What you need to know
- Googlebook laptops are built on Gemini AI with deep system-wide AI integration across the entire experience.
- Magic Pointer allows users to contextually trigger Gemini actions by simply hovering over elements on the screen.
- Googlebook can run Android phone apps directly and access files without manual transfers or emulation.
- Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo will launch the first Googlebook laptops later this fall.
It’s been over 15 years since the first Chromebook was announced and a lot has changed about laptop and desktop operating systems since then. Google is now taking things in a whole new direction with what it calls a new category of laptops: google books.
Announced in The Google ShowGooglebooks are based on what the company calls Gemini Intelligence. Designed from the ground up with Gemini AI deeply integrated into the experience. in the official blog postGoogle says computing is moving from “an operating system to an intelligent system,” and Googlebooks are an opportunity to rethink laptops.
Every part of a Googlebook is expected to integrate Gemini. One of the main features is Google’s Magic Pointer. The company says users can simply move the cursor to have Gemini-powered contextual suggestions appear directly on the screen.
For example, hovering over a date in an email could instantly create a calendar event. Google also says you’ll be able to do things like point to two images and combine them, for example, place a sofa in a photo of your living room to preview what it would look like.
Like Android, Google is also bringing AI-generated widgets to Googlebooks. The feature, called Create Your Widget, allows users to ask Gemini to create custom widgets on the fly. These widgets can pull information from apps like Gmail, Calendar, and Drive.
For example, you could ask Gemini to create a travel widget and it will automatically bring together your hotel reservations, calendar events, and things to do in a dashboard on your home screen.
The company is also leaning heavily towards integrating the Android ecosystem. Google says Googlebooks will run apps directly from an Android phone without downloads or emulation.
The laptops will also feature Quick Access, which allows users to browse and insert files directly from their Android phone into the laptop’s file explorer without the need for manual transfers.
From what we’ve seen so far, a Googlebook will also allow users to pin apps, files and folders directly to the desktop, something that Android current desktop mode still missing. That alone could make these devices feel much closer to traditional Windows laptops or MacBooks.
On the hardware front, Google says it’s partnering with Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo for the first wave of Googlebook devices. The company also says that each Googlebook will feature “premium craftsmanship and materials” along with a new “light bar,” something many Initially expected to debut in the Pixel 11 series instead.
Google hasn’t yet shared exact pricing, specs, or release schedules for the first Googlebook laptops, but the company says more details will come later this year when the devices become available in the fall.
Android Central’s opinion
Honestly, this is a very interesting move by Google. Basically, the company goes head to head with both. Apple and Microsoft slowly turning Android into a proper cross-platform OS experience for smartphones and desktops. And honestly, Android feels more powerful than ever right now.
With more powerful apps and creator-focused tools expected to arrive this year, Googlebook could bring Android that much closer to being genuinely comparable to Windows laptops and MacBooks, especially for the education-focused workloads that Chromebooks were originally created for.
Of course, the Googlebook will still face stiff competition from devices like the macbook neo and Windows ARM laptops powered by Snapdragon Elite, but honestly, this seems like one of the most promising directions Google has taken in years.
