Articles by Ara Wagoner

Both on your phone and your smart displays, Assistant is getting easier to develop for.

What you need to know

New developer tools for Google Assistant were unveiled as part of Google I/O 2021.
Android 12 APIs for Shortcuts will make it easier for users to find all the Assistant commands associated with an installed app.
Google Assistant will also be able to better display your data by displaying widgets in the Google Assistant pop-up.
New advancements will also improve the ability for developers to build a conversational experience for smart displays powered by Google Assistant.

Google I/O 2021 has kicked off with a bevy of big announcements from the new Material You UI with a Pixel-exclusive theming system to Samsung and Google teaming up to make Wear OS better. There are new developer tools for just about every system and service that Google touches debuting today, and Google Assistant is no exception.

Google Assistant’s new features and dev tools this year focus around makin…

You use a keyboard all day, every day, so make sure you’re using the best one.

Finding the best Android keyboard apps is one of the most important choices you make on your phone. They will shape the speed and accuracy with which you use your phone to communicate, and because keyboards can see everything you type from passwords to social security numbers, it’s important to have a keyboard you trust and like. To that end, here now are the keyboards we trust and like the most to help us tweet, text, and type up our articles in a crowded bar.

The top 3 best Android keyboard apps

1. Gboard
2. SwiftKey
3. Chrooma

More options

Typewise
Fleksy
Grammarly Keyboard
OpenBoard
AnySoftKeyboard
Go Keyboard

These are our picks for the best Android keyboard apps

Many of us stick to the keyboard that comes pre-installed, which is likely Gboard or Samsung’s keyboard. There’s a reason why Gboard is king on Android and that’s thanks to its versatility and ability to recognize what you’re t…

Let’s start Google I/O with some new resources for tablet and foldable apps.

What you need to know

The Material Design team published new guidelines for designing apps with adaptable layouts, particularly for tablets, foldable phones, and Chromebooks.
The announcement blog post mentions updated guidelines for responsive layout and scalable components.
Two Google I/O sessions are recommended for developers in the post, and I can’t wait to watch them.

Google I/O starts on Tuesday, and there’s a lot Google needs to get through in three days, which explains why the Material Design team is getting a jump on its many, many announcements by publishing new Material Design Guidance for Large Screens on the Material Design blog.

The updated guidelines should help developers design more responsible, adaptable, and scalable apps so that whether their apps are on the best phones, new-fangled foldables, or cheap Android tablets, users get the best experience possible. It should better soli…

We have already rounded up all the best Chromebook options available, but when it comes to the best student Chromebooks, that’s a different set of options. Education Chromebooks are designed to withstand the use and abuse of a classroom full of kids, as well as being carried around in an overstuffed backpack. Reinforced hinges and ports are the norm, as are water-resistant keyboards and all-day battery life. These lightweight laptops also have some of the easiest and most useful keyboard shortcuts to help your child get homework done quickly once they find their rhythm. There are many great options to choose from, but the best Chromebook for students overall is the ASUS Chromebook Flip C214. Here are some of our other trusted favorites to consider.

ASUS Chromebook Flip C214

Best student Chromebook option available now

The ASUS Chromebook Flip C214 is the best Chromebook for students because it provides an excellent experience in a compact, durable package. The 11.6-inch screen i…

This is a small change, but progress is progress

What you need to know

Samsung Inc. has contributed code to Project Fuchsia and been listed as an author of code related to its F2FS system.
Project Fuchsia has been in development for six years but didn’t open up to more engaged public development until last year.
There’s still no word on when we might see a major release or product announcement running Fuchsia.

Google definitely believes in the slow burn when it comes to open-source development. Fuchsia OS has been in development since 2016, but it hasn’t seen much development in a couple of years. However, much of that might’ve been because Fuchsia wasn’t open to all developers. Google beefed up its development support for the open-source development of Fuchsia in December of last year, and we’ve now seen the first commits from another tech giant that knows a thing or two about building a new system from scratch.

The new code commits relate to Samsung’s F2FS (Flash-Friendly Fil…

Buy it on sale

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook

From $735 at Amazon
$1,000 at Best Buy
From $699 at Samsung

Pros

More powerful
Vivid 4K screen
Built-in stylus

Cons

Less-than-stellar battery life
Prone to overheating

The original Galaxy Chromebook has been out for over a year now, but with the discounts, it’s gotten from retailers, it’s still the better buy from a power and performance perspective. Just keep in mind that this ultra-thin Chromebook will get very warm during prolonged sessions.

The mediocre future

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2

From $549 at Best Buy
From $549 at Samsung

Pros

Still beautiful for less money
Nice-looking 1080p screen
Better battery life

Cons

Overpriced for the specs
No built-in stylus
Lack of ports hurts more here

Samsung trimmed the fat and fixed its battery woes with the Galaxy Chromebook 2, but the model ends up in the bizarre in-between. It’s too expensive to compete with other Celeron and i3 Chromebooks, and it’s not premium …

What I love about Android more than anything else is that you can use wallpapers, Android launchers, icon packs, and widgets to turn your phone into a truly unique and custom experience. Widgets are basically miniature applications that run on your home screen, displaying information so that you don’t have to dip into the weather app just to see the temperature or see the next calendar appointment. Widgets can also be used to control your music, toggle quick settings, or even interact with your smart home without leaving your home screen. Here’s how to add new widgets or remove the widgets that came pre-installed on your Android phone.

How to add a new widget to your home screen

Widgets are handled slightly differently between launchers — the app that actually runs your home screen — but most launchers follow the same basic process for adding widgets. The layout might be slightly different depending on your phone’s manufacturer, whether you’re using a third-party launcher, and …

I know it’s hard to find a docking station, but this costs as much as my first Chromebook.

What you need to know

Hyper has announced a series of accessories that are Made for Chromebooks.
The HyperDrive 14-Port USB-C Docking Station for Chromebook has four video outputs and 5 USB-A ports.
Hyper’s also offering a 5-in-1 USB-C Hub and an Ethernet to USB-C Adapter.
All three products will be launching in August, ranging in price from $50-$240.

Whether you’re running the best Chromebook or you’re using something that’s a couple of years old, you can upgrade your experience and turn your Chromebook into a perfect work from home laptop by adding on an external monitor and a better mic than the dinky one your Chromebook shipped with using a Chromebook-compatibile docking station. The problem is that finding a docking station that plays nice with a Chromebook can take a while because things aren’t always the same as they are on a Windows laptop or a Macbook.

I’ve actually gone throug…

The best Chromebooks are more than just lightweight laptops with speed and simplicity; they’re adaptable devices that help us get through the day. While I don’t spend all day chained to a desk with my Chromebook, whenever my Chromebook is plugged in and not actively used, it pulls double duty as a smart display. Because of the integrations with Google Assistant and Chromebook’s Ambient Display feature, all it takes to turn this on is a thirty-second trip to the Settings app.

How to turn on your Chromebook’s Ambient Mode

Open the Settings app from the app drawer or quick settings menu.
Tap or scroll down to the Personalization section.

Tap Screen saver.

Tap the toggle to turn it on.

Select the Background images you want to use.
To edit which photos you see, tap the right arrow to the right side of the selected source.

If you’re using Google Photos, tap the folders you want Ambient Display to pull from.

If you’re using Art gallery, tap Earth and space if you only want to s…

I want to love this laptop, but it still needs a bit more refining.

The processor diversity on the best Chromebooks has expanded nicely over the last year, with Ryzen processors arriving on the ThinkPad C13 and the Snapdragon 7c first announced for Chromebooks last October. We’ve been waiting on the Acer Chromebook Spin 513 for a solid six months now, with some questioning if the model had been canceled after the silent delays surrounding its release.

Now, the wait is over for the Acer Chromebook Spin 513, and while there’s generally a lot to like about this laptop, what makes it unique also makes it a liability for at least the next few months: it’s using a budget processor that’s not fully optimized yet. In short, the Acer Chromebook Spin 513 is a perfectly fine laptop being held back by its chipset.

At a glance

Acer Chromebook Spin 513

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