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Now you can unlock Chrome OS with a PIN code
Want to unlock your screen by typing in a few numbers instead of a hefty password? The experimental feature is currently being tested in the latest Chrome OS developer update, according to Google employee François Beaufort. In a Google+ post, he describes how to drop the new functionality into your system:
Two more Chromebooks are ready to test Android apps
Nearly two months after Google confirmed the Play Store and more Android apps are coming to Chrome OS, it finally added support for the feature on some new hardware. The Acer Chromebook R11 and Chromebook Pixel have joined ASUS' Chromebook Flip -- where we recently gave Android apps a try -- with support as long as owners switch their devices to the dev channel. Naturally, it's all still early ahead of the real rollout later this year, but if you're a developer or curious user trying to find out how it works for yourself, they might be a couple of laptops you already own.
Google testing Chrome OS-like browser interface for Windows 8
Launch Chrome in Windows 8 and you won't see much that's different compared to other desktop releases, even in the Metro-like mode. That may change soon. Google's has posted a Dev Channel version of its browser whose Windows 8 interface mimics Chrome OS, right down to the app tray and multi-window system. Whether or not many users will see this view isn't certain, however. Features in Chrome developer builds aren't guaranteed to reach finished software; this may remain an experiment. If the next stable version of the browser feels like a Chromebook sales pitch, though, it won't be a surprise.
Chrome OS dev channel gains Quickoffice powers, lets users edit native Excel and Word files
Chrome OS hardware continues to proliferate, and on the software front, Google continues to add features to the platform in the hopes of persuading more folks to exit the traditional PC paradigm. Today marks a significant step in achieving that latter goal, as the dev channel of Chrome OS has received the ability to edit Excel and Word files thanks to Quickoffice integration. While it's not ready for public consumption just yet, it shows that Google's getting close to fulfilling its promise to deliver native doc editing to the Pixel and other Chromebooks. Should you be among those on the dev channel of Chrome OS, you can enable the functionality now by going to chrome://flags, enabling document editing and restarting your machine. According to developer François Beaufort -- the man who discovered the functionality -- editing's still a glitchy process, but the more folks that use the feature now, the faster the problems can be found and fixed. The power of productivity is in your hands, people, so get cracking squashing those bugs!
Packaged Chrome apps now searchable in dev channels for Chrome OS and Windows
While Google opened the door to packaged Chrome apps back in February, it's been a largely one-way affair ever since -- developers could upload the native-style apps, but they couldn't find anything without a direct link. As of a dev channel update, the relationship is a little more two-directional. Both Chrome OS and Windows-based Chrome testers can at last search for packaged apps in the Chrome Web Store alongside the usual releases. Google is mostly holding back on wider access to give developers more time to polish their work. Us non-coders will have to be patient, then, but truly offline-friendly apps just came one step closer.
Google gives a sneak peek at Chrome for Windows 8's Metro UI, plans a test release soon
Google vowed that it would adapt Chrome to Metro back in March, and it's just now providing its first real look at the Windows 8 revamp. Don't expect a radical remake: it's Chrome, just in Metro. Even so, the very first test releases will support charms for sharing and other cross-OS features, and they will obey Snap View for tablet-friendly Windows 8 multitasking. Metro support will come in the next Dev channel release for those using the Windows 8 Release Preview. Those of us leery of running a pre-beta web browser on top of a beta OS will have to wait some months to see the finished result. That patience should be rewarded through better touchscreen support and refinements to the overall interface, so by the time the dissenting among us are ready to toss Internet Explorer 10 aside, Chrome will be waiting with open arms.
Chrome sandboxes Flash Player in latest Dev channel release for Windows
Hey, Adobe's finally figured out how to make Flash secure -- have Google do it! The guys behind your favorite search engine have updated their latest Dev channel release of Chrome to include a new sandboxing facility for Flash Player content. It'll serve to limit access to sensitive system resources and make Flash's operation a generally less threatening proposition than it currently is. This also marks the fulfillment of a longstanding promise from Google to give Flash the same treatment it's afforded to JavaScript and HTML rendering for a while, and should be welcome news to Windows users eager to minimize "the potential attack surface" of their browser. Sorry, Mac fans, you're out in the unsecured cold for now. Of course, the Dev channel itself is one step less refined than beta software, so even if you're on Windows it might be advisable to wait it out a little bit.
