Googlebook preorders are live: Here is why Android users should care
With features like Continue On and Cast My Apps, Google is finally giving Android users the seamless Mac-like integration they've wanted for years.
Google announced Googlebook OS in May at its annual developer conference. The new platform, created from an Android- and Gemini-first approach, promised a streamlined experience for Android users, improving on the experience ChromeOS users had come to love and hate over the years.
On Monday, Google announced the first five Googlebooks, opened preorders, and talked more about Googlebook OS and its deep ties to Android.
Googlebook's integration with Android is very Apple-like.
From Google's announcement post:
Once you’re set up, Googlebook makes it easy to move between your phone and laptop and back to get things done.
Continue On: Pick up exactly where you left off on your phone, right on your laptop. If you start a project in BandLab on your phone while commuting, you can open your Googlebook and continue right from the taskbar.
Files: Rather than hunting through downloads or emailing attachments to yourself, use your Googlebook’s Files app to view, search, and open files and photos from your phone.
Cast My Apps: Need to order dinner from a delivery app or grab a one-time code from Messages? Cast My Apps lets you stream and interact with your phone’s apps in a desktop window without interrupting your workflow.
Except for the Files feature, all of this is currently possible for iPhone owners with a Mac, and has been for several years. Even the Files comparison isn't impossible on Apple hardware – while you can't directly browse an iPhone's storage from Mac's Finder app, iCloud Drive and iCloud Photos keep everything synced and readily available.
What's most exciting to me is that Google has tried this before with the Chromebook, but it was a piecemeal approach. ChromeOS would get new features and updates, Android would get new features and updates, and sometimes they'd coexist and play nicely with each other. Other times, not so much.
Reading through Googlebook coverage from this morning, it's clear Google's goal is to provide a more streamlined and unified experience across laptops and mobile phones powered by its operating systems.
And I'm here for it.
I'm beyond intrigued by Googlebook OS and can't wait to get my hands on one.