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Googlebooks from Dell, Lenovo, and HP tested: Nice hardware, but the OS isn't ready yet
Nice hardware, but it feels like Google rushed its OS.
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Chromebooks have gotten a bad rap. The systems have often been seen as glorified web browsers designed only for schools. But with Googlebooks, Google is making a renewed push to show its laptops are designed to be full-on PCs, running a new operating system that feels more like Android than anything else.
Googlebook OS is also designed to merge your Android phone and your laptop in a way that has never been seen outside of Apple’s macOS and iOS devices.
And of course, Google has packed Googlebook OS full of AI features. Some of these are unique to the new laptops, while others, like Rambler, have been introduced on Android phones before.
The new undertaking currently has five hardware partners: Dell, Lenovo, HP, Acer, and Asus. The hardware that we tested is generally sound, though I wouldn't mind a bit more battery life.It's the OS itself that needs some more time in the oven. It largely feels like Android, with some features nailed on to fit a desktop OS. Despite the expansive Google Play Store, the platform is still limited and largely centered around the web browser.
In some ways, Googlebooks are more powerful than Chromebooks could ever be. In other ways, they feel like they haven't yet grown into a full PC operating system.
I've spent the last few days using the Lenovo Googlebook 15, HP Googlebook 14, and Dell’s XPS Googlebook. In general, if you've seen some recent Windows laptops, you've seen this hardware. The HP Googlebook 14 is clearly based off around the HP OmniBook Ultra, while the Dell XPS Googlebook is a carbon copy of the Dell XPS 13 — although there is a haptic touchpad in this version. I have few complaints there — both of those are solid machines, though I still wish HP would move away from the keyboards without spaces around the keys.
Of the systems, the HP feels the most premium, but I've come to appreciate Lenovo's airy design with the all-white Lenovo Googlebook 15. Despite the 15.3-inch OLED screen, the mix of carbon fiber with aluminum and magnesium doesn't feel as high-end, but is light at approximately 2.84 pounds.
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