Google is making its Chrome OS work a little better with Android devices. One of the features demonstrated at the I/O conference shows how an Android device could be used to unlock a Chrome OS laptop. Moreover, notifications that pop up on either device will now show up on the other, so you don’t have to go back and forth.
These minor tweaks are part of Google’s strategy to bring the two platforms closer. As part of the plan, Chrome OS will be able to work better with Android apps, and even allow users to start some of them right from the Chrome launcher. At its own show, Google highlighted few examples such as Evernote, Vine, and Flipboard, though it’s still unclear how developers will be able to take advantage of this capability.
The ultimate goal, if you ask me, would be to enable Android device owners to dock their smartphones and tablets in a move that would transform them into Chrome OS-based computers. I can’t help but think of Asus PadFone, which I see as an ideal device for something like this.
Google, of course, is not the only company looking into the whole convergence “thing.” Earlier this month, Apple unveiled the next version of its OS X platform called Yosemite, which too will bring notifications from iOS devices to the big screen. Meanwhile, we’re sure Microsoft is also working on “One Windows” that would work across platforms; and let’s not forget Canonical which will likely be the first player with a truly converged OS – Ubuntu.
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