Google is getting ready to enter a new chapter in the laptop market with its new Googlebook devices. Pre-orders for the first Googlebook laptops will open on Monday, September 21 at 9 a.m. ET.
The new category places Gemini artificial intelligence at the heart of the laptop experience and brings together elements of Android and ChromeOS.
Google first previewed Googlebooks as a new category of premium laptops earlier this year. Google's official website explains that they are based on “Gemini Intelligence” and they are designed to make AI assistance a part of the everyday computing.
Magic Pointer is one of the most prominent features. Users can select content on the screen and communicate with Gemini for questions, comparing information or creating content. Rather than opening a separate AI chatbot, the feature is designed to make Gemini accessible to users from the laptop.
Google is also going to create Create My Widget, which lets you create customised widgets on top of just saying what you want. So for example, creating a travel-related widget with flights, accommodation and other plans to share with your family.
One of the most important aspects of Googlebook is its relationship with Android phones. Cast My Apps is designed to allow users to open phone apps on their laptop without installing them separately.
Quick Access also enables access to the files on an Android phone, in the laptop's file system. Google says this phone integration needs to be running Android 17 or later.
The first Googlebooks will likely come from some of the world’s top laptop manufacturers, including Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo. Google has positioned these products above traditional Chromebooks, and they’re positioning Googlebooks as a new flagship category of ChromeOS and Android with higher-end hardware and AI-centric features.
But there are a few key details missing ahead of the pre-order launch. Google has not yet unveiled full pricing details or the date of the first devices shipping and not yet specified when the first ones will be available. There was no news on the last public name of the operating system powering Googlebooks yet.
The September 21 pre-order date is therefore a major step from Google's previous previews to actual consumer availability.
With Gemini built deeply into the experience and Android integration an integral part of the platform, Googlebook is going to offer a different kind of take on the traditional laptop experience.
