Attention all ChromiumOS for GPD Pocket Users. There is a new update that is currently rolling out. This update has been in the works for a few months and brings countless new features to GPD Pocket Owners. This new build not only adds several new features but i put a lot of work into ensuring the GPD Pocket 1 features are on par with the GPD Pocket 2. The previous build of ChromiumOS for GPD sadly did not perform the best for GPD Pocket 1 users, my GPD Pocket 1 needed a replacement battery which did not allow me to test. I have been running this build on my personal devices for a few days and am very happy with the stability and performance of this new build.
ChromiumOS
The Shortcomings of ChromeOS in 2020
It should not come as a shock that I am a huge fan of ChromeOS/ChromiumOS and while I am clearly a fan, I am also very critical of the operating system and want to see it evolve. A bit over 3 years ago, I wrote a article on my website outlining some of the major shortcomings with ChromeOS in 2017 and I am happy to say that ChromeOS has come a very long way. A lot of new and impressive features have come to ChromeOS since my post including proper SD card support for Android, upgrading the dated Android 6.0 and various other improvements that were not on my radar such as Linux application support. ChromeOS is a great operating system that has been a daily driver of mine for a long time but there are still several major shortcomings that I would love to see resolved in future releases of ChromeOS.
Upgrading Crostini to Debian Buster (10)
The Chromium team is hard at work with bringing new features to Chromebooks, recently a change was made to set Debian 10 (Buster) as the default operating system for the Crostini “Penguin” container. Unfortunately this change does not upgrade existing installations of from Debian 9 (Stretch) to Debian 10. You are in luck though as upgrading your existing container is pretty easy, here are the steps.
Review : MINIX NEO Storage – An Aluminum USB-C Hub with 250 GB SSD Storage Built In
If you are the owner of a modern Ultra-Portable Laptop such as the Google Pixelbook, you likely already carry a USB Type C hub to allow you to connect to classic USB devices. Most USB Type C hubs often pack features such as USB-PD Pass-through and HDMI output to allow you to use the hub as a docking station when you need to share your laptop to a full size display. I have a growing collection of USB Type C Hubs and when I got my hands on the MINIX NEO Storage Type C Hub, I could definitely say that it stands out from the others by packing a 250 GB M.2 SSD inside.
ChromiumOS for the GPD Pocket R77-3818.0 Released – Audio for the GPD Pocket 1
Attention all ChromiumOS for GPD Pocket Users. There is a new update that is currently rolling out. This update is part of my efforts to bring the feature set of the GPD Pocket 2 to GPD Pocket 1 owners. The main feature that users will be excited for is that I have implemented audio support on the GPD Pocket 1! Here is a full list of changes:
ChromiumOS for the GPD Pocket R77-12257.0 Released
If you are a user of ChromiumOS for the GPD Pocket 1 or 2 ultra-portable computers; you should start seeing a new update rolling out. This update is version R77-12257.0 and contains a few minor stability improvements for both the GPD 1 and GPD 2 devices. This is the first of the promised weekly updates of ChromiumOS for the GPD Pocket. Here is a list of the changes;
Public Preview – ChromiumOS for the GPD Pocket 1
I first announced that I have been working on a port of ChromiumOS for the GPD Pocket 1 ultra-portable computer back on March 9th. Unfortunately I have done a poor job with posting updates on the status of the build, that ends today with the first Public Tech Preview of ChromiumOS for the GPD Pocket 1.Technically this may be the worlds smallest Chromebook.
A Guide On Building Your Own ChromiumOS Distribution (with OTA Updates and Crostini)
There are a few pre-made distributions to allow you to run a version of ChromiumOS on existing hardware such as CloudReady and FideOS however there are several benefits to building your own distribution from scratch. ChromiumOS is the open source of the popular ChromeOS operating system. By following this guide, you will get a version of ChromiumOS that should boot on most hardware (with a 64 bit Intel or AMD Processor). This version will also give you access to Linux Apps via Crostini and even enable the same OTA upgrade service that users on ChromeOS enjoy.
Work-In-Progress : ChromiumOS on the GPD-Pocket Mini Laptop
Is that a Chromebook in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? I am a huge fan of Chromebooks and absolutely love ChromeOS, this should really come as no surprise to anyone who reads my blog. I have been the owner of a first generation GPD-Pocket Laptop for a while now and was wondering if it would be possible to get ChromiumOS to run on the GPD-Pocket. Sadly it is not as simple as downloading one of the pre-made forks of ChromiumOS and booting as essentially nothing works out of the box (but it does boot). I rolled up my sleeves this morning and started building my own custom fork of ChromiumOS.