Dell XPS 13 9350 (Late 2015) Review

Pixel C review: Google’s pure Android productivity tablet

The Pixel C was probably never supposed to run Android | Ars Technica

Was Android actually Google's third operating system choice for its new Pixel C tablet?

The Pixel C finally went on sale this week—but our full review notes that the convertible tablet feels like hardware in search of the software to make it a compelling product. Perhaps that's because, internally, Google engineers seem to have been searching for a compelling Pixel C software package for the last year and a half.

The contradiction between hardware and software is visible all over the tablet, so two examples will suffice. The hardware's keyboard and big screen would point to it being a productivity device, but the software's lack of a split-screen mode and apps optimized for the screen's size hamstring the Pixel C. The hardware seems geared for voice command functionality, given its array of four top-mounted microphones, but the software doesn't support Google's always-on voice commands.

It's also odd that the device hails from the Pixel team. Google has two big hardware brands: "Nexus," which covers flagship Android devices, and "Pixel," which denotes flagship Chrome OS devices. With the Pixel C, though, the Pixel team broke ranks and produced an Android tablet.

In our view, the Pixel C's irregularities all have a single explanation: the Pixel C was originally a Chrome OS device.

Back in July 2014, a new "Ryu" board (a "board" is just a reference to "motherboard"—a Chrome OS device under development) popped up in the Chrome OS open source repository. Further trips through the Chrome OS source code revealed that "Ryu" had a light bar, USB Type-C connectors, an Nvidia Tegra SoC, and wireless charging. That sounds an awful lot like the Pixel C (especially the wireless charging, which is used to charge the keyboard via the tablet's battery when closed).

Open up the Pixel C's software and take a look at Android's build.prop file—which lists all sorts of base information about the device—and you'll see "ro.product.name=ryu" listed in the properties. Based on this commit, it’s safe to say that at one point Google was definitely developing Chrome OS for its new Android tablet.

It appears that the Pixel C was planned as launch hardware for a new, all-touch version of Chrome OS which at some point got canceled—necessitating a switch to Android. The story is a lot more complicated than that, though. What follows is the best timeline we could piece together showing the Pixel C's troubled development history.

The Pixel C was probably never supposed to run Android | Ars Technica

Why Yahoo faded: The Internet changed, but it didn't - CNET

"Yahoo and I go way back.

I was one of the early adopters who embraced Yahoo as my main email service back in 1998 and who set up a custom My Yahoo page (remember those?) so all of the pertinent weather reports, stock quotes and headlines were at my fingertips.

Seventeen years later, Yahoo isn't even on my list of sites to check in on. There's my (non-Yahoo) email, and Facebook, of course, as well as a handful of news sites. The idea of an all-encompassing portal just doesn't appeal to me anymore.

I'm hardly alone. Yahoo said Wednesday that it plans to hollow itself out, spinning off its core business and leaving the company as little more than a way for shareholders to keep Yahoo's stake in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group."

Why Yahoo faded: The Internet changed, but it didn't - CNET

Introducing the Pixel C (US)

Google Pixel C review - CNET

Google Pixel C review - CNET

Samsung Galaxy View Hands-on

Asus ZenPad S 8.0 review - CNET

Asus ZenPad S 8.0 review - CNET

Google's Chromebooks make up half of US classroom devices

Google's Chromebooks make up half of US classroom devices

"Google, Microsoft and Apple have been competing for years in the very lucrative education technology market. For the first time, Google has taken a huge lead over its rivals.

Chromebooks now make up more than half of all devices in U.S. classrooms, up from less than 1 percent in 2012, according to a new report from Futuresource Consulting. To analysts, this comes as a big surprise.

"While it was clear that Chromebooks had made progress in education, this news is, frankly, shocking," said Forrester analyst J.P. Gownder. "Chromebooks made incredibly quick inroads in just a couple of years, leaping over Microsoft and Apple with seeming ease.

Combine Chromebooks with devices running on Android, and Google's share of the edtech market is even more impressive. As of the third quarter of this year it had 53 percent of the market for K-12 devices bought by schools and school districts.

Google's rapid gains come at the expense of its biggest rivals. Over the past three years, Apple's market share been slashed by more than half, from 52 to 24 percent and Microsoft's market share has slipped from 43 to 24 percent. Even Google seems a little surprised."

iPad Pro after one week: Can it replace your laptop?

iPad Pro after one week: Can it replace your laptop?

The price-tracking trick retailers don't want you to know about

The price-tracking trick retailers don't want you to know about

Common battery myths that need to die

Common battery myths that need to die

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 vs. Apple iPad Air 2

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 vs. Apple iPad Air 2

"With all factors taken into account, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 comes out just a bit ahead of the Apple iPad Air 2, thanks to a prettier screen and better storage options. That said, the victory is narrow, so those who are already leaning toward Apple’s offering shouldn’t feel nervous about going that direction."

Apple iPad Pro vs. Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Comparison Smackdown

Tim Cook insists Apple is 'open' after black teens asked to leave store, report says

Tim Cook insists Apple is 'open' after black teens asked to leave store, report says

"When you've spoken out about the removal of racist symbols in the American south, how do you respond when a video shows apparent racism in one of your own stores?

This was the situation facing Apple CEO Tim Cook after video emerged of several black teens being asked to leave the Apple store at the Highpoint shopping center in Melbourne, Australia.

The reason, so an Apple employee says in the video, was that other workers were concerned the teens "might steal something."

The video, posted to Facebook on Tuesday by Melbourne resident Francis Ose, shows the teens' incredulous reaction when being told why they were being asked to leave.

In his posting, Ose wrote: "Simply Racism, made them apologise tho."

On Friday, BuzzFeed published an email it said was sent by Cook to his employees. In it Cook said Apple is an "open" company and called the incident "unacceptable."

"One of our store employees gave an answer which shocked many of us," Cook said, adding that the employee "immediately" expressed regret to the students.

Neither Apple nor Ose responded to my request for comment."

Google Chrome Blog: Chrome OS is here to stay

"Over the last few days, there’s been some confusion about the future of Chrome OS and Chromebooks based on speculation that Chrome OS will be folded into Android. While we’ve been working on ways to bring together the best of both operating systems, there's no plan to phase out Chrome OS.



With the launch of Chrome OS six years ago, we set out to make computers better—faster, simpler and more secure—for everyone. We’ve since seen that vision come to life in classrooms, offices and homes around the world. In fact, every school day, 30,000 new Chromebooks are activated in U.S. classrooms—that’s more than all other education devices combined. And more than 2 million teachers and students in more than 150 countries have the Share to Classroom Chrome extension, which launched in September and gets students onto the same webpage, instantly. Meanwhile, companies such as Netflix, Sanmina, Starbucks and of course Google, are using Chromebooks given the ease of deployment, the ability to easily integrate with existing technologies, and a security model that protects users at all levels, from hardware to user data. (Chromebooks are so secure you don’t need antivirus software!) IT administrators can manage tens of thousands of Chromebooks through a single web console, making them ideal for both classrooms and the workplace."

Google Chrome Blog: Chrome OS is here to stay

2015 Google Chromebook Pixel Vs 2015 MacBook Air - Laptop Comparison

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