Chrome OS 88 Turns Your Chromebook Into An Impromptu Smart Display (engadget.com) 16
Google has started rolling out Chrome OS 88. The update includes a couple of enhancements, the most notable of which is a new screen saver you can use to get more functionality out of your computer's lock screen. Engadget reports: By enabling the feature, your Chromebook will be able to display images from your Google Photos library, including those you've organized into specific albums. You can also choose from a selection of default images put together by Google. If you use the Google Photos functionality built into the Pixel Stand and Nest Hub, you'll have a good idea of how the screen saver works.
The lock screen also displays the time and local weather and provides you with easy to access media controls so you can pause or play a song. You'll find your WiFi and battery status on the bottom right corner and the option to sign out from your account if you want. You enable the feature by digging into the settings menu of Chrome OS and finding your way to the Personalization section. Once enabled, it will turn on when the operating system detects that your device has been idle for some time. The update also introduces a feature that allows you to use your pin or fingerprint, instead of a password, to log into websites that support the WebAuthn standard.
The lock screen also displays the time and local weather and provides you with easy to access media controls so you can pause or play a song. You'll find your WiFi and battery status on the bottom right corner and the option to sign out from your account if you want. You enable the feature by digging into the settings menu of Chrome OS and finding your way to the Personalization section. Once enabled, it will turn on when the operating system detects that your device has been idle for some time. The update also introduces a feature that allows you to use your pin or fingerprint, instead of a password, to log into websites that support the WebAuthn standard.
How is this a "Smart Display"? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:How is this a "Smart Display"? (Score:5, Funny)
Google gives ChromeOS a screen saver. Just think of all the wild things that can happen with a screen saver.
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Holy shit! Flying toasters [bryanbraun.com]
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That was absolutely what I was thinking when I heard they are now enabling that 20th Century technology of screensavers. Flying Toasters.
Now, should we even call them screensavers anymore? There are no phosphors to burn anymore. In fact, you could say that running the display and backlight might actually reduce the lifespan of the display. Just saying.
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Would be nice on unsupported old Chromebooks (Score:2)
Would be nice to be able to run this on all my half-dozen or so unsupported old Chromebooks.
*sigh*
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You may be able to flash the firmware and run a non-Chrome OS on it. See if your model(s) is/are supported here:
https://galliumos.org/ [galliumos.org]
"Smart" of course meaning (Score:3)
it sends all the EXIF data of the images you display with it to Google.
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Snooze.. (Score:4, Insightful)
When news for nerds includes the lock screen screensaver the value of Slashdot drops. Or is the implication that Google has somehow merged the mobile platform's core concept of a lock screen on an otherwise working system (with wifi shown) with the desktop platform's core concept of a screensaver (which actually is meaningless in terms of avoiding CRT burn-in anymore, but serves as a privacy feature)? Am I simply trying to find meaning in the meaningless hype?
Should be built in (Score:3)
If people had implemented "everything is a file" correctly, like in Plan 9, the display would be merely a file under /dev, an sharing it on the network would be as trivial as sharing any other file. Just mount the directory on the other system, and make sure you've got access rights.
Chrome "OS", being Gentoo underneath, of course makes this easier than say, Ubuntu. But sadly, Linux developers deemed such a basic thing "too complicated" to make fast. They should stop drinking Brawndo, methinks.
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That's a really interesting idea. I love the Unix approach, but I'm not sure how one could treat a (graphical) display as either a block or character device - and besides which, you'd need a way to handle windows and multiple access.
On the other hand, X11 does this anyway.
If you haven't yet seen it, have a go with "xpra" - it has the speed of VNC, but the desktop integration of X-over-ssh.
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Millenial clickbait copy editing (Score:1)
"Your chromebook"
"Your Google photos"
What if I don't have a chromebook? Will this OS feature magically disappear from the world if *I* can't experience it?
Chromecast receiver! (Score:3)