Googlebooks Stumble After 1 Week as Android Flaws Undercut $1,000 Laptop Pitch
Updated
Updated · The Verge · Oct 12
Googlebooks Stumble After 1 Week as Android Flaws Undercut $1,000 Laptop Pitch
3 articles · Updated · The Verge · Oct 12
Summary
One week in, the reviewer says Google’s new Android-powered Googlebooks feel promising in bursts but remain too unreliable to recommend, especially as laptop replacements.
Android drives both the appeal and the problems: native apps, phone notifications and app casting can be useful, but phone pairing is flaky, often requiring restarts, same-Wi-Fi access and Bluetooth.
App support is a bigger obstacle on a $1,000 machine. Slack, Adobe apps and even Chrome lack key desktop features, while some Play Store apps such as Bluesky and Okta would not install on either tested model.
Cross-device extras also fall short: Continue On works inconsistently, notifications are messy, and file transfer is effectively unusable, with a single 5MB photo taking minutes instead of seconds via Quick Share.
The review suggests Googlebook OS still needs major fixes from Google and broader developer support before Android laptops can match the concept Google pitched earlier this month.