I ordered the Acer Googlebook 14 and was recently told about the rising bootloop issue. I tried looking up what Googles official statement on the situation was and couldn't find anything. Even their own AI is suggesting I just return it or refuse delivery. I really wanted this to my travel set up and im leaving in just 3 weeks time now. Is it really that bad?

I know this might be a bit off-topic, but I know many people likes GOS UI, but can't get Googlebook, so here's Linux customization I'm working on.

All widgets are functional. Color themes works great

I'm also planning to make custom apps/overlays for settings and system apps, to resemble GOS more.

Let me know what you think!

I hate laptop keyboards and touchpads. On my Windows laptop I sit a full sized keyboard over the laptop keyboard and use a full sized computer mouse with it. Why don't I just have a desktop? Well, I can still put it all into a computer bag if I need to set it up somewhere else. Couldn't do that with a desktop.

I have a low end Lenovo tablet for travelling, and use that with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.

Googlebooks sounds like it might be a nice upgrade from my current basic Android tablet, but I don't want a keyboard or a touchpad. So a tablet form that I could use with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse is what I'd want.

Will Google come to the party with that do you reckon?

I finally got wifi and sound working after cursing at my AI agent from hell for about 7 hours straight. Phone integration is still broken along with Quick Share. I'm pissed it can't run balatro.

I'll see if I can release a way to get others to use it, but no guarantees. I don't want guys in black suits showing up to my door.

Google pls don't sue me

Been using my HP Googlebook for a few days, overall liking it despite some bugs, but I just had my first "damn that's cool" moment with the OS, the CTRL+G+N shortcut for notes.

Being able to call up Keep, take a voice note using the Rambler shortcut key, and then having the note automatically sync to my Obsidian vault (via KeepSydian) with a mere 4 keystrokes is a legitimately killer feature for my personal workflow.

Hi everyone, I'm the developer of gbOS86, an independent project that runs Google's Googlebook OS on ordinary Intel laptops instead of Google's own hardware.

What it is

Googlebook OS is built for Google's own machines: their CPU, a security chip, a protected VM, and their kernel. gbOS86 keeps Google's userspace as shipped and replaces what's underneath:

• A different kernel (Android common kernel 6.18) with a CPU-instruction emulator. Google's binaries use instructions like SHA-NI, AVX-VNNI, GFNI and VAES that most laptops lack, so the kernel emulates them.
• Patched libraries for the hottest code (zlib checksums and SHA-256 in libcrypto), so boot and Play Store installs aren't crawling.
• Software stand-ins for the Google-only security hardware, so setup and the lock screen work.
• Boot-time hardware detection that loads the right Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, audio, touchpad and platform drivers on each machine and writes a report (hwdetect.txt).
• A boot menu on the USB stick: run live, install to the internal NVMe, or update an existing install without touching your data. The installer erases the drive only after you type its serial number.

What works today

On my Dell Latitude 5300 (i5-8365U): boots to the desktop, setup and Google sign-in, Play Store installs, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, sound, touchpad with gestures, battery, and a persistent install on the NVMe drive.

What I need to be upfront about

• Only that one laptop is tested. Support for other Intel 6th-gen and newer laptops (Intel, Realtek, MediaTek, Qualcomm and Broadcom Wi-Fi, HDA and SOF audio, I2C/PS2 touchpads, laptop hotkeys) is built in but untested on real hardware.
• It's slower than on Google's hardware, because many instructions are emulated. Newer CPUs that have them natively will do better.
• It is not a secure device. SELinux is permissive, Secure Boot has to be off, and the security services are software stand-ins.
• Suspend/resume, fingerprint readers, IPU6 cameras and discrete GPUs don't work. Installing needs an NVMe drive; live USB works without.
• No image download. The image contains Google's OS, so you build it yourself from Google's public recovery image. The repo has the tools and kernel patches, plus a few patched Google libraries the build needs.

How you can help

If you have an Intel laptop, try the live USB and send me your hwdetect.txt (it's in gbos/logs/boot-N/ on the stick after a boot). It lists your devices, which ones got a driver and which firmware is missing, and that's what lets me add support.

• Source: https://github.com/linuxkid473/gbos-x86
• Site, install guide and docs: https://gbos86.com
• Discord: https://discord.gg/h9AD9fSnDT

Independent project, not affiliated with or endorsed by Google. Questions and criticism welcome.

Anyone else getting errors trying to use the Titan key to do things like log into their Google account (lol), or anything with passkeys? Acer Googlebook here

It has an Intel ultra 7 255hx

I just updated to the latest chrome that is supposed to enable pwa. The create shortcut does not exist in chrome under share. Anyone else have this issue or know a fix?

Fixed : I did a factory reset and it worked.

Hi Everyone,

When I first started reading about Googlebooks, I was a bit skeptical. Having been an early adopter of Android tablets with the first Motorola Xoom, I wasn't really all too keen on the idea of Android running on anything but a smartphone. I eventually migrated to an iPad, primarily because app support for Android tablets is not very good.

I'm an Android phone user, a Windows computer user, and an iPad user. I build my own PCs that run Windows 11, primarily for gaming. And I'm really disgusted with how slow Windows 11 feels.

Regarding Googlebook OS, I've seen the negative reviews. Whatever. I decided to be an early adopter and invested in the HP Googlebook. I went with an ARM powered laptop because of battery life concerns and also not wanting to mess around with some sort of app translation layer. So far I'm impressed with the build quality of the laptop and how fast this OS is.

I think Google is on to something here. They need to bring third party developers on board pronto. But so far, I'm liking what I see.

Not even kidding when I say this was one of the main reasons I bought a googlebook. Extremely disappointed we can't even do this

Even after the newest Chrome update, when opening a Google Sheet and/or a Google Slides document, it opens in Chrome. Also, if you try to install Sheets and Slides as PWA apps is not possible. The system says that the app is already installed. The thing is though that Google Docs can be installed as a PWA app, which causes the OS to open all Google Docs document in the PWA app and not the default wrapper apps that Googlebook OS provides. Sheets and Slides cannot be installed as PWA because their names are the same as the system apps.

Google, please change that. Make it work as on all OSes that have a desktop browser. At least now I have a workaround for Google Docs. We need to be able to open Sheets and Slides in their own apps, not Chrome.

I have been keenly interested in playing with these devices hands on before pulling the trigger but unfortunately there are no bricks n mortar Google Stores here in Colorado. I have visited several Denver area Best Buy locations over the past couple weeks but have had no luck up until today... I finally found them today at the Denver Flagship store off Colorado Blvd and I25.

They have 4 of the 5 models on display.... Unfortunately the one model I am most interested in (Asus Googlebook 14) is NOT on display.

The BB sales guy I chatted with said they (Best Buy employees) have zero say or control over the Goolge display units. What he described is that a single person has to hit every Best Buy in the Denver area one at a time to set up the display table and brings in the devices as well. Ostensibly he did not have an Asus display model for the flagship store. Odd. This seems like a comically inefficient way of launching these new premium devices but I suppose this all very on-brand behavior for Google device launch.

Figured I would share here in the event anyone else in the Denver area is looking to get your hands on them.

Personally, I am leaning towards the Asus as I would rather have the legacy support from x86 architecture, the OLED display and haptic trackpad are nice features and mostly just want the myriad of ports that the Asus model offers.

I'm eagerly awaiting them being listed for sale on the Google Store (online) so that I can use this ~$330 store credit from my Pixel 11 Pro purchase.... Unfortunately Google support reps are telling me via chat and phone that they cannot confirm when or even if the Asus model will be sold through the Google Store directly 😮‍💨

At this point I'm considering just waiting another month or so and seeing if any Black Friday deals happen on these.

Often times it is over the thing I want to screenshot, but not the exact area, so I will have to drag the sides. It would be quicker if I can just drag a box myself, that is what I prefer.

Right now what I end up doing is i always drag that box away and then drag a box myself.

For those of you that have a Dell XPS Googlebook, does it support auto brightness for the display?

My HP Googlebook which I like a lot, doesn't have the option. Apparently there is no sensor in the device.

The multiple screenshots in my clipboard cannot be pasted. This is on gemini.google.com

Was watching a show in Prime Video through Chrome on an XPS Googlebook. The audio was not properly synced with the video. This was playing through the speakers, not earbuds.

When I tried to use the Prime Video app, the visuals were totally off -- video was extremely dark (even at full screen brightness).

The first few seconds after the webpage loads the scrolling is choppy, like it's 30hz or smthn. and then it becomes normal 120hz.

edit: a restart fixed it.

Hi all,

I am trying to find out if there is a way to disable notifications sync between our Pixel and our Googlebooks for selected apps. I haven't found anything yet.

Is it possible?

Purchased an "open box - excellent" HP for $220 off MSRP, hoping for a wonderful PC <-> Android experience. Hardware is superb, as expected. App casting from my Pixel 10 Pro XL has been rock solid since the Googlebook received an update yesterday that required a reboot. Ditto with the File Transfer. My Pixel's integration via Continue On has been a pleasant surprise. These are probably enough of a reason to keep it, along with the promise of ongoing improvements. It'll get better, it already has.

For context, I've been on Android since day 1, and Pixel phones for the last 5 years. I'm coming from a Macbook Air M3 that my kid took to college. So it was a Googlebook or a Macbook Air M5. Hardware feels equivalent to the M3, plus a touchscreen that I keep forgetting to use. The Macbook is of course way more capable aside from the complete lack of Android integration, but I knew that.

There are some annoying bugs and feature gaps, but I expect issues when adopting early. Chrome and Terminal (Linux) will be lacking for a while, and I'd like some better options for managing multiple desktops. The "delete more text than selected" issue is very annoying with Reddit's text editor in particular. My typing workflow on Reddit has become an almost automatic "select text > Backspace > Ctrl+Z" to undo whatever was over-deleted.

Oddness: I don't understand why the G key is where it is, given how important it is for keyboard shortcuts. It's technically within range of my left pinkie, but it's not intuitive to hit it that way. I always have to look at the keyboard to find it. I keep expecting the G key to be where Caps Lock is, that would have been more intuitive. It looks like I can remap keys if I really care.

The previous owner must have redeemed the GeForce 12 months offer, but I don't really care. I redeemed the Google Pro 12 month offer.

I have a little under 2 weeks to change my mind and return it. We'll see.

If I plug in my XPS Googlebook to an external monitor and camera, I can't use the camera in the Android Zoom app. The web app works, but the resolution is very low. It would be amazing to make it possible to use these external cameras. Otherwise, it is extremely hard to use this product at work.

If a few things were worked out (this camera issue, the bluetooth audio codec issue on Snapdragon) it would be very feasible for me to use this as a daily driver.