After last week’s desktop update, Chrome OS 90 starts rolling out today. There are a handful of usability improvements in this release, which will be available in the coming days.
Chrome OS 90 introduces a Diagnostic app which can be accessed by searching the launcher. Once you’ve identified your device model, the Battery section will list its capacity, condition, number of cycles, and amperage, with the option to run a discharge test.
The CPU card starts with noting the exact processor and has a graph broken down by user and system activity. There is also current usage as percentage, temperature and current with a CPU test also available. Memory is the last with its own test. At any time, users can “Save Session Log” to share with support.
After starting on desktop, Live caption will be available on Chrome OS soon. Go to device settings (app) and scroll down to ‘Accessibility’ under ‘Advanced’. At the very bottom of the “Manage Accessibility Features” page is Captions. Live Caption can be enabled here with downloaded voice files to enable local processing. Then it will be available in the media control panel. This capability will be fully available in the coming weeks.
The Launcher can now be displayed inline results for weather, word definitions, stock quotes and simple calculations. This means you don’t have to do a full Google search that opens in a new tab.
A Scan app allows users to digitize documents and photos directly from their printer via Wi-Fi or USB connection. You can choose the device, file type and resolution.
Google has Works With Chromebook certified docks (and other accessories) are being updated via Chrome OS.
Standard, Google Maps and YouTube now open as standalone app windows instead of tabs. By right-clicking the app icon in the shelf, you can quickly change the behavior.
From the Drive folder in Files it is now possible to enable offline access for Docs, Sheets and Slides.
Google has it AMR-NB, AMR-WB and GSM audio codecs due to low consumption. Access can be temporarily restored with: chrome: // flags / # deprecate-low-use-codecs
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