4 ways Android apps make Chromebooks more like Windows PCs

Google markets Chromebooks as more secure, simpler to use, and easier to maintain than Windows PCs, but Android apps may have changed things.

Unfortunately for Google (and fortunately for Microsoft), Android apps on the Chrome OS chip away at Chromebooks’ touted advantages. Windows PCs have been the standard for personal computing for decades. Apple’s attempts to subvert Microsoft’s PC dominance with Macs have succeeded in only carving out a tiny niche alongside Redmond’s market dominance.

Google entered the fray with its browser-focused take on personal computing with Chromebooks in 2011. Despite Microsoft’s disparaging ads mocking its “PC” claims, Chromebook’s have slowly become a Windows PC alternative in schools, small businesses, and with consumers. In fact, Chromebooks overtook Mac shipments in the first quarter of 2016, according to Google.

Though their small global market share leaves much room for growth, Chromebooks gained a foothold due to their appeal as a solution to problems that plague Windows PCs: security issues. Google used these weaknesses as a springboard to promote Chromebooks as “PCs’” with none of the issues of traditional PCs. Ironically, as Google’s evolving personal computing strategy brings elements of its successful mobile platform, some Chromebook advantages over Windows PCs are lost.

The more variables, the more complicated

One of the endearing aspects of Chromebooks is their simplicity. Conversely, Windows PCs, with all of their required updates, introduced a level of complexity for average users. Chromebooks aimed to answer this problem with a simple web-based OS that is easily updated by Google.

Additionally, web apps work seamlessly within Chrome, and there is little for users to think about when using Chromebooks. With Android apps now on Chrome, users are presented with a choice that may introduce confusion, or a level of complexity not previously present, as they try to determine if they should use a Chrome app or an Android app. This is similar to the dilemma some Windows PC users face as they try to decide between using a Store or a legacy app.

Android apps on Chrome also introduce weaknesses that are common to Windows PCs.

Viruses and malware

Google likes to talk about all of the viruses and malware Windows PCs are prone. Android apps and the Google Play Store, are notorious, however, for the amount of malware and viruses. Android on Chrome presents Google with the challenge of ensuring that its purported virus-free and secure OS remains that way as it brings virus-prone and insecure elements to the platform.

Inconsistent app experience

Microsoft has been criticized for its legacy apps with tiny UI elements that are not optimized for the touch environment pushed in Windows 10. These older apps are not optimized for the experience Microsoft is trying to promote. This is why Microsoft introduced app bridges, like Project Centennial, to begin the process of modernizing these legacy apps by making them Universal Windows Platform (UWP) Store apps.

Android apps on Chrome introduce a similar problem: Many Android apps are not optimized for larger screens and most Android developers code for smartphones. Whereas web-apps on Chrome are optimized for Chromebooks, Android apps introduce the same dichotomy found on Windows PCs, where a host of apps available to users will not be optimized for a particular scenario.

That’s one pricey Chromebook …

Finally, Chromebooks were initially touted as the inexpensive alternative to Windows PCs. This has one of the big selling points for cash-strapped school districts which have largely embraced Google’s solution in the United States. There are still many cheap Chromebooks, but others are now comparable in price to higher-end PCs, eliminating another perceived advantage of Chromebooks over PCs.

Many of the advantages that inspired consumers, schools, and small businesses to embrace Chromebooks rather than PCs have been undone as Android on Chrome makes Chromebooks more like Windows PCs.

Of course, more apps on Chrome is advantageous for Google, but a more complex, virus-prone and inconsistent Chrome experience is beneficial for Windows, and for Microsoft.

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The Nokia 9 could be announced on August 21

Nokia’s hyping this up as its “most awaited phone.”

Thanks to devices like the Nokia 7 Plus and Nokia 6.1, the Nokia brand has been dominating the mid-range smartphone market so far in 2018. In just a few short days, Nokia’s expected to take its sights off budget handsets for a second and talk about its newest flagship device.

On the official Nokia Mobile Twitter account, the company shared the following:

We are thrilled to bring you the Nokia smartphones event for one of the most awaited phones on Tuesday 21st August. Stay tuned for more! #Nokiamobile #BringItOn pic.twitter.com/LXgnzguDvm

— Nokia Mobile (@Nokiamobile) August 16, 2018

The teaser image doesn’t reveal much at all about the phone in question, and while Nokia simply states that this mystery device is its “most awaited phone”, our money is on this being the long-awaited Nokia 9.

Nokia’s last Android flagship, the Nokia 8 Sirocco, was a stunning piece of hardware that felt instantly outdated thanks to its 16:9 display and Snapdragon 835 processor.

It’s unclear what sort of design and specs we’ll see with the Nokia 9, but thankfully we won’t have to wait too much longer to learn all about the phone. Stay tuned!

Nokia 7 Plus review: Come for the value, stay for the excitement

Transit App Expands Real-Time Crowdsourced Data to 175 Cities

The developers of the Transit app this week announced the expansion of real-time crowdsourced data for buses, trains, streetcars, ferries, and so forth to 175 cities across the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Normally, the locations of public transportation vehicles are pulled from a transit agency’s data feed, which can take anywhere from 10 seconds to five minutes to update. This can result in the app showing a bus approaching a certain stop, for example, when in reality it has already passed by—without you on it.

To solve this problem, the Transit app has turned to crowdsourced data from opted-in users of GO, its step-by-step navigation feature.

GO itself isn’t new. The feature automatically tracks your transit vehicle, walking speed, and location in real time, notifying you exactly when to leave to catch your ride, and when to disembark. The feature can also reroute you and provide adjusted ETAs when unforeseen changes or delays arise.

Now, when users enable GO, they will also be helping others. Once a rider opts into GO on a bus or train, for example, the Transit app will start broadcasting the vehicle’s real-time location, second-by-second, to riders down the line. In general, this greatly improves the location of a vehicle versus agency data.

This means you can watch your vehicle approach—in actual, second-by-second real-time—on the map, whenever someone on that vehicle is using GO.

The team behind Transit has been testing real-time crowdsourced data for nearly two years. Over that time, they’ve generated data for “millions of trips,” starting in the Canadian cities of Montréal and Victoria. Other test regions have included New York City and Los Angeles. The tests are said to have “went well.”

For those with privacy concerns, the Transit team ensures that your location is completely anonymous. Data is only shared with its servers while GO is active and you are actually on board the vehicle. As soon as you disembark, GO shuts off, and your vehicle’s location stops being sent, according to the app’s FAQ.

It’s unclear if there’s a way to continue using the GO navigation helper without opting in to the real-time crowdsourced data sharing aspect, so if you do not wish to participate, it may be best to keep the feature disabled entirely.

Transit also notes that the location sharing feature relies on extended GPS use, which can use up to five percent of battery life on a 20-minute ride, assuming the rider is actively using the device during the trip. In terms of data, though, Transit says GO uses only about 100 kilobytes on a 20-minute trip.

Despite this, the Transit team is hoping that many riders will opt into the feature. They’ve even added some gamification features to the app as an incentive. GO users will now see a smile face in the top-left corner of the map, for example, indicating how many nearby riders they are helping out.

The app also shows GO users how many nearby riders they’ve helped on a monthly basis, and provides a “helpfulness” rank compared to other GO users. Transit is hoping that a little bit of competition will motivative riders to participate.

Transit bills itself as a real-time urban travel companion. The app is especially popular in Canada, making navigation via public transit easier with real-time data, trip planning and comparisons, step-by-step navigation, service disruption notifications, departure and stop reminders, and much more.

Transit works with not only buses, commuter trains, and subways, but streetcars, ferries, ride-sharing, bike-sharing, scooter-sharing, and more. The app is free to download on the App Store for iPhone and Google Play for Android.

Tags: Transit App, transit
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