Just a day behind schedule, Google announced the release of Chrome OS 90 and, according to the update server, a vast majority of Chromebooks should be ready to download the update. In the coming days, we will be taking the update apart to bring you unannounced features that may be hidden in this release. For now, there are some good things to cover in the official release notes and we just wanted to take a moment to share them with you. As with many recent updates, Chrome OS 90 includes a few productivity-focused features, and I’m sure many users have been waiting for one or more of these tools to hit the stable channel. So, without further ado, here’s what’s new in Chrome OS 90.
Improved Launcher Search
Tapping the “All button” aka the search key will bring up your app launcher and you can search for apps as well as files in your local storage and Drive or even do a Google search. With Chrome OS 90, the Launcher’s search feature now includes useful results like weather, math calculations, or even gives you a stock quote when you type the stock symbol. Handy for me, because I often forget there is even a calculator installed on my Chromebook.
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Diganostic app
We’ve been following the Chrome OS diagnostics app for months, and this morning I found out that the SWA (system web app) will eventually include the Chrome Network Health tools used to test the connectivity of your device. That particular feature is still in the works, but the diagnostics app is official here in Chrome OS 90, and it includes useful information like your device’s specific CPU / memory configuration, battery charge and health, temperature, and a handful of system tests to make sure your resources are do not get stuck. Should you find that your Chromebook fails some of these hardware tests, you can send feedback to the developers directly from the diagnostics app.
Scan from your printer
Probably one of the most exciting features for educators and employees alike, the highly anticipated Scan tool has finally moved to the stable channel. As long as you have a compatible network printer, you can open the Scan app on your Chromebook and scan files to your local storage or Google Drive. The app detects the available DPI settings of the printer and gives you a preview of your scanned documents right in the app. Very useful and something that Chrome OS has needed badly to keep up with its competitors.
Live captions
Live Captioning has been ‘live’ on the Chrome browser for a while, but in the coming weeks Google will roll out the feature to the Chrome browser on Chrome OS. This enables real-time, live captioning on any media with audio and can be accessed through the Accessibility menu in the system tray or Chrome OS settings menu. That’s about it for the “official” update, but stay tuned. I’m sure there will be more to discover in the latest version of Chrome OS and we don’t want you to miss it. To see if your device is ready to update, go to the Chrome OS settings menu and click About Chrome OS or check out this handy website to see if your model is showing version 90.
Source: The keyword