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A week with Googlebooks: four notes from our testing so far

An HP Googlebook 14 laptop with the Android Play Store open.
Software, software, software. | Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

Google's new operating system is off to a rocky start. The five newly launched Googlebook laptops have hardware that ranges from great to excellent, but the software in its current state is the weak point. There are four of us on staff at The Verge actively testing Googlebooks and, frankly, our internal Slack discussions have been mostly filled with collective venting of frustrations, disappointments, and bewilderment.

The promise of Googlebooks as a fresh and smartly designed alternative to Windows or Mac for Android phone owners sounds great, but there's more than just a few kinks and quirks to work out. Some of its issues and challenges …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Google’s Pixel Buds update will put them to sleep along with you

7 October 2026 at 14:01
A hands-on photo of Google’s Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds.
The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are getting all of the new features. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Google has detailed an update bringing a slew of new features to its Pixel Buds 2A and Pro 2, which the company says are rolling out now. The new features were first teased in August.

The biggest update is Pixel Watch-powered sleep detection, rolling out to both pairs of earbuds. If you're wearing a Pixel Watch, the buds will now react when you fall asleep, by pausing music, silencing notifications, and turning off touch controls.

Several other updates are also coming to both the Buds 2A and Pro. Tap-to-mute allows you to mute or unmute your microphone with a quick tap during calls, though only when also using a Pixel phone, and you can n …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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