Alphabet Scoop 016: 'Yeti' game console/service, Android Messages for web, Chromebook Tab 10, more By 9to5Google

All right welcome to alphabet scoop, episode, 16 I'm, your host Steven Hold, and this is Abner Lee. What's up dude yeah, it's good to be back after last week, oh yeah, if you didn't turn tune in last week. Last week it was cow brats who gave a master class in fuchsia yeah. Our Kyle Bradshaw has been posting articles about fuchsia for a few months now. Every Friday and he's actually got one that I'm supposed to be editing right now, I think two to go live this afternoon, but I'll have to do that after the show so stay tuned for that, and you can head over to YouTube or any of the any of your favorite podcast platforms to check out last week's show it's an entire hour like Abner, said, and it's a masterclass on fuchsia, or at least what we know a fuchsia so far and speaking of fuchsia we're actually going to talk a little about fuchsia on the show. Today, peas, yeah, it's I mean it's a mystery, and it's an ongoing just adventure to learn more about and and and hear about in, our wild tips that we've been receiving from our tipster.

So today, we're going to cover Android messages for web. We're going to cover Yeti, which is Google's in the works. Gaming console slash streaming service. We're gonna talk about a little about the Acer Chromebook 10, which I got in the middle of the day. So I don't have that many thoughts, huh, yeah, but we have some.

We might talk a little about pixel fee and then there's plenty of other stuff to talk about if we have to so yeah. What's up so what's first, what is first is definitely in diving right into it's a bit of a smaller update, but it's one that many of you are excited for so Android messages. After being announced, Android messages for web after being announced last week is now available to all users, and many of you are very excited to finally be able to text from the web. Do you use it much I, don't I'm a bit of a Google Voice user, yeah I, don't I, don't I'm I'm entirely and completely unqualified, to talk about Android messages on this podcast right now, I've I've set it up? If that counts, I, think the thing is it's actually weird, if you think about it? So if you remember with Apple and I message, they had iMessage on laptops. You know within the standalone app for a long time, and then I forgot, which version was maybe it was Mavericks? They added the ability to text via SMS so like it would connect directly to your iPhone, and you'd, be able to text SMS as well.

On top of my message for a long time, it was only iMessage I think if I'm remembering correctly, and it's just weird to see that Google is kind of doing the opposite. It's like they've, launched this. This app that you know it ties into your Android messages, but for all intents and purposes, SMS only for the moment, yeah well I'll see s which is the there was some LCS news today with I believe it was T-Mobile, adding support in the US for one device, the Galaxy S7 I believe right. So if you have the Galaxy S7, and you use T-Mobile, then you have RCS and you can send RCS messages to only other people who also have RCS so yeah I would say that the intersection of those people is just it's not very, not very wide raging right now, tiny tidbit about RCS that I learned directly from Google is actually so. They announced this chat thing like that right, however, a few months ago and chat.

So when SMS, you call it like text messages, SMS messages, but Google and the carrier's want to you to call messages sent over RCS our chat messages. That's yeah! That it is official! What the industry wants you to refer to it and yeah? It's its a bit weird for you and me, and the technically savvy because chat. We have like a totally different connotation of chat as like this web-based sent message, but now what Google's, so I, like all these carriers are trying to do, is to make you think about it. For us, yes, yeah, that's fascinating, I, don't even think about I, don't even think about like when I send messages on Facebook, messenger, which is probably my primary messaging platform that and iMessage, but when I send messages on Facebook, Messenger or on WhatsApp or whatever I, don't think of them, like I, think of them as like, if I'm talking about someone I'll say like I, sent you a Facebook message. Yeah, you know like, or I say: I sent you a message on WhatsApp like there's, not even I sent you a what's that message.

That sounds weird to me. It's usually I sent you a message. You know I just use the generic message term and I. Don't I, don't I mean it's interesting, though, because I feel like the same. Some some older generation would call everything a text like everything is against mm-hmm.

Like I know, my mom will say: I texted you right, but she's talking about a message that she said on Facebook and so there's a generational divide. There I think a little but yeah. That's an interesting note. I didn't know that I didn't know that that Google is trying to say trying to date, I'm trying to define the lingo already all the chaos uh to be exact. Oh yeah, because, they're they're all working together on this, but yeah.

That's that's fascinating, but, although you have to admit, we know that Google is kind of the one heading up the whole chat brand right, like that's that's kind of it. It seems like it's Google's thing right at least that's the best. That's the that's! The notion that I got from dieter's original story. The pushback I got was that it's the carriers, so I don't know okay. Well, it's they work to get a something they talked about, but I have to think that Google it's something like they were in those meetings.

So who how I mean you have I think the way dieter framed his post? Was this is Google's next attempt at messaging, which yeah you know? Maybe the better way to put it would have been. This is Google's next attempt at messaging, but it's not really theirs. It's their. Their next attempt at messaging is to not attempt messaging it's to go along with everybody else. Yeah, OCS is that right on the OS level, the backers it's Google and Microsoft and I can't, I have no idea why Microsoft is on that list.

Just this morning, I was looking at the GSMA standards body thing, and they said that Microsoft were they desktop their stop message. I have no idea. Maybe on that plane, maybe we'll see interesting, maybe we'll see like a desktop RCS client from Microsoft that, like then like pairs with your phone or something and that PCs, the question still remains for me on RCS is when we've talked about the. If we've talked about the, if I'm pretty sure, I mean I wonder when Apple's going to do it, because that won't be kind of like its defining Ana, so anyways so like I, haven't really used the desktop Android messages, client, because I don't really send SMS hardly at all, except for when I'm getting I. Let's say my primary use case or use of SMS is anytime I'm, like logging into an apple whatever like Uber, and it sends me an SMS to like to send me a confirmation code.

So my entire window of Android messages on the web right now is just like Uber. What's that, whatever, like all of those like yeah mm-hmm, all those absent services and then like notifications for like your table, is ready or whatever like for like open table or whatever. But the interesting thing about MMS is for web. Is that it's pretty much a carbon copy of the aloe web client so, like a loafer web launched like earlier this year, right was it this year whoa? No, it was like last yeah. It was like it was like September or something that it finally rolled out to everyone and people so excited about that as well.

Yeah, man time flies. It feels like that was just a few months ago, but I was like almost a year ago, the ALO for web launch yeah, but yeah I mean Android messages for web. It's its like a carbon copy, it's like they just like changed a few of the like a little of the underlying code. At least user-facing. It's just it's couple.

It's exactly the same, pretty much yeah yeah! Are you still using owl? No I have to open it to compare the Android messages, but that's about it yeah it's pretty much. Let me see I, don't think I've used it by actually, yes, I do so like I have a friend who I forgot, but I just have one friend that I talked to on a low and that's he. We used to talk on iMessage so like I, carry two phones for those anon carry an iPhone all the time as well as my pixel too, but for a while we were, he had an iPhone, and we were talking on iMessage for a while, and then he switched to a pixel, and so we started messaging on a low of course and I convinced him. So he was my one because one of like maybe three friends I had in real life that I was talking to on a low and now that's down to one, and we sent like a couple messages yesterday. So that's the only living like thread I've got in hello, but yeah yeah.

So it's its! It's dead! It's, and it's interesting to me like how much Google really pushed a low eat up to the last minute like they tried, they tried yeah, we didn't. We didn't really right, I, don't know if we wrote an article about this, but Google had, so I did a little of digging on LinkedIn and Google had like dozens, if not hundreds of college kids, that they were paying I'm, sure yeah yeah. Some small amount, like they're, probably just like paying them some flat fee to go. Do this, but like the bunch of college kids like going on campus and like putting up posters and like I, read the Job Description actually, and it was like it required you to like to start a group message with one or with some of your like classmates for a group project, and then you had to fill out all this. Like paperwork like about your experience and like feedback and stuff, and then they also yeah, and then they also shipped out like posters for people to like, hang out, hang on the walls and like in oh and like oh hush, so they were, they were really pushing it.

At the last minute, I mean they were looking for those niches to look to fill. You know, and honestly I feel like a low, would have done a good job of filling that, like college group message, it's basically trying to take on group me is easily the primary go-to for college kids that are doing like group projects and stuff and I think they wanted to. They wanted to fill that niche, but can't take down this. We feel it's I, think its messenger like that. Like messenger owns that market for our generation, definitely so well, Facebook, Messenger, yeah, yeah I mean that's true, I, just I'm, at least in my experience in college classes, and maybe this was maybe this is old.

You know, maybe a maybe people have moved on already. My experience was always grouped me, but that could also just be a demographic thing. It could be a geographical thing. You know like a lot of these apps will have liked I mean we all know that, like some apps like WhatsApp or like far more popular- and you know, Europe or outside the states, so there's an even within the United States there are geographical bubbles of people who use apps like Viber is really popular in certain geographical bubbles in the United, States etc. So yeah it could be that yeah.

So that's that's Android messages, TL;DR. We don't use it, and we're waiting for RCS to be ubiquitous so that maybe we can start using it, and it would be nice if Apple did RCS so that you know we weren't stuck only other Android people yeah. So next up we can talk about Yeti. So this is you're excited to talk about this right. Yeah, I am so um Yeti.

So early this year there was a very strong rumor that Google was interested in gaming, specifically cloud gaming streaming services that would offer you offer like lower the barrier to like powerful, real console level games. So it's code named Yeti and according to this report in the information away this year, Google is making this streaming service. They were making hardware, and they are talking to big-name developers. So, yes, yesterday we had another report from Kodak and that google is still at it with Yeti, but they're, making a huge content play. They really want to get name games, so they're working there, maybe into sin, hiring game studio, and they've, been hiring top game developers and marketers from various studios, well-known triple-a, title studios, so yeah like what's the timeline on this like the first report on Yeti was February, and it came from the information.

So we treat information reports pretty much. As fact, you know, even if stuff doesn't pan out, we were pretty I mean they have pretty someone's back record, but they reported on Yeti at first in February, but they were kind of vague yeah. They exact a span said that Google is going to launch it in December 2017 for the holiday season, but of course that never came to light, so it suggests they scrapped. It was something: oh, they had a new. You're yeah interesting, interestingly, being led by Mario Gay dos MMM introduced the pixel to in the pixel to excel on stage and Google's event all right.

What else has he done at Google, I forgot, I feel like I'm Google home before that at the widget at the first 10-4 event um, he did Google home before we, she Chandra yeah. That would make sense, yeah yeah. That makes sense. Thank you right, but yeah I mean so like we've got these two reports, so we're pretty sure it's happening, and we don't really know a timeline. Obviously we don't really mean timelines are probably the hardest thing to absolutely to guess or to report on I guess, because it's always changing, especially with this date with gaming and Google, because, according to the report from early this year, there were several failed attempts that did not mature that there was an Android based gaming console that seemed like was like on live that thought that gate at streaming's yeah it failed, yeah, I, remember online.

That was so. That was like the first thing. That was the very first like attempt at this I'm. Pretty sure I was like one of the first like wide-reaching attempts, and then they got bought by Sony right I think so nothing even bought I, don't know what happened to them. I think there I know that they shut down but yeah they usually a company like that.

Doesn't just shut down, see. Okay! Here we go. Sony has acquired important parts of on life due to the sale all online, sir. All on live services were discontinued as of April, 30th 2015, so I, don't I. Don't remember, but I feel like this first debuted like in 2012 or something okay, so, okay yeah.

So the very first report about on live came from yeah. It debuted in 2012 at some point, and it looks like reviews started going up like their press website on live comm. It's like all from like early 2014, so yeah launched in like 2012 and then seems to leave seemingly went wider in 2014 or something, but yeah came in, went pretty fast. Obviously it this kind of format I think, there's still a lot of potential in it, but it's not really like ubiquitous yeah. You know like a child, you think of this yeah, so Xbox and Microsoft know Xbox and Sony, right, Xbox and PlayStation, right and I guess.

Google maybe sees like sees this as like a go like a know like an untapped market, potentially yeah, because from a technology standpoint this is their game to win right right now, Microsoft is a yeah, so I'm not shared there. If there's, if Asia and Xbox teams are talking with probably, but I promise and pointing Google should have liked it, they should be able to get this hardware that this tech, the at leases server component down, because one of the more exciting rumors was that the console would be like a Chromecast size device that you just plug a Chromecast, and you can stream games from servers and that could and all the processing is done on the cloud. Yeah, I actually remembered trying out I did like a free trial for on live or something and I remember playing burnout paradise, which is one of those like you know like, but you know you don't. You know burn out of the franchise right. It was like one of those like racing franchises where you're just drive a car around you crashed into stuff, but anyways I remember on live and just thinking that was like just slightly not responsive enough, like you know how you know like using a like direct console hardware, you know it's, it's always super responsive, but I felt like on live was just like on that line of being too laggy to be like MMM, like playable I, guess so.

Yeah, I'm wondering like on the technology side like what Google has that? Could that make it possible or what? What existing things that Google does? Where that that Yeti would use similar technologies, I guess streaming on YouTube kind of what people are watching right now is kind of. You know they. Obviously, on that both backbone and stuff. One thing, I'd wonder, is what go ahead. What do you say? Google cloud has a partnership with unity, the gaming engine yeah, that's true who connected games, you're, saying I, wonder what the Chromecast? How does that work like? So if all the rendering is all being done in the cloud it all no landfilling, is it always about doing yeah? Is it feasible to do something the size of a Chromecast you think, like oh yeah, because in theory you would just be putting up pixels on the screen right when you make, when you make a move on the controller it gets sent right out right, it just seems like even with even in the best-case scenario like I've never used it.

So maybe someone who has can leave us a comment, or you know, share their experience. I've never used it like the modern, like offerings from Sony and NVIDIA in this category. But, like is my question, is: is it up to par in 2018 like? Are the current services in terms of performance like up to par and is there some? Is there some hurdle that Google needs to jump to be better than what Sony or Nvidia already offers? Okay, I'm very excited by Yeti because, like as a consumer like the only thing I have, is a switch as a Nintendo Switch, which I love and I would like more powerful games without necessarily buying a console and doing all that. But like okay for my Moore's law, this technology is getting cheaper and cheaper. I think I saw a deal from colleagues at 95 toys of an Xbox at 150.

So the idea that, like Google's, make all this investment this cloud streaming technology in the cloud versus the idea of this of consoles of full dedicated consoles and no dropping to like $100 in like the next five years, not like me kind of negates, like the technological hardware advantage. What you're left is the idea of like a game subscription service where you can access all the games out there, which is what Microsoft and Xbox are doing backs off and Sony I keep using. Those too are doing as like pay one fee every month, and you get access to the whole catalog of games. So that's where Google's left with, and I hope they like to realize that they're moving forward to that future of like hundred-dollar consoles so like it comes back to the content like making and owning and offering all the best content yeah. One thing I wonder is like.

Is this the next like? Is this where let's just jump ahead in time, 10 years? Is this where gaming is going to go anyway? So, like is, is the know at home? Console model? Is that guys that, on its way out, you know, like is I, don't know its kind of like I, think of it kind of like how our apps are apps running directly on our phone? Is that all is that on the way out, you know like Google's doing stuff, with like instant apps and stuff and fuchsia is kind of, like I, think bass built on like this cloud-based system of? Like you know it's not. It doesn't revolve around these individual pieces of software that run on the device as much as it revolves around. You know in lifetime pulling stuff from the cloud, and it's its like I wonder if Google sees this as like the same kind of transition, or it's like we're, moving away from you know, running stuff processing like doing like tasks, cinema and calculations on the device itself to the cloud which mean well I mean in many ways. That's already happening and been happening for a long time, but gaming seems like an obvious like, like, like I, said: that's already been done, like on lives been around for years and it but it was around, and so the idea is not new, but maybe Google sees this as like. This is the next.

This is where gaming is going. Inevitably, so, let's get on the let's get on the cusp of the next generation of gaming. Basically it's like Google saying, like you know, we were it's Google, predicting that the Xbox model is going away and- and maybe Microsoft doesn't maybe Microsoft and Sony if Google is doing. Maybe Microsoft and Sony should be a little concerned about their hardware business. You know because if The Witcher 3 as I mean this Kodak report mentioned, imagine running The, Witcher, 3 and in Chrome tab.

If that's possible, then what's the. If that's you know it. If what's the reason for someone to buy a console, I mean if you can run the top tapas to your game on any device you own on a code bunk just throw out that hardware becomes completely irrelevant. You know, yeah yeah, so I mean there's, definitely some technical hurdles to jump over there, but if Google can pull it off, it's gonna, it's gonna, shake the industry a lot, and it's not just Google pulling it off. Obviously Sony's doing it too, and so it's I think it's going to be a whole industry thing, but it'll be interesting to see how Google competes as assumable hardware consoles become.

You know less important on top of all this, so we've throughout you know the last 16 episode, 16, so 16 weeks of alphabet scoop, we've thrown in little pieces here and there of like tips. We've got that we haven't been able to corroborate one tip we got just like in the last 48 hours. Actually from the same or one tipster that were fairly I mean they have a pretty good track record. So I mean we don't we only mentioned them on the podcast because they have a track record. So you know they've definitely been wrong about some things, but it's its they've been accurate enough.

That I think it's worth giving the least one grain of salt yeah. What did what are we here? What's what's the gist? What are you excited about? So yes, okay, so in the short term like what you and I are excited about, is like the technical specs for this like. How is this going to work like what is the OS? What OS is Google running for to what yeah? What are they creating to run this cloud service and again same caveats, apply to our previous rumors from this tipster? But what from what we're hearing the prototype, Yeti device is running Android and an unreleased version of Android at that, so, but even more interesting. Is that again, this tip that one iteration of this internally at Google is running fuchsia, which is kind of doing everything that we know together everything that they're actively covering about Google's future together yeah? And this guy says they don't know why or he shouldn't assume the gender, but he don't know why there are two prototypes, or they don't know. Why there's one running Android or one running fuchsia, but they say that it's something to do with the associated hardware being released prior to fuchsias eventual arrival.

So that's interesting, we think about like, like they're they're they're planning to I, guess what? What the gist of what he's saying is they're planning to launch Yeti before fuchsia is ready to either be morphed into what Android is or launch itself or whatever. You can watch last week's episode here about Kyle and all's kyanite Kyle and eyes, like interpretation of what Google's doing with that with fuchsia. But basically, you know: Google has a few options. They can morph it into Android. They can.

You know slowly change Android to be more like fuchsia and then switch at some point, or you know they could launch it as its own things. Somehow on separate hardware we don't really know, but I guess the tipster is saying you know he thinks that they're testing both Android and fuchsia, because they might launch Yeti with Android and then launch. You know a second yet or second generation of Yeti or potentially push a software update. That would push the underlying software to fuchsia versus Android. So that's fascinating.

You know in the context of we don't we don't really know what Google's plan is for, like is fuchsia or replacing Android is fuchsia going to be Android whatever like this is a little of an insight into what they might be planning. That's sorry also for future -. It also speaks to how like going forward. Everything is being taken into good. The fuchsias future at Google has being taken into consideration for all the services right.

If yeah yeah OS come on it I, don't know how much of this we've mentioned on the show, but there I think in bits and pieces we've mentioned all minute mentioned all of this, but we've heard from the same tipster that Google is also testing fascia. Now not testing fascia exclusively like I. Don't think this is Google is like this device is for sure launching with you sure, but it's in the way yeah right testing in parallel to whatever the status quo is we've heard that Google's also testing fascia on supposed pixel book to prototype and on its first party, its first party, smartly, so it has given. That I mean that's. That's three devices that we're hearing that Google is testing.

What we know is fuchsia mom, I vote, diverse devices right, it's all kinds of advice like a gaming device home device. So it's right so right. So if this is true, if this is true, then that would mean Google's testing fuchsia everywhere. Basically- and that's that's- that's that's a significant tidbit and probably not one that we've had until today, because you know we heard you know we heard from the tipster that fuchsia on pickles look ?, it's like okay, and then you know pixel slate or whatever they're their first party. Smart display is running fuchsia, and it's like okay, but now we have three whole devices that supposedly Google sizing button on.

So that it is adding weight and it kind of gives us a little of an idea of the whole picture here. So beyond that, though, fuchsia there's something else, this tipster said, which was that, and I guess kind of reiterates what Kodak said earlier, which is that a few game studios have already started working with Google to port currently available software, and by currently available software we mean like triple-a, ?, yes, ? and that's already being tested internally, so I'm not sure if I didn't read the Kodak report in full, but I don't know if that is they basically said that, but yeah basic was it and then I think it's so funny. But this tipster also says that no Skyrim is not one of the things that they're testing on Yeti at the moment. So that's that's fascinating, although they do say that this is all T that we can expect right exactly. Let's see, this is the yes, that's the level of games that are being tested, and I don't want to mention the game that they specifically say.

Yeah, testing, I, don't think it's a good idea, because I feel like that's too specific, and it might give away their identity, but there is a well-known triple a title that you've played right after. Let's say that you'm pretty sure somebody has to posted it to an Android, wear device. I. Think I'm, noting that correctly it was on a lot of things. Let's just say that yeah yeah I, don't want to say the game because might give it away, but yeah there's a very big.

It's an up there, a triple an action game and supposedly quote works really well on Yeti, so I know logically, Google has figured it seems like they figured it out, and they're working on getting names and content, like the Kodak report said that, like the, and they've got this technology down and running, it's the impression that we're getting, and it's technically capable of doing a lot of good things, all right and so yeah I'd be interesting. I, wonder if part of me wonders if like, if valved, is working on something like this so like now that valve has all the they've had a whole defenses. They have all the pieces except may. The streaming stuff, like maybe like Google I, think, has more strength in that category, like the technical like streaming of it, but valve definitely has all the brands, all the names and valve I mean so like they tried that hardware box right, like a steam box, that those were a thing for a while. They tried pushing steam steam steam consoles right and this kind of all failed I think they recently.

If I remember quickly, they released, they recently removed all steam box hardware from their site, because it was just flopped, wasn't working yeah and that controller to like to know that I'm a collector II the problem with the on wife controller, was it sometimes it broke in half it was like very shoddy I've got who they took it out there, that's pretty critical block you Matt. Can you imagine what a Google game controller looks like it's like conventional thinking is that it looks like an Xbox, a PS4, but imagine they do something crazy, like Nintendo with the joy cons? What? If what, if it's just fabric like the top of the Google Home Mini, and it just becomes greasy ER and greasy or over time it matches your couch perfectly, but it does get greasy her yeah, it's sidenote random side, note I'm, hoping that the second gen Google home, whatever that, like the mix, the standard, Google home category, and I'm, really hoping that they do more with like the fabric. I know that the bottom part you can like switched off, but yeah I, wonder if they're gonna next couple years launch a second gen, Google home I, know, there's no really I'm really any reason to, because it's not like a sitting. It's not hitting any ha imitations or anything after that. Now that you bring it up the original Google home and the Google home minion max, they were quite different because, like I thought, the motif that Google is going with, whether like the ring of colored lights on the original home, you know buddy on the newer generations is just four dots.

Now you have a further original google hope design yeah, it I, don't know I, don't know what run I prefer, but they definitely seemed like they were different generations of products. Yeah makes sense, I mean they really see your art but yeah. The other thing is that Google really tried the whole like the customizability thing of the now. What do you call him? I, don't know since the basis, yes, which I think was a flop. I mean who wants to pay 20 bucks for like yeah I, I, love colors, but even I.

Couldn't it's just going to beyond there it's? How many times am I actually switching this right, I feel like the gray or, like you know, like with the woman, for instance, like almost everyone has the gray hole max, I, think, and I think there's a reason for that. I think it's because gray just fits everywhere, yeah so bowling now. Imagine if us, oh, my gosh, imagine the grill was just like a swirl of colors like Google for Google colors and I kept playing paint spot, though I don't know they could do something crazy speaking, monsoon yeah, sorry go ahead, know what's up, I was just going to say like I'm surprised that the cover of the whole max and come off and that you wasn't sell other covers I, always found it surprising. I mean how much would you have to charge for one of those big home max covers, like those of you like 50 bucks, apiece or something at Google's price, because good, wise people Google does Apple pricing on their on the Google store? If you know like it like, you know how like I, don't know like apples. Accessories are always like so premium priced and I.

Think yeah I think Google's following the model get away with it. Yeah, and I think they are so far, but I was going to say. Have you ever seen, one of the charcoal Google home boxes in person every time every I haven't at all, I Ross has the as the silver or the gray one or whatever in every unit I've ever seen like on display at Google events at Google I/o, whatever it's always the great one, I've never seen the black one and I kind of want one just to add to the to add to the Google Hardware collection, I will quote a fire sale one day, I think it's. I think the chart Google home max might go down in history as one of those like rare, like rare collectible, collectible items, I mean I still on the Nexus Q I know we ever talked about the Nexus Q tip, so wow, that's q-tip Q, the Nexus Q space tip we received is that Google was exploring more spherical shaped designs internally, they were anything, and they weren't making a successor device. They just were really interested in seeing what they could use that design.

For specifically, they were testing a device that was a desktop Chrome OS device. So I was like it was like chrome bit, but like a desktop heart so like it was probably like a Chrome OS device in the form factor of like a Mac Mini. Basically, but it was spherical like a Nexus, Q I think our tipster said it came from like some of the same people in the same team that worked on the Nexus Q, but it eventually just got like scrapped. So if anyone out there on the on any off chance, has a photo of this Nexus Q inspired Chrome OS desktop device. You need to leak that you need to send that to my email, so I can share that with the world, because that is a piece of Google history that needs to be seen: yeah I, don't you got this design so jealous yeah? Oh well, rip Nexus, Q, okay! Next up what do we have? We've got alright, so I guess we can talk a little about Acer, Chromebook, 10th, sorry, but that's just proof that the name is terrible.

Chromebook 10 Chromebook, not Chromebook 10. This is the Acer Chromebook Tab 10. Yes, it sounds like a Samsung device whatsoever, ASA tap yeah confused. Obviously the tab thing is a Samsung thing, but the name is bad for a different reason, and that's because this is not a book. There's nothing Chromebook about this! There's no doesn't fold.

It doesn't. There's no keyboard! There's no book! The Book man is missing. It's just a tablet. So what why don't? We just call it a Chrome tab or something that you could such a good Club tab. It's like what they call all of them.

It's very good chrome I, see like no space like chrome, tab, tab, locate, lower case like no space, I'll be I. Think that would work but I. Guess me. The thinking is almost definitely that chrome up Chromebook has you know household reckon name, recognition like yeah you and your mom and everyone. Everyone knows what a Chromebook is, but yeah so like this is it was launched at MWC if I remember correctly or first showing off at MWC.

It is a Chrome OS device. Obviously it is in a tablet form factor. So, like I said, there's no there's no keyboard. It's basically! You know this is what the pixel see should have been right here. This is what the pixel station it's an, could have been right and could have been like.

Didn't we hear that Google was testing Chrome OS on it instead of Android and they eventually I, don't know, maybe I miss handling they won't Android, obviously, and that you know it failed, and it could have been the best-selling device of all time? That's probably an exaggeration, but so yeah it's its alright I mean I'm I! Guess my main equal like complaint with it, is the same as the pixel book. So the pixel book is like super overpowered in terms of hardware, but it doesn't feel overpowered when you use it. It feels like a Chromebook when you use it, I mean obviously when you're, when you're using the web, and you go to like a performance needy website in Chrome. It's fine. Furthermore, it obviously performs like any Intel powered laptop would, but the OS itself I feel like it feels like I mean the problem with the pixel book, in my opinion, is that the OS feels like it was made for $100 devices, which it was and so you're using a thousand-dollar laptop and honestly, the software experience in terms of like animations and stuff and smoothness of the UI and I guess like that, like finesse or like that final touch, it feels like you're using it.

$200 picks a $2.00 laptop versus a thousand-dollar laptop like I, said the raw power is there. You know so like it's not like. It's not like it's dropping frames or whatever it's just like the OS was built no, but I hog way in mind exactly, exactly, and so that's my I mean that's my main complaint with Chrome OS in general, as it feels like it's built for the lowest common denominator. Hardware, the Chromebook Tab 10, is no exception. To that and I mean it's, it is what it is.

It's a Chrome, OS device it is. As you know it's, it runs apps from the Play Store I. Guess. The interesting thing about this one is that it's basically any modern, Chrome OS tap laptop, but without the keyboard. That's that's all.

This is because most of them have most of the popular ones, at least that you know like the Chromebook spin and all well like most of them have touchscreens at this point so mm-hm. It's basically just like what you normally have with a Chromebook ? the keyboard, and this one comes with a stylus, and it's nothing special. It's! No! Furthermore, it's not it's its a couple. Furthermore, it's not active, I think right, and it doesn't have any like pressure sensitivity and doesn't have a button. Furthermore, it's not it's not like it's not like the fix.

Furthermore, it looks pen which it's okay, because this is not $100 Google, but yeah I mean so one mean what like little things. Little gripes I mean it's its about what you would expect. It's not the best-performing thing ever but yeah another thing you'll, it's its made for education so like the target market, is like kids sitting in a classroom and for that purpose its everything you could need. It's got speakers pretty decent-sized speakers haven't listened to them, yet it has a USB-C port. So welcome to 2018.

Yes, because I'm both sides, a headphone jack. So that's that's a win. I! Guess it's kind of necessary for the classroom. Nice textured back probably helps it not be dropped as easily I'm tempted to drop it right now on the podcast just to test like just a test like the classroom. Readiness should we do it next week, I was going to say next week, as you yeah I feel like I feel like I trust.

If I feel like I feel like we can. Do it look. Okay I mean it was. It was made for being thrown around. This is a review.

I mean it was made from being thrown around a classroom. It needs to be able to handle at least like a 5-foot drop all right here we go I'm gonna. Do it if you're not watching the video for those who are listening on podcast platforms, you can watch it on YouTube. com, slash night. If I, google, you can't really see anything, but we're just going to go for it.

You'll be able to hear it. At least here we go yikes that sounds pretty heavy yeah, it's pretty heavy. It's its! It's hefty yeah yeah! Furthermore, it's a 1.2 pounds. If I recall correctly, it survived fine they're, not even a scratch on it. So hmm we're good I'm impressed.

It passes the 5th grade.5Th grader is trying to take it from his friend test. I! Guess! That's what you could call it, but yeah it runs. So one thing that kind of bothers me about it is: it runs place. So obviously it runs apps from the Play Store I've been having problems with it running windowed. So, like every app I download, it will only run in full-screen yeah, which is still the same issue with you.

Can you can same it is like the second, you take a convertible into full-screen mode? It fulls screens everything yeah. So that's one downside you can multitask now. So that's a plus site yeah! That's true! That's true! Another weird thing about the UI- and maybe this is I mean. Maybe you can tell me what I'm doing wrong, but so apps in full-screen, so like there's, no way to not run in them a full screen. It's like it's all, or nothing.

Basically, yeah and I. Don't like that. So, like the x2 like close apps, is you have to pull down from the top to like to show it when you're running a screen like you can't you can't just close app. So what I find myself doing is I tap and hold on the icon? In the drawer and I click close and instead of like trying to swipe down and click X I, don't know why, but that I wish the X was just always showing I, don't know. If, maybe that's just me, the UI.

We talked to I, don't know if we talked about this, so the UI is chrome, modern design. So maybe you can answer this I, don't I'm, not I, haven't been using a Chromebook for the last few months. So is modern design running on everything at this point on Chrome 67, or is it just so it at first like a fishery rolled out to this chrome, 67 tape stable channels on tablet devices like you're like this, this Chromebook tap 10, but that's the first instance of it launching a fishery, okay gotcha. What the poem is. It doesn't scale very well to desktops because on the pixel book, I'm running like everything, it's like the touch tag, it says so large, it's like so wasteful and I think they need to tweak it I think they are they're going to tweak it when it comes to desktops.

They're, like a Mac or Windows eventually, but for the first iteration the focus is on making tappet touch, optimized Chrome, one better yeah, I, think I think it is better I think in this case, in this specific case, with this being a tablet, only I think I mean. The big thing really is how big the new tab button is, which is much appreciated. I think that's that I, don't like the keyboard. So that's another weird thing is: maybe I, don't know why it's doing this, but the predictive typing or swipe swipe swipe to type whatever it's awful. It's not getting like it's not getting.

Hardly anything right versus my android phone. So at I/o they announced that Geo will be coming soon. Okay, III I, missed that then, so I was under the impression the G board was already here: nope nah, it's nothing like chief, oh well, it looks like G bullet, but it's not that looks exactly G board, and I was like wait. This has G board, that's cool, but then it didn't work like G board, yeah, so yeah, that's that should make it significantly better and then the other thing, just a little thing was I. You know like you, can there's like a button ?, it's like a stylus tool, button on the in the bottom, drawer and yeah, and you can use like capture region or whatever capturing like screenshots or whatever, and then you get it like one of those Android like notification, things from the right side, and you click annotate image.

Oh, it opens it up in Google. Keep yeah which I feel like Google. Keep is a little outdated and I feel like Google, either needs to Google either needs to significantly update Google, keep or yeah visually, or they need to. Let me use a different app, so like set a different app as default for like editing screenshots in theory, you can do that. You can set a note-taking app, but I've never really looked for other alternatives on the Play Store.

It would be the place though yeah anyways. That's that's my that's my thoughts so far, I just got it today, so I've only been playing with it for, for a few hours, you'll see my review on 95 Google calm. Once again, this is primarily for education, so it's I'm reviewing it from that. From that point of view, I guess so, so yeah, that's the Chromebook, that's the Chromebook tab, 10, and then I guess. Finally, we can round out the show talking a little about pixel 3 unless there's something else, you'd rather talk about it's just ok.

What else happened this week? There was Google home app today was updated with more material theming styling, so they got bottom app bar. That's the TLDR on that one Google Maps with material theme has been rolling out widely this week. You used it yet nice yeah, it's its nice I like I. Like that, your score thing: it's awesome, MMM! It's so far and let's see Google invested 22 million in kayo. S, which is your know, is less I interested in what you would have liked.

Both of us are interested in as like a dumb phone that could maybe like unwind away from yeah yeah. I could see so like what I've been doing lately and this might be a tech journalist, problem, hashtag tech journalists, problems, but I've been pretty much just like leaving like as soon as I'm done with work at like 5 or 6, or whatever I just leave my phone sitting on the charger for the rest of the day. I just like I. Don't even have my phone on me at all, and I just wear either my Fitbit or my Apple Watch and I. Just use that to you know.

If I'm in the house I'll get notifications on it and that you know it's like. If something absolute agent happens, then I'll go I'll, go fetch. My phone, but yeah like I, has serious like tech addiction. Problems in the digital wellness stuff is gonna, be really great for me, but yeah like Kai OS phones, the banana phone for those who are who remember Nokia launched that at MWC that's attractive to me, like I kind of want a kayo s phone in a way, and then you know, David, Rodrick and release was like yeah you'll last a day, and I was like yeah you're, probably right because okay I don't know what do you think about it? It has Twitter and Gmail and I could live with that so hard, because it has like a basic Twitter client and can get Gmail messages which I might be fine with in that might be enough for like a weekend in case. Anything goes insane, but yeah yeah.

What actually the interesting thing like the Nokia one like that it doesn't work on any US carriers, but imagine having a sister thought. Well. It has assistant on Google Assistant. That's like such a useful tool. It's like the idea, but we can phone and Google Maps, mind you yeah yeah, oh the company's making like small one, our phones, that I've been constantly finding myself wanting project aura.

So like, oh, so like project aura, we talked about it a lot. Supposedly it was Google's project to put Google Assistant in an ear, but so like. Ah yes, it might have been actually some of the same people that worked on Pixel Buds, mm-hmm, but I think the original idea was it was Google Glass, but audio only so it was like it was like one, your theoretically like a full-fledged Google Assistant that had Wi-Fi and everything, but in this Lee was an earbud or a pair of earbuds, or something I find myself really like wanting that. All the time thinking like I would really love to just not have my phone on me at all and have something like a pair of ears. Pods kind of set up and just be able to talk to it and Google is gonna, be better I.

Think Google has a lot of reprove. Oh, yeah. These case right, like for being able to have liked I, don't know, there's lots of oh do I. Have any notifications do I, have any right like well having be able to have more natural language and stuff yeah having it be able to read my notifications to me, you know simple things like that: yeah um, yeah I find myself thinking that all the time like earlier actually I was in the shower, and I was like I. Don't have my phone on me, but I list.

This question I had about something that I was thinking. I was working on like it's like really bugging me like I, really want to know the answer. This I'm, not I'm, not gonna, get out of the shower to go grab my phone to look it up right now. I'm, not gonna, like I, really don't feel like I, really don't feel like yelling across the room at the Google home or whatever I wish. I just had something at my ear, so I could just like Doubleday it or whatever, or you know something in my ear.24/7, like I, feel, like that's gonna, be like the first level of super yeah, yeah yeah, so yeah anyway. That's that's just my musing, my hopes for the next few years with Google Assistant.

Anything else happened this week. Oh yeah, Google home, went down for like an entire morning or something like a few weeks. A few hours, the same uses, yeah I, wasn't everyone, but it was most people. At least I saw hundreds of tweets, so it was pretty widespread, and then I thought it was actually really significant. Right Chandra VP of home products.

He sent a personal email, I, think I think Google figured out they actually figured out which exact Google homeowners had the problems yes yeah, which ISIN second one right. Some people didn't get one. Some people did, but a ton of people did, so I think it was like I, don't know it's probably like a quarter of home users or some huge number like that. I got this email where it was like. It was like the most like sincere and humble email, I've ever seen from a trillion-dollar tech company.

Ever it was like what there's titled like what happened yesterday, as if it was like your ex, like texting you to like, or your girlfriend telling you like, they're sorry for something I was like it was like. It was very human. It's like you may have noticed a problem with your Google home. We found a glitch Allah. It was like it's frustrating when technology doesn't work the way it should, especially when you're, depending on it, we're sorry that this happened.

It's like I've, never seen a company do this before where it's like. This wasn't even a huge problem. I mean we, we wrote about it, and I'm sure tons people were affected, but it wasn't like I, don't know like it's not like people were most people aren't using their homes like all morning long. You know it's probably like in my case. This is how I noticed that I woke up, and I said hot word.

What time is it, and it said sorry we're done or like sorry like whatever it says, whenever there's no connection or whatever yeah, yeah sorry I can't help with that right now or something, and then I was like okay and then within a couple of hours, I'm sure it was starting to work again, but I don't interact with my Google home devices all day long, so anyways I just thought that that was really like. I, don't know a lot of integrity, a little hard just send that email and then the other thing was the YouTube drama. So, like YouTube did that little thing they announced the during one tiny little test that affects a third of a percent of YouTube users and every YouTube creator on the internet blew up about it. I don't know I, think somebody did the math. It's like 46 million use this or something it's the scale.

How these things work is notable, yeah, I, guess so yeah, that's a lot of people. I forget that a third of a percent is still sounds like. Why not, when is almost 2 billion logged in uses a month? Yeah, yes, it's there yeah for sure, but yeah long story. Short creators were complaining that I don't know a lot of it. I think is communication, like creators are like hating on Google, for making any chains at all or testing anything without explicitly announcing it and I.

Don't know. Creators are just paranoid. A little. I mean a lot to be fair. A lot of them are dependent on YouTube for their living.

So you know there's that, but I feel like it's. My take on always it's not a little. It's a little of an overreaction and my take on it is that Google is something to sabotage its platform. It knows that that's how they advantage is right, right and Google's. The explanation was basically like a lot of people use a lot of creators, use Auto generated images, so you may be mad, but we're trying to do this for your fellow creator, basically yeah, so yeah I think that's justified and I.

Think, like he's googling goals, just like the creators, they want to make money phrases so MMM, it's not like it's not like they're gonna, try and sabotage the community, so I feel like creators. Let's give Google a little of the benefit of the doubt here. Yeah, so I think that's pretty much that pretty much wraps up the show any other. Like final thoughts you have for the week. That's it from me alright! Well until next week you can tune in to alphabet scoop.

Every week here on YouTube, we record this podcast every Friday and publish every Saturday morning, and you can find us on all your favorite podcasting platforms such as iTunes and half of podcasts pocket casts the recently launched Google podcasts google play music, which is still alive as of this recording, and you can even listen on RS 895 cool calm thanks for tuning in as always, and thanks Abner for joining me. We'll see you next week, I.

Source : 9to5Google