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Android desktop OS leaks ahead of 'Googlebook' debut
Android’s upcoming desktop OS experience is set to power “Googlebook” laptops in the not-too-distant future, and a 16-minute video has revealed some of the features found in this platform including its Android roots, some familiar ChromeOS features, and desktop-style features like folders on the desktop and terminal. Mystic Leaks earlier today posted a gallery of screenshots and a video showcasing Google’s upcoming “AluminiumOS” which is expected to be the Android-powered experience powering “Googlebook” laptops. This leak shows the new experience running on a MacBook Pro through a virtual machine, and shows more or less how this platform works – at least right now, as Google has said nothing is shipping for a while. There are a few key things to spot here, starting with the desktop. Unlike ChromeOS, apps can be placed on the desktop and you can right-click to create a new folder (akin to macOS or Windows). Virtual desktops are also supported so you can have more than one canvas for windowed apps. There’s a “Link to iOS” app, too. Also shown here are Quick Settings and notification panels, a task manager (which crashed on opening), gestures and shortcuts for the touchpad, and… that’s pretty much it. The setup experience is also basically a mix of Android and ChromeOS. It’s a limited experience, but it could change between now and the actual launch. Again, Google says this won’t be launching for some time. The leaked build is based on Android 17. What do you think about this experience so far? More on Android: ‘Pause Point’ is the Digital Wellbeing upgrade Google’s needed to deliver for years Android 17 is getting redesigned emoji, and Google is clearly never bringing back the blobs [Gallery] Gemini Intelligence brings gen UI widgets, Gboard ‘Rambler’ to Android, debuting on Pixel & Samsung Follow Ben: Twitter/X, Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Google's new laptop platform, 'Googlebook,' leaks ahead of reveal event ...
(Image credit: Google via XDA) Google has been teasing a new "Android Show: I/O Edition" for the past week, where we expect to see Android 17 revealed with a design overhaul. But now, new info has surfaced that suggests the event will perhaps focus on a different avenue: laptops. The company's new laptop platform, meant to succeed Chromebooks, powered by Android and filled to the brim with Gemini, has just leaked — and it's called "Googlebook."The event is scheduled for Tuesday, but was leaked ahead of time by an XDA article was seemingly posted. Images shared online reveal the features of this new platform. (Image credit: Google via XDA)There are a bunch of AI features, all powered by Gemini, such as custom widgets and more seamless generative AI. You can simply ask Gemini to make you a widget specifically according to your needs, and it will pull data from your connected Google apps to build one; the example shown in the slide combines calendar events, hotel reservations, and an airplane ticket (along with a cover photo) into one.Then there's the "Magic Pointer," which is essentially like a smart mouse pointer that's context-aware and understands what it's hovering over. Using Gemini, you can ask it to blend two images together just by putting your cursor on top. We also see the ability to cast apps highlighted in the leaked image, but more importantly, there's something called the "Glowbar" mentioned right above the Googlebook name.This is likely a hardware implementation of the glow animation that Gemini (and Google Assistant before it) already has on phones. It looks like an LED strip embedded at the bottom of the top lid, similar to the navigation bar that sits on Android. This Glowbar will probably react to your commands when you're interacting with Gemini, playing different animations based on what it's doing. (Image credit: Google via XDA)Lastly, there's the fact that Google itself is not manufacturing the hardware — it's once again outsourcing that to actual PC vendors such as Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Acer, and more. This means that perhaps the operating system these "Googlebooks" run is branded differently from the hardware itself. Maybe we're looking at Aluminum OS after all: the company's internal efforts to unify Android and ChromeOS into a single platform. It sure does look like this is it.Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.Now, Google has a history of replacing its products with namesake rebrands, ...
Google's Aluminium OS revealed in 16-minute leaked video
7 hours ago ... The video shows an Android 17-based operating system running on a laptop, with a homescreen featuring desktop icons and a Google search bar.
Google Aluminium OS Leak: Desktop Shell Confirmed, Apps Still Missing
Google Aluminium OS Leak: Desktop Shell Confirmed, Apps Still Missing Ahead of Google's Android Show: I/O Edition event today, leaker Mystic Leaks published a 16-minute hands-on video of Aluminium OS on Telegram, one of the most detailed public looks yet at the Android-based platform Google intends as a long-term successor to ChromeOS.
