Google quietly updates the Pixelbook Go to Android 13 with ChromeOS 123

Google continues to support the Pixelbook Go and recently updated the near 5 year old laptop to Android 13 with the newly released ChromeOS 123. The update is not user facing as one may expect but I did notice more apps with animated splash screens and sweet app open effects. Also, I believe the per app language feature may be tied to the Android 13 update. Performance of the laptop since the update has been very similar to the previous Android version. This is a win in my book. With ChromeOS 123 other features were released. Check out what's new below along with a screenshot of the new Android version.

Customizing keyboard shortcuts
Using shortcuts boosts productivity, and we all have our favorites. In ChromeOS 123, with shortcut customization, you will be able to assign your preferred key combination to personalize your shortcuts. Whether you want them to be easier to do with one hand, simpler to remember, or identical to the ones you're familiar with, this feature will simplify your day-to-day workflows. This is currently behind a flag "#enable-shortcut-customization" and will be enabled by default in M124.

Mouse button customization

Mouse button customization on Chromebook helps users complete quick actions with the click of a button. If your mouse has more than two buttons, you can now assign those to a set list of actions such as taking a screenshot, muting and unmuting, inserting emojis, and so on. You can also select a key combination to assign to your buttons any action performed by a keyboard shortcut.

ChromeOS Tether Hotspot

Hotspot is now available on ChromeOS! You can now share your cellular network on your Chromebook as a hotspot to other devices without an internet connection! Enable your first hotspot by opening Network Settings and toggling on Hotspot. In ChromeOS 123, we only support T-Mobile in the US but we are working to add other networks in future releases.

Per-app language preferences on Android

You can now change to your preferred language for your Android apps. These new settings are available in Settings > Apps > Manage your apps > App language.

New natural-sounding voices for text-to-speech

In ChromeOS 123, we’ve added new natural sounding TTS voices that work offline and are available in 31 languages.

Comments

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