🌤 Good morning on this somewhat chilly Friday. Well, it’s still winter in our part of the world, so that’s to be expected. At least we’re getting a new couch delivered tomorrow, so yay!

Weird (Chrome OS) Flex but okay

Google just announced that its Chrome OS Flex initiative has exited beta testing and is now available to all. The solution was initially announced in February 2022, so that’s a pretty short time to exit beta status by Google’s own standards. But what should you know about it?

Reviving old hardware

• At its core, Chrome OS Flex allows consumers to install Chrome OS on their old PCs or Macs.
• We’ve previously seen the CloudReady solution do something similar, but that was the open-source Chromium OS rather than the official Chrome OS.
• In any event, Google noted this week that over 400 devices are certified to work with Chrome OS Flex. That’s a staggering number, meaning there’s a decent chance your computer is supported.
• Fortunately, it’s also possible to install Chrome OS Flex on devices not listed by Google.
• You’ll need a machine with a 64-bit AMD/Intel CPU, 4GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and a USB flash drive. But Google explicitly says computers with Intel GMA graphics aren’t supported.

Google’s target audience

• Giving your ancient laptop a new lease of life is one obvious use case, for starters.
• I remember installing Linux distributions on my creaking laptop back in the day, so having another lightweight alternative is nice.
• However, Google is pushing this as a solution for fleet rollouts in the education and small business sectors.
• The thinking is sound in theory, as it means you’re using existing hardware rather than going out and buying new PCs and Macs. Or even new Chromebooks, for that matter.
• There are still a few reasons to get a new Chromebook though. For one, Chrome OS Flex doesn’t support Android apps. It also lacks Parallels desktop functionality, while Linux support depends on the model.
• Nevertheless, this is still a welcome development in the business and education spaces, particularly in cash-strapped environments.
• You can check out our guide to installing Chrome OS Flex if you’re intrigued by the idea.

Roundup

📱 OnePlus 10T: Everything we know so far and what we want to see (Android Authority).

📷 Here’s what to expect from the iPhone’s first periscope camera (Android Authority).

📞 Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Z Fold 5 rumors are already here (Android Authority).

🍎 US App Store revenue from non-game apps just topped games for the first time, suggesting that the subscription economy is a success for Apple (TechCrunch).

🎨 Hidden artwork revealed by x-ray appears to be Van Gogh self-portrait, experts say: That would make it the 36th known self-portrait by the artist (NY Times).

🛹 Skate 4 is officially called skate and it will be free-to-play: The long-awaited Skate sequel will also have cross-platform play and progression (IGN).

⌚ Montblanc Summit 3 has arrived: See how Wear OS 3 looks on a non-Samsung watch (Android Authority)

👍 Facebook will soon let you create multiple profiles — but is this really necessary? (9to5Mac)

⚠ A new attack can unmask anonymous users on any major browser (Wired).

😎 Today is the 10th anniversary of Psy’s Gangnam Style music video being posted on YouTube, the first video to reach a billion views (YouTube Blog)

📺 The live-action Resident Evil series is out on Netflix and AA colleague Fred Blichert says it doesn’t bring much to the table in a sea of Resident Evil adaptations (Android Authority)

🎥 Amazon finally admits giving cops Ring doorbell data without user consent: The company handed over user data without consent 11 times in 2022 so far (Ars Technica).

💿 Microsoft’s new Media Player for Windows has gained CD ripping support, catching up to the old player. I vaguely remember the old app only supporting the WMA format for a while, which was annoying as a teen when I had a 64MB MP3 player to fill (Windows Blog).

❔ What was normal in the 1990s but rare or non-existent now? (r/AskReddit)

Friday fun

It turned out that July 13 was National French Fry Day, so Heinz came up with a rather neat idea to mark the occasion. The sauce and condiment company came up with French Fry Spoons (h/t: Gizmodo), so you can get a generous helping of tomato sauce and other condiments when dipping.

I’d totally buy a ton of these, because fried potato goodness. But Heinz is only giving them away in the UK as part of a promotion. Fortunately, you still have time to enter as the contest ends on July 20.

Have a great weekend!

Hadlee Simons, Editor