// 9TO5GOOGLE — MOBILE & WEB
Google fully details Googlebooks: $899+, October launch, & more
Following the May preview, Google today fully announced Googlebooks ahead of the consumer launch in October.
Google’s main pitch is that Googlebooks should be the laptop of choice for those with Android phones:
Today, we often switch between starting tasks on our phones and finishing them on our laptops. To make that experience better for Android users, we teamed up with the best laptop makers in the industry to deliver top-tier hardware alongside Google’s software experience that connects effortlessly with your phone.
Following phones and watches, Material 3 Expressive is coming to desktops. Quick Settings and notifications, which are nearly identical in design to what you’d find on Pixel, can be found in the top-right corner, while you have the time and date at the left. The bottom dock is center-aligned with the ‘G’ opening your app drawer.
Upon signing in to a Googlebook, your Android phone’s settings, saved passwords, Wi-Fi, and messages will appear. Cross-device continuity includes Android 17’s “Continue On” capability and Cast My Apps if you don’t want to install the Android application on your laptop.
Additionally, Google touts a first-class Files app that can show what documents and photos are available on your phone. One good use of on-device AI is automatically generating file descriptions that aid search.
Gemini Intelligence is led by Magic Pointer and the wiggle gesture to bring up Gemini and enter a prompt, like adding dates to your Calendar. There’s also Rambler, like on the Pixel 11 series, to dictate a stream of consciousness, while Create My Widget is billed as letting you “customize your desktop by describing what you need in plain language.”
You get a “desktop-class” Chrome browser with support for extensions, the Gemini side panel, vertical tabs, and more. Most features found on Mac and Windows are available here.
The application story is a combination of Android and the web, with Google noting how 70% of time spent on laptops is in a browser. The company ultimately thinks it is up to developers to choose whether an Android app or the web is better for their application. There is a growing number of desktop-class Android apps, and the Play Store will highlight them with a new badge.
On the gaming front, 20,000 mobile and PC titles will run on Googlebooks. They are optimized for keyboard, mouse, and touchscreen, with Google’s existing Play Games Level Up program resulting in monthly title launches. For everything else, Google offers a year of Nvidia GeForce Now.