos offers a Magic Editor experience optimized for large screen and mouse/keyboard input. You move, resize or delete parts of the photo, as well as apply Sky, Golden hour and other “contextual presets”.
Gemini + AI Premium
You’ll also have the Gemini app – gemini.google.com – docked, with the progressive web app opening its own window for a slightly more dedicated experience. Google is building it as a Gemini built into the Chromebook Plus.
This goes hand-in-hand with how you now get 12 months of Google One AI Premium for free with the purchase of a Chromebook Plus. This includes access to Gemini Advanced and Gemini in Workspace (Gmail, Drive, Documents, etc.) using Gemini 1.5 Pro. This $240 offer is available on new Chromebook Plus purchases starting today, including if you’ve previously taken advantage of a general two-month trial and/or are already paying for AI Premium.
We’re also offering new Chromebook Plus owners 12 months of Google One AI Premium for free until the end of the year, which includes access to Gemini Advanced, Gemini for Workspace, 2 TB of storage and more.
New ChromeOS features
Outside of the AI widget, Calendar on the Shelf adds Google Tasks integration above the month view, while Screen Recording adds a GIF (version to video) option. Launcher search now uses OCR (Optical Character Recognition) for local images downloaded to the Files app. For example, you can search for “milk” and see a store receipt.
On the gaming front, there’s a Game Dashboard with Game Capture exclusive to Chromebook Plus. In addition to taking a screenshot, you can record video of the game and yourself playing using the front-facing camera and voiceover. When playing Android games, the game controls allow you to map touch screen interactions to key commands.
Google also makes initial setup easy if you have an Android phone. By scanning the QR code, you’ll share your Wi-Fi and Google account credentials with your Chromebook.
FTC: We use automatic income earning affiliate links. More.