Chromebook Plusmodels were Googles way of bringing its brand of budget laptops to a new era.
This new quick access function brings up Geminis Help me write text generation capabilities.
Its akin to theCopilot Key on WindowsPCsbutwith several extra features.
The ‘Quick Access’ key replaces the spot for the old Launcher button. Launcher now has its own dedicated key between Fn and Alt.© Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo
The first new Chromebooks with the Quick Insert key are the ultra-thin Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus.
Its a large laptop, even sporting the numpad keys and a near-16-inch OLED display.
The button shares space with the Caps Lock key, taking over the position of the previous Launcher Key.
© Image: Google
But dont feel bad for the old G key.
It now gets its permanent spot next to the Function and Alt keys.
What AI Features Are Coming to Chromebook Plus?
© Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
Why isnt Quick Access getting the top spot instead of the Launcher Key?
Google told Gizmodo its because users were still more likely to use Launcher to access their apps quickly.
Theres also a new Recorder app that can create transcriptions based on the audio.
That feature runs on-unit, while Gemini and other AI features still require an internet connection.
These are essentially the same capabilities already in Googles ownNotebookLM.
That app also has extra features like the ability to createslideshows or documents based on added content.
The apprecently gainedfeatures that can create audio summaries of text content.
Previously, Geminis place on the taskbar was restricted to Chromebook Plus models.
Now, all Chromebooks should see the blue star Gemini icon pinned on their shelf.
Once again, Im more enticed by the new Chromebook features that arent necessarily tied to AI.
Theres also a Focus mode that, like on iOS, limits notifications or other distractions.
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