Eric Zeman / Android Authority
🌤 Good morning on this chilly Friday. Well, it’s still winter in our part of the world, so that’s to be expected. Tomorrow we will at least get a new sofa delivered, so yay!
Strange (Chrome OS) Flex but ok
Google just announced that it Chrome OS Flex initiative has left beta testing and is now available to everyone. The fix was initially announced in February 2022, so that’s a pretty short time to get out of beta by Google’s own standards. But what do you need to know about it?
Breathing new life into old hardware
- At its core, Chrome OS Flex allows consumers to install Chrome OS on their old PCs or Macs.
- We’ve seen the CloudReady solution do something similar before, but that was the open-source Chromium OS rather than the official Chrome OS.
- In any case, Google noted this week that more than 400 devices have been certified to work with Chrome OS Flex. That’s a staggering number, meaning there’s a decent chance your computer is supported.
- Fortunately, it is also possible to install Chrome OS Flex on devices not listed by Google.
- You need a machine with a 64-bit AMD/Intel CPU, 4 GB RAM, 16 GB storage and a USB flash drive. But Google explicitly says that computers with Intel GMA graphics are not supported.
Google Audience
- Giving your old laptop a second life is an obvious use case to start with.
- I remember installing Linux distributions on my cracking laptop back in the day, so another lightweight alternative is nice.
- However, Google is pushing this as a solution for its fleet deployment in education and small businesses.
- The thinking is sound, in theory, because it means using existing hardware rather than going out and buying new PCs and Macs. Or even new Chromebooks, for that matter.
- However, there are still a few reasons to get a new Chromebook. First, Chrome OS Flex does not support Android apps. It also lacks Parallels desktop functionality, while Linux support depends on the model.
- Nevertheless, this is still a welcome development in the corporate and education spaces, especially in cramped environments.
- You can use our guide to installing Chrome OS Flex if you are intrigued by the idea.
To round up
OnePlus 10T: everything we know so far and what we want to see (android authority).
📺 The live-action Resident Evil series is out on Netflix and AA colleague Fred Blichert says it doesn’t bring much to the table in a sea of ​​Resident Evil adaptations (android authority)
It turned out that July 13 was National Fries Day, so Heinz came up with a rather fun idea to celebrate the occasion. Invented the sauce and spice company? French Fries Spoons (you/t: Gizmodo), so you can get a generous helping of tomato sauce and other condiments while dipping.
I would totally buy a ton of these because fried potato is good. But Heinz is only giving them away in the UK as part of a promotion. Fortunately, you still have time to participate, because the competition ends on July 20.