Today, Google"s Chromebooks turn 10 years old, and to celebrate, the Mountain View firm is announcing a bunch of new features that are on the way. A big focus is making the connection between your phone and your PC more seamless, something that both Apple and Microsoft have focused on with their desktop platforms.
Google is introducing Phone Hub, where you"ll be able to see your phone"s cellular signal, battery life, and more. You can use it to locate your phone, or even turn its hotspot on so you can access the internet. The company also noted that you can use it to reply to a text, but that"s already part of Chrome OS with Google Messages.
Also, Wi-Fi Sync is coming to more devices. This feature will let you automatically connect to Wi-Fi networks that you"ve already signed into from your Android phone. Coming soon is Nearby Share, a feature that will let you share files between your phone and your Chromebook.
Moving away from device syncing, there"s also a series of features called "quicker access to what"s important". New items are showing up in Quick Settings, such as a new Screen Capture tool and media controls. There are new features for parents too, so when you"re setting up a kid"s Chromebook using their account, you"ll be able to add a school account.
Another cool feature is that the Clipboard will now save the last five items that you copied, so you can use the Everything Button + V to use that. Quick Answers is a new feature that will show you helpful information when you right-click on a word. And finally, Desks is getting better, letting you restore all of your windows after you reboot.