Chrome OS will soon see voice-based Google Now integration, standalone Movies app

Chrome OS will soon see voice-based Google Now integration, standalone Movies app

Besides announcing a host of new devices powered by its Chrome OS, Google revealed some interesting upcoming changes to the OS.

At the Intel-Google event in San Francisco, the company announced that it will be adding voice-based features along with complete Google Now functionality to Chrome OS. So all your cards from the Android or iOS app will be seen on your Chrome OS device as well. This includes stocks, events, weather, reservations, sports results and much more. Google has already made these changes to Chrome browser for the desktop and it makes sense that these are trickled down to the OS.

It’s not yet clear when the update will be hitting devices. Beside bringing Google Now, the company will also be launching a standalone Play Movies and TV app for the OS. This will mean Google users who have purchased movies through the Play Store will be able to access them directly through a dedicated app. Google has also enabled offline viewing, greatly improving Chrome OS’s use while travelling, or when without connection.

The new changes will be seen in the Chromebooks that Google and Intel announced at the event. A slew of new Chromebook models are expected this year from manufacturers such as Acer, Asus, Dell, LG, HP, Samsung and Toshiba. Lenovo has already announced its two new Chromebook models, while LG will be bringing its all-in-one desktop called Chromebase to the US this month.

Some of these Chromebooks will be powered by Intel’s Core i3 processor while some will be running on Bay Trail-M chipset. The Chromebooks by Dell and Acer will most likely have a Core i3 processor and will hit the market later this year. Asus too has unveiled two new Chromebooks, the C200 and the C300.