The Chrome Cast

This week on the podcast, we begin things by chatting about the recent GPU benchmarks that have surfaced for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. With the two phones being out in the wild for a few weeks at this point, it is nice to see where some of the speedy performance comes from and knowing the GPU is insanely powerful in the Pixel 6 give us hope that games and other graphic-intensive tasks will continue getting better on these phones as developers learn to take more advantage of that power. It is during this time that we also talk a bit about PUBG New State on both Chromebooks and lower-end Android phones. It is pretty awesome!

For the second half, we jump into the recent revelations that Google won't be building a new Pixelbook anytime soon. We now know that we shouldn't expect a new Google-made Chromebook at any point this year or next, and that's a bummer. Sure, we know Tensor for Chromebooks is coming, but still see no reason Google shouldn't have planned one more Intel-powered Pixelbook to bridge the gap.

NOTABLE LINKS

• PUBG New State is here and runs like butter on the new Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5
• The only potential Pixelbook board in development just got the axe
• Busted: Samsung sued over shattered Chromebook Plus displays
• PUBG New State launches in 3 days and there's only one Chromeboook you can play it on
• After update to Geekbench, Pixel 6 Tensor SoC gets crazy-high GPU compute scores

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This episode is also brought to you by NordVPN. Get a VPN that takes your privacy seriously. NordVPN is our VPN of choice and will secure your browsing on your Chromebook or on any device. Use NordVPN to keep your private data to yourself whether you are at home or on the go! CLICK HERE to try it out and get a 3-year deal for $3.49/month.

Join our Patreon community and get access to things like behind-the-scenes footage, early access to videos, private Discord server access, an ad-free experience on the mobile and desktop versions of the website, your name listed on all our YouTube videos, and monthly live stream Q&A. CLICK HERE to be a part of our community.

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Whether you know all about USI (universal stylus initiative), have never heard about it, or are itching to know more, you really need to tune in for this episode of The Chrome Cast. We were fortunate enough to have a fantastic and detailed conversation about the history, current status, and future of USI with none other than the Chairman of the Board for USI, Peter Mueller. Through a series of questions and discussion, Peter talks in depth about the technology that drives this new stylus standard and why it is the folks behind USI hope it can become the single, standardized stylus protocol for nearly all tech gadgets.

We had a preliminary call with Pete before setting up the podcast recording and even though I knew quite a bit about USI going into today's episode, I still left our discussion even more excited by the potential of USI pens across all aspects of the tech community. We sincerely hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did making it.

NOTABLE LINKS

• Hands-On: USI pens for Chromebooks are finally arriving and they are awesome [VIDEO]
• [Update: Sold Out] This certified USI stylus is available once again for $49
• Behold, ASUS and Lenovo USI pens surface online
• Upcoming AMD-powered Chromebooks will internally stow and charge a USI stylus

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This week on The Chrome Cast, we begin the show talking a bit about the coming Pixel Watch and how the features, look and feel of that watch could be a huge uptick for Wear OS as a whole. With Fitbit integration, a great look, and a focus on glanceable information, we all are excited to see this wearable show up at Google's annual fall hardware event.

For the second half of the show, we focus in on a recent video we published this week: using a Chromebook to power a golf simulator bay. As you likely know by this point, we all love golf and getting to run the simulator software right from a Chromebook is an unexpected treat, proving that our favorite OS is continually becoming more capable by the day.

LINKS

• I have a golf simulator running on a Chromebook, and it’s awesome [VIDEO]
• Google is working on at least 7 Pixel Watch bands to accessorize your wrist with
• Pixel Watch will have a dedicated app and feature Android Smart Unlock
• Pixel Watch to have 2 processors and more storage/RAM than any other Wear OS watch
• Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro pass through FCC, Pixel 7 Ultra and Pixel Notepad absent
• Pixel Buds Pro vs. $40 and $70 ANC earbuds: are Google’s earbuds worth it? [VIDEO]
• Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro get massive discounts as the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro loom large

This episode is brought to you by Fresh Roasted Coffee. To check it out, go to https://chromeunboxed.com/coffee/ and use the discount code CHROMEUNBOXED for 15% off your initial purchase!

This episode is also brought to you by NordVPN. CLICK HERE to try it out and get 2 years for $3.29 per month.

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This week on The Chrome Cast, we’re still stuck in Pixel 6 land. We warned you that it would be a Pixel party until the 19th and here we sit, just days out from the final unveiling. In the last week, more leaks came up, more specs were verified, and more hype was generated on the way. There were new landing pages discovered and Google has put their live event on YouTube for you to bookmark and get notified of, too.

As much as Pixel fever dominates the podcast, there were other things to talk about as well. Most notably, our coverage of Acer’s latest press conference along with an exclusive interview with Acer COO Jerry Kao. There are some interesting things brewing at Acer and with 4 new Chromebooks on the way, the Chrome OS train is still running strong.

NOTABLE LINKS

• Google’s Pixel Fall Launch live stream is already up on YouTube if you know where to look
• Just-announced Acer Chromebook 515 hands-on and initial impressions [VIDEO]
• Acer unwraps four Chromebooks and new Works with Chromebook accessories
• Where to watch the next@acer Global Press Event: Made For Humanity
• With so many Pixel 6 leaks, the Pixel Watch silence is deafening
• New leak suggests the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 camera setups aren’t as similar as we thought
• Complete Pixel 6 details outed in full-blown landing page, including performance numbers

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This episode is also brought to you by NordVPN. Get a VPN that takes your privacy seriously. NordVPN is our VPN of choice and will secure your browsing on your Chromebook or on any device. Use NordVPN to keep your private data to yourself whether you are at home or on the go! CLICK HERE to get 69% off and 3 months for free.

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This week on The Chrome Cast, we begin the show discussing the major outage that struck Facebook this week, bringing down all their services along with it. For most of the work day Monday, users were unable to send messages via Messenger or WhatsApp, post on Facebook or Instagram, or access Oculus VR services. It was a big deal that affected a ton of people and raises some interesting questions about the pervasiveness of mega companies in our daily lives: both at work and play.

In a much lighter second half, we delve into Pixel 6 leaks that have come about and talk through the interesting situation that Google is in where even a treasure trove of leaked photos and info don’t really seem to cause much of a stir. With their marketing strategy for Pixel 6, it really does feel like Google has stemmed the leaker tide and taken full control of the narrative surrounding their new phones.

Finally, we take a bit of time to discuss some important movement in the Chrome OS gaming scene. Anti-cheat is a big hurdle for Linux gaming (what ‘Borealis’ – A.K.A. Steam for Chromebooks will leverage) and it looks like all the major players are on board to get their anti-cheat protocols up and running for Steam on Linux in the near future.

NOTABLE LINKS

• Why I’m excited to be returning to #teamPixel with Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro [VIDEO]
• Online games with Anti-Cheat will soon be playable on Chromebooks
• New Pixel 6 leaks show new Pixel Stand, prove Google won the leaker wars this time around
• We need to talk about the sheer awesomeness that is Google’s Pixel 6 event launch page
• Save the Date: Pixel Fall Launch is officially Oct. 19
• It’s not your Chromebook: Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp are all completely down

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This episode is also brought to you by NordVPN. Get a VPN that takes your privacy seriously. NordVPN is our VPN of choice and will secure your browsing on your Chromebook or on any device. Use NordVPN to keep your private data to yourself whether you are at home or on the go! CLICK HERE to try it out and get a 3-year deal for $3.49/month.

Join our Patreon community and get access to things like behind-the-scenes footage, early access to videos, private Discord server access, an ad-free experience on the mobile and desktop versions of the website, your name listed on all our YouTube videos, and monthly live stream Q&A. CLICK HERE to be a part of our community.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices