6 ms·

Google Play starts rolling out to Chrome OS stable

73 points by flinner 10y ago

pawadu 10y ago
> “A beta release of the Play store is available to users now on the Acer R11 and Asus Flip (and coming soon to Pixel 2015) and can be enabled from the Settings page,” Not really ...
- davidw 10y ago
  Care to elaborate? I'm kind of considering getting an Asus Flip (or maybe a Pixel) as it's clear that a tablet without a keyboard is pretty limited in its functionality for people who like to create rather than simply consume content. Having some apps available would greatly add to the appeal of those devices.
  - wwwdonohue 10y ago
    > Google Play starts rolling out to Chrome OS stable Made it sound like it was coming to all Chrome OS devices (or, at least the ones Google said would be getting it on dev sometime in "late 2016"~). It's just out for two Chromebooks. Got me hook, line, and sinker Venturebeat! (Maybe I was dumb to think that was happening. I saw this when I first woke up. Thought it was a huge surprise designed to beef up the hype before the Oct. 4 event.)
    - asimuvPR 10y ago
      From talking with the chromebook team I got the impression that this feature is meant for newer devices. Maybe someone from Google can chime in?
    - iamdave 10y ago
      This, and I'm posting from my R11 right now, I see the button to enable the Play store but it's Greyed out. I'm also on the developer channel, apparently you need to be on the stable channel to work. Which requires a powerwash (equivalent of a factory reset for the uninitiated) to revert back to. Damned if I do, damned if I don't because I rather like having Arch Linux a few keystrokes away, but I also want to play with a few Android apps on the toilet :P
  - pawadu 10y ago
    The software is still beta and is limited to just a few devices. The only thing that has changed is that it is now in the stable channel. So basically, nothing has changed, this is not a real roll out
mark_l_watson 10y ago
After Samsung's awful rollout of the Note 7 with battery problems, and the costs of bringing a product to market without enough testing, I have some sympathy for this slow Play on Chrome OS rollout. If there are end user problems running Android apps on a Chromebook, it is better to have a smaller and more manageable test set of users.
- tdkl 10y ago
  Um, rolling out software has no comparison to pulling out millions of phones and replace them all around the planet. This is just how Google ships stuff - from the announcement to the day when 0 people care.
  - mark_l_watson 10y ago
    I should have explained myself better. The Android on Chrome OS is I think a big deal because one thing that Chrome OS has going for it is its security model. I could be wrong, but I consider my Android phone less secure than my Chromebook. If the security gets botched up on Chromebooks, that would be bad.
    - petra 10y ago
      In principle i agree about security, but for the common non-tech user, Android's security is probably good enough.
    - tdkl 10y ago
      I agree about being a big deal, one might even think if the Android update problem could be surmounted by eventually bringing Chrome OS as a host running Android apps to mobile devices.
- aiur3la 10y ago
  > After Samsung's awful rollout of the Note 7 with battery problems You should give Samsung some credit here. When the issue became known they wasted absolutely no time in recalling 2-3 million devices.
zxv 10y ago
I've been pleasantly surprised by the breadth of apps that work on my Chromebook Pixel. Pretty much everything I use on my nexus phone works, albeit some with a small window size. For me, the biggest advantage is the performance boost of android media players, such as Netflix, Hulu, and You Tube.
- chambo622 10y ago
  What do you mean by the performance boost of Android media players? Do they perform better on Chrome OS than watching video in the browser? I'd imagine that in a lot of cases, the max bitrate served to mobile clients may be lower than the web, although I'm not sure this is true for all the services you named.
  - zxv 10y ago
    Compared to running in a browser window, the android apps for Neflix, Hulu and YouTube exhibit far less jitter, dropped fames, delayed frames, etc. This is true even on a Pixel with an i7 processor and 16G of ram, so it's not a question of CPU or memory resources, and also true on a symetrical 1GB internet connection. For me, this eliminates need need to carry a tablet for consuming video or audio media.
- guiomie 10y ago
  How is the cast functionality with the apps? Let's say you use the Netflix app, will it cast like an android phone? This way you don't need to cast your chrome tab.
  - mod 10y ago
    fwiw i already cast netflix from chrome without casting the tab
    - bkjelden 10y ago
      Unfortunately there are some media companies that only implement casting in their mobile apps, not on the web. So you either cast from the mobile app or tab cast.
mankash666 10y ago
The next step is the play store for Chrome on Linux. Then Mac. Then windows. That'll be awesome
- jasonkostempski 10y ago
  Ugh, I don't doubt that will happen and I'm afraid it's going to bring back the browser monopoly situation.
- 0xFFC 10y ago
  It is unrelated technology. First version of Android runtime for chrome was ARC welder , if I remember correctly. But that didn't go anywhere. Right now they are using something similar to docker technology which runs Android apps in sandbox in chrome. You can watch the talk in Google io 2016. So in this scenario there not feasible way to port this runtime to other platforms because it is not using chrome runtime.unless they redesign it.
  - tmzt 10y ago
    My understanding of how this works, mostly from reading commit messages and poking around the repo, is to add a wayland compositor/server to the aura component of chromium. Aura is the window manager, compositor, and render of ui items such as the task bar and status icons of ChromeOS. It looks like the Android portion is largely based on the same fork as ARC, with the rendering performed through Wayland. It also looks like a large number of Android APIs had to be reimplemented which may excacerbate the fragmentation problem.
    - 0xFFC 10y ago
      Cool , did they used Wayland? I didn't know that. It is quite fascinating, Wayland finds its actual place in industry. About API reimplantation, I do remember a little bit, you are correct, the guy in Google talk mentioned it is simultaneous development to Android and they are not using Android underlying technology on top of namespace,etc (Linux syscalls). I would love to read a blog post about this, and since your poked around in source code you are right person. So please, if you have any spare time, write a blog post.
pixelmonkey 10y ago
Does anyone know how this works (under the hood)? Is it just a very good Android emulator?
- webaholic 10y ago
  There is no need to emulate. They have the same runtime on chrome as they have on android. There is very light weight wrapper which enables the runtime to work on chrome.
- zxv 10y ago
  It's not an emulator, but rather integrated directly into the chrome OS, like the previous "android runtime for chrome" (aka ARC) was.
petecox 10y ago
Perhaps the new 'Pixel' phone is ChromeOS based - yet another platform but like BB10 and Sailfish including Android apps.
- tdkl 10y ago
  Probably too soon for that, considering they basically have Play in beta for Chrome OS. But I could bet that this might be a future someday... But even if it makes updates easier, it will involve carriers and Android update situation might happen again.
  - soylentcola 10y ago
    I think it's definitely a way to start combining the Pixel branding with the ChromeOS branding under "Pixel" to make any future crossover easier. Other than that, though, why would carriers have to be involved? Sure, if you buy a carrier-branded device they get their hands in it but it could just as easily work the way Nexus did on any non-carrier-branded device. If anything, I see the "Pixel" move as a way to start moving away from that side of Android and all it entails. Idle speculation: I wonder if the end goal is for "Android" to stick around as the "anyone can port it to their device" OS as it is currently, with "Pixel" being Google's more in-house label that they can treat like Apple does iOS or Google currently does with standard, unbranded Nexus.
em3rgent0rdr 10y ago
just more adware. What is really needed is access to the F-Droid repository.

73 points by flinner 10y ago

> “A beta release of the Play store is available to users now on the Acer R11 and Asus Flip (and coming soon to Pixel 2015) and can be enabled from the Settings page,” Not really ...

davidw 10y ago
Care to elaborate? I'm kind of considering getting an Asus Flip (or maybe a Pixel) as it's clear that a tablet without a keyboard is pretty limited in its functionality for people who like to create rather than simply consume content. Having some apps available would greatly add to the appeal of those devices.
- wwwdonohue 10y ago
  > Google Play starts rolling out to Chrome OS stable Made it sound like it was coming to all Chrome OS devices (or, at least the ones Google said would be getting it on dev sometime in "late 2016"~). It's just out for two Chromebooks. Got me hook, line, and sinker Venturebeat! (Maybe I was dumb to think that was happening. I saw this when I first woke up. Thought it was a huge surprise designed to beef up the hype before the Oct. 4 event.)
  - asimuvPR 10y ago
    From talking with the chromebook team I got the impression that this feature is meant for newer devices. Maybe someone from Google can chime in?
  - iamdave 10y ago
    This, and I'm posting from my R11 right now, I see the button to enable the Play store but it's Greyed out. I'm also on the developer channel, apparently you need to be on the stable channel to work. Which requires a powerwash (equivalent of a factory reset for the uninitiated) to revert back to. Damned if I do, damned if I don't because I rather like having Arch Linux a few keystrokes away, but I also want to play with a few Android apps on the toilet :P
- pawadu 10y ago
  The software is still beta and is limited to just a few devices. The only thing that has changed is that it is now in the stable channel. So basically, nothing has changed, this is not a real roll out

mark_l_watson 10y ago

After Samsung's awful rollout of the Note 7 with battery problems, and the costs of bringing a product to market without enough testing, I have some sympathy for this slow Play on Chrome OS rollout. If there are end user problems running Android apps on a Chromebook, it is better to have a smaller and more manageable test set of users.

tdkl 10y ago
Um, rolling out software has no comparison to pulling out millions of phones and replace them all around the planet. This is just how Google ships stuff - from the announcement to the day when 0 people care.
- mark_l_watson 10y ago
  I should have explained myself better. The Android on Chrome OS is I think a big deal because one thing that Chrome OS has going for it is its security model. I could be wrong, but I consider my Android phone less secure than my Chromebook. If the security gets botched up on Chromebooks, that would be bad.
  - petra 10y ago
    In principle i agree about security, but for the common non-tech user, Android's security is probably good enough.
  - tdkl 10y ago
    I agree about being a big deal, one might even think if the Android update problem could be surmounted by eventually bringing Chrome OS as a host running Android apps to mobile devices.
aiur3la 10y ago
> After Samsung's awful rollout of the Note 7 with battery problems You should give Samsung some credit here. When the issue became known they wasted absolutely no time in recalling 2-3 million devices.

zxv 10y ago

I've been pleasantly surprised by the breadth of apps that work on my Chromebook Pixel. Pretty much everything I use on my nexus phone works, albeit some with a small window size. For me, the biggest advantage is the performance boost of android media players, such as Netflix, Hulu, and You Tube.

chambo622 10y ago
What do you mean by the performance boost of Android media players? Do they perform better on Chrome OS than watching video in the browser? I'd imagine that in a lot of cases, the max bitrate served to mobile clients may be lower than the web, although I'm not sure this is true for all the services you named.
- zxv 10y ago
  Compared to running in a browser window, the android apps for Neflix, Hulu and YouTube exhibit far less jitter, dropped fames, delayed frames, etc. This is true even on a Pixel with an i7 processor and 16G of ram, so it's not a question of CPU or memory resources, and also true on a symetrical 1GB internet connection. For me, this eliminates need need to carry a tablet for consuming video or audio media.
guiomie 10y ago
How is the cast functionality with the apps? Let's say you use the Netflix app, will it cast like an android phone? This way you don't need to cast your chrome tab.
- mod 10y ago
  fwiw i already cast netflix from chrome without casting the tab
  - bkjelden 10y ago
    Unfortunately there are some media companies that only implement casting in their mobile apps, not on the web. So you either cast from the mobile app or tab cast.

mankash666 10y ago

The next step is the play store for Chrome on Linux. Then Mac. Then windows. That'll be awesome

jasonkostempski 10y ago
Ugh, I don't doubt that will happen and I'm afraid it's going to bring back the browser monopoly situation.
0xFFC 10y ago
It is unrelated technology. First version of Android runtime for chrome was ARC welder , if I remember correctly. But that didn't go anywhere. Right now they are using something similar to docker technology which runs Android apps in sandbox in chrome. You can watch the talk in Google io 2016. So in this scenario there not feasible way to port this runtime to other platforms because it is not using chrome runtime.unless they redesign it.
- tmzt 10y ago
  My understanding of how this works, mostly from reading commit messages and poking around the repo, is to add a wayland compositor/server to the aura component of chromium. Aura is the window manager, compositor, and render of ui items such as the task bar and status icons of ChromeOS. It looks like the Android portion is largely based on the same fork as ARC, with the rendering performed through Wayland. It also looks like a large number of Android APIs had to be reimplemented which may excacerbate the fragmentation problem.
  - 0xFFC 10y ago
    Cool , did they used Wayland? I didn't know that. It is quite fascinating, Wayland finds its actual place in industry. About API reimplantation, I do remember a little bit, you are correct, the guy in Google talk mentioned it is simultaneous development to Android and they are not using Android underlying technology on top of namespace,etc (Linux syscalls). I would love to read a blog post about this, and since your poked around in source code you are right person. So please, if you have any spare time, write a blog post.

pixelmonkey 10y ago

Does anyone know how this works (under the hood)? Is it just a very good Android emulator?

webaholic 10y ago
There is no need to emulate. They have the same runtime on chrome as they have on android. There is very light weight wrapper which enables the runtime to work on chrome.
zxv 10y ago
It's not an emulator, but rather integrated directly into the chrome OS, like the previous "android runtime for chrome" (aka ARC) was.

petecox 10y ago

Perhaps the new 'Pixel' phone is ChromeOS based - yet another platform but like BB10 and Sailfish including Android apps.

tdkl 10y ago
Probably too soon for that, considering they basically have Play in beta for Chrome OS. But I could bet that this might be a future someday... But even if it makes updates easier, it will involve carriers and Android update situation might happen again.
- soylentcola 10y ago
  I think it's definitely a way to start combining the Pixel branding with the ChromeOS branding under "Pixel" to make any future crossover easier. Other than that, though, why would carriers have to be involved? Sure, if you buy a carrier-branded device they get their hands in it but it could just as easily work the way Nexus did on any non-carrier-branded device. If anything, I see the "Pixel" move as a way to start moving away from that side of Android and all it entails. Idle speculation: I wonder if the end goal is for "Android" to stick around as the "anyone can port it to their device" OS as it is currently, with "Pixel" being Google's more in-house label that they can treat like Apple does iOS or Google currently does with standard, unbranded Nexus.

em3rgent0rdr 10y ago

just more adware. What is really needed is access to the F-Droid repository.