What you need to know
- Googlebook laptops are built around Gemini AI with deep system-wide AI integration throughout the experience.
- The Magic Pointer lets users contextually trigger Gemini actions simply by hovering over on-screen elements.
- Googlebook can directly run Android phone apps and access files without manual transfer or emulation.
- Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo will launch the first Googlebook laptops later this autumn.
It’s been more than 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 completely new direction with a new range of laptops: googlebooks.
announced on Google Shows, Googlebooks are built on what the company calls Gemini Intelligence. Designed from the ground up with Gemini AI deeply integrated into the experience. in official blog postGoogle says computing is shifting “from an operating system to an intelligence system,” and Googlebooks is a chance to rethink the laptop.
Every part of Googlebooks is expected to integrate Gemini. One of the main features is Google’s Magic Pointer. The company says users can hover their cursor to bring up Gemini-powered contextual suggestions directly on the screen.
For example, hovering over a date in an email can instantly create a calendar event. Google also says you’ll be able to do things like point to two images and combine them together, for example, by placing a couch in a photo of your living room to preview how it will look.
Like Android, Google is also bringing AI-generated widgets to Googlebooks. The feature, called Create Your Widget, lets users ask Gemini to create a custom widget on the fly. These widgets can pull information from apps like Gmail, Calendar, and Drive.
For example, you can ask Gemini to create a travel widget, and it will automatically aggregate your hotel bookings, calendar events, and to-dos into one dashboard on your home screen.
The company is also emphasizing on Android ecosystem integration. Google says Googlebooks will run apps directly from Android phones without downloading or emulation.
The laptop will additionally feature Quick Access, which lets users browse and insert files directly into the laptop’s file browser from their Android phone without the need for manual transfer.
According to what we’ve seen so far, Googlebook will allow users to pin apps, files, and folders directly to the desktop, something like Android’s current desktop mode is still lacking. That alone could make these devices feel closer to a traditional Windows laptop or MacBook.
On the hardware side, Google says it’s partnering with Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo for the first wave of Googlebook devices. The company also says each Googlebook will feature “premium craftsmanship and materials” with a new “Globar” – something many were initially expected to debut on the Pixel 11 series instead.
Google hasn’t yet shared pricing, specifications, or an exact launch timeline for the first Googlebook laptops, but the company says more details will come later this year when the devices become available in the autumn.
Android Central’s Tech
Honestly, this is a very interesting move by Google. The company is essentially going head-to-head with both Apple and Microsoft are slowly turning Android into a proper cross-platform smartphone and desktop operating system experience. 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 much closer to actually being comparable to Windows laptops and MacBooks, especially for the education-focused workloads for which Chromebooks were originally built.
Of course, the Googlebook will still face stiff competition from devices like the MacBook Neo and Snapdragon Elite-powered Windows ARM laptops, but it honestly feels like one of the most promising directions Google has taken in years.
