Celebrating update 100 with new Chromebook features

Chromebooks are always up to date thanks to regular automatic updates. Every CHROME OS update helps your laptop get things done faster, easier and more securely.

We have had a lot of them. The update 100 of Chrome OS was officially hit this week. We are sharing a few announcements to improve Chromebooks for everyone, whether you are using them to work, learn, manage a business or just kick back and relax.

With a quick press of the Everything Button on your keyboard or the circle icon on the bottom left corner of your screen, Chromebook's Launcher has made it easy to search for your apps and files and even find answers online. Launcher is getting an updated design and enhanced search function to help you find what you are looking for.

You will notice that the Launcher will open on the side of the screen instead of the bottom of the screen, leaving more space for any windows you have open. You will be able to organize your apps by name or color, or manually arrange them in any order you like. The same organizational style will be followed when you download a new app.

It's getting easier to search with Launcher. Are you looking for a celebrity name on your tongue? A short preview of your search result is what Launcher used to show you. You can check the weather or find a celebrity name without leaving the Launcher now that it will show even more information. You can quickly search for Chromebook tricks, like how to take a screenshot or turn on caps lock.

It can be hard to find the exact one you are looking for if you work with a lot of Chrome browser tabs. The new Launcher will direct you to the right open tab instead of sifting through your tabs for that crossword puzzle you started this morning.

The new Launcher will be rolling out soon.

Several powerful Chromebooks were recently announced by our partners HP,Lenovo,Acer and ASUS to help you make the most of Chrome OS now and in future updates. In the next few months, we will have a few of our favorites for purchase.

• HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook: Designed for a premium productivity experience, with features like a haptic trackpad, an integrated privacy screen, 5G and support for a wirelessly chargeable magnetic Stylus pen
• Acer Chromebook Spin 513: The first Chromebook to feature the MediaTek Kompanio 1380 processor, bringing together power and efficiency with up to 10 hours of battery life
• ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5: Made for productivity and entertainment with 12th Gen Intel Core processors, a 16-inch nano-edge display and Harmon-Kardon certified speakers
• Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook: Built with productivity in mind and comes with powerful processors, a 1080p webcam and a stunning 14-inch 16:10 FHD display

You can use the Dictation feature to dictate text on your Chromebook, like in an email or on your browser. You can use your voice to make edits. Simply say "move to next character" or "delete the last letter" to adjust where you are on the screen. If you don't know what to use, say "help" and your Chromebook will give you ideas. Press the Everything Button + D if you want to try it out.

You can make your own Gif in the Chromebook Camera app, instead of going through the internet to find it. When you open the Camera app, you can record a five-second video. Send it to your phone using Nearby Share or use email to share it.

Video format not supported.

Students can easily review what they learned at school with the new Chromebook updates. With school accounts for Family Link, parents and guardians can add a Google for Education account for their children to access school resources at home. With so many teachers sharing educational YouTube videos during class, parent supervision to YouTube is now available for Family Link users on Chromebooks. Students can keep up with their lessons even if they don't have internet access at home or on long car rides and flights with the new YouTube app for Chrome OS.

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We are making it easier for IT administrators to keep their devices running smoothly.

A new report has been added for a quick look at which devices need attention. The new Chrome Management Telemetry API gives you more information about device performance so you can make your own report. IT admins can quickly apply policies across a fleet of devices with the existing Chrome Policy API.

The new, free-to-download operating system called Chrome OS Flex brings speed, simplicity, manageability and proactive security to PCs and Macs. It's built for businesses and schools and allows you to upgrade PCs and Macs with a cloud-first operating system and reduce e-waste. Since early access availability in February, we have verified more than 100 devices to work with Chrome OS Flex. Share your feedback if you try it out.

We will be back to share more features and personalize your laptop to help you work better across multiple devices. We are looking forward to bringing you the next 100 Chrome OS updates.