Google has made good on one of its Google IO 2014 promises and has ported over the first batch of Android apps to Chromebooks.
Now users will be able to download Android apps such as Evernote to save notes to the cloud. Duolingo has also been added to the Chrome App Store to help you learn foreign languages. Alternatively, teach children to read with Slight words, or use Vine to produce short vlogs and other video with a Chromebook's built-in webcam.
The Google Chrome Team explained these four apps are just the beginning of Project Runtime which was first announced at Google IO. In the coming months, users will see more Android apps come to Google's Chrome OS as the company continues working with smartphone software developers.
Moving forward, the Google Chrome Team also wants to hear what Android app you want to use on Chrome OS; users can submit their ideas here.
Setting up shop
Google Chromebooks have finally hit their stride. This year we saw the first line of cloud-based laptops equipped with more powerful and battery efficient chips like the Intel Core i3 chip inside the Acer C720 as well as the Acer Chromebook 13 rocking Nvidia's Tegra K1 processor.
Now that computer manufacturers finally have the hardware locked down it seems like its time for the software to step up its game.
In our own adventures reviewing the Dell Chromebook 11 and Acer C720P, we found Google's cloud platform was good for very little beyond using its first party web apps. Although Chrome has its own app store, its filled with adware posing as familiar game titles and there's a lack of powerful image editing apps.
These newly added Android apps could help fill out Chrome OS's lack of software. It will be interesting to see if the apps catch on and end up taking over Chrome OS when Google originally set out to create a platform of affordable laptops powered by the web.
- Here's the top 5 Chromebooks out there today
