Google and Parallels bring full Windows app support to enterprise Chromebooks

Earlier this year, Google announced a partnership with Parallels that would bring full Windows app support to Chromebooks. Those efforts are now going live today, with enterprise customers able to purchase the solution for $69.99 annually per user.

As we explained earlier this year, Parallels is integrated natively into Chrome OS with full offline support. That means the Parallels integration won’t simply be a Windows virtual machine running off the cloud but will instead launch a full copy of Windows. This will allow Windows apps to sit side-by-side with Chrome OS, Android, and Linux apps.

Users will be able to run multiple Windows apps inside the Parallels Desktop virtualization machine while offline, and there will be a shared clipboard, user profiles, and custom folders. Weblinks clicked in the Windows instance can also be opened in Chrome OS. You won’t, however, be able to pin Windows apps to the Chrome OS shelf, although deeper integration could arrive in a future update.

“Chrome OS is increasingly being chosen by modern enterprises, either for remote work, hybrid, or in the office,” said John Solomon, Vice President of Chrome OS at Google, “We are thrilled to partner with Parallels to bring legacy and full-featured Windows applications support, through Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise, to help businesses easily transition to cloud-first devices and workflows.”

Parallels said that printers will work in Windows, which is good news for enterprise users. However, USB peripherals and webcams aren’t supported just yet. Meanwhile, Parallels for Chromebook Enterprise only supports the most powerful Chromebooks, including those with Intel’s Core i5 or Core I7 processors, 16GB of RAM or more, and a 128GB SSD or more. Your Chromebook will need to be running Chrome OS version 85 or later, and you’ll also need a Windows 10 license, but enterprise customers can use their existing Windows license.

For good measure, there’s a list of “preferred devices,” which covers a lot of more modern Chromebook releases:

• HP:
  • HP Elite c1030 Chromebook Enterprise (recommended)
  • HP Pro c640 Chromebook Enterprise
• Google:
  • Google Pixelbook
  • Google Pixelbook Go
• Acer:
  • Acer Chromebook Spin 713 (CP713-2W)
  • Acer Chromebook Spin 13 (CP713-1WN)
• Dell:
  • Dell Latitude 5300 2-in-1 Chromebook Enterprise
  • Dell Latitude 5400 Chromebook Enterprise
• Lenovo:
  • Lenovo Yoga C630 Chromebook
• ASUS:
  • ASUS Chromebook Flip C436FA

Parallels will integrate with Google Admin Console, so administrators can activate and deactivate Parallels Desktop for selected users, deploy a corporate Windows image, and much more.

If you’re unfamiliar with Parallels, it’s a company that develops virtualization software. In addition to Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise, the company also brings full Windows app support to Apple’s macOS. Today’s release is huge because it opens up a lot of possibilities for Chromebook users — albeit in the enterprise environment.

Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise is available now for $69.99 annually, per user. You can learn more and sign up here.

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Best Galaxy Note 20 Deals in the US: Amazon, Best Buy, Samsung, Verizon & more!

After months of leaks and speculation, the Galaxy Note 20 is here, and as you might expect, a flagship specs list means a premium price tag. The regular Galaxy Note 20 starts at $999 in the US, while the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra starts at $1399. However, as with every Samsung launch, there are also some deals to be had if you place an early pre-order so below, we’ve rounded up all the best deals for the Galaxy Note 20, including ways to save on multiple devices and the best postpaid deals we can find as well.

Where to buy the Galaxy Note 20

One of the biggest phones of the year is going to be available through every major carrier and most major retailers across the world.

Best Unlocked Galaxy Note 20 Deals in the US

The unlocked Galaxy Note 20 is available at three major retailers: Amazon, Samsung, and Best Buy. They all offer different deals, check them out below!

 Amazon

Thinking of grabbing the Galaxy Note 20 at Amazon? You’ll be able to save $200 on it today! If you have the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa, you can sign up for an 18-month payment plan, as well. Of course, while you’re there you can also pick up a Galaxy Note 20 case (and we’ve summarized the best ones!).

Samsung Galaxy Note 20

If you want the easiest check out possible, and the safety of ordering through your existing Amazon account, look no further. You'll also save $200 and can sign up for a payment plan if you have the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa.

Save at Amazon

Samsung

If you have a recent phone to trade if, you’ll want to get you Note 20 from Samsung. Get up to $650 off with a trade-in, bringing the phone’s grand total down to just $350. Normally you can only get up to $400, and this is a limited-time offer, so don’t sit on this one too long!

Samsung Galaxy Note 20

Forget the rest of the deals – if you want to save a bundle on your unlocked Galaxy Note 20 and have a recent phone, Samsung's trade-in offer is the best. You can get up to $650 in credit with the right trade-in, making the Note 20 highly affordable.

Get $650 off at Samsung

Best Buy

Best Buy also offers a myriad of options depending on whether you want to buy it unlocked or on a carrier plan. First and foremost, no matter if you pick unlocked or a carrier phone, you’ll save a flat $200 if you activate today. If you grab a Verizon carrier phone, you’ll save $300 with activation today. If you want the unlocked Note 20 you’ll have to pay the full amount outright, but on Sprint and Verizon you can do a 24-month payment plan or a 30-month payment plan on AT&T.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20

If you want to save on the Galaxy Note 20 and don't have a trade-in, Best Buy will let you save at least $200 if you activate today. If you go with a Verizon phone, you'll save $300!

See all the deals at Best Buy

Best Carrier Galaxy Note 20 Deals in the US

Of course, each major carrier is also selling the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Here are the best deals for each of them:

Verizon

Verizon usually has a ton of promotions to take advantage of with their phones, and the Galaxy Note 20 is no exception. Here are just a few of those offers:

• Buy one phone, get a second for up to $700 off with a new line
• Get up to $550 off with a trade-in
• If switching from another carrier, get a $250 Verizon e-Gift Card on select Unlimited plans

If you can stack multiple deals, you’ll save big on the Galaxy Note 20 at Verizon!

Samsung Galaxy Note 20

Get the full power of Verizon's 5G mmWave network and take advantage of the myriad of deals while you're at it. Whichever one you go for, expect great coverage and blazing fast speeds when you're in a mmWave 5G area!

From $41.66 per month at Verizon

AT&T

AT&T Next lets you pay for your phone over 30 months, with the Galaxy Note 20 costing $33.34 per month on the plan. But, that’s without taking advantage of AT&T’s trade-in offer! If you’re switching to AT&T from another carrier, adding a line, or upgrading your plan, the Galaxy Note 20 will only cost $10/month! Additionally, you can save $50 on the Galaxy Buds Live if you bundle it and the Note 20 together.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20

If you've got a recent phone to trade in, and don't mind being on AT&T, this might be the deal for you. Bring your total down to just $10/month when you switch and trade in a phone!

$10/month at AT&T

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YouTube for Android rolls out default video quality settings and removes ability to tap the seek bar to skip

YouTube is in the midst of a number of tweaks ranging from the semi-accidental to the deliberate.

Most notably, a change in behavior in the latest Android app has disabled the ability to tap anywhere on the progress bar to advance to that point. Google says that the new behavior is deliberate (via AndroidPolice), bringing Android into line with its iOS opposite number, and is meant to reduce “frustration” caused by accidentally nudging a playing video. Users can still drag the position bar back and forth to manipulate the position of the video.

Q: Why are you changing the seek bar/progress bar/scrubber experience? / I can’t tap to move the seek bar/progress bar/scrubber for some reason.

We heard that a single tap to move the progress bar caused a lot of frustration with accidental taps. Now you can tap, hold, and slide the progress bar — the red dot will track your movement and once you lift your finger, the video will jump to that point in the video.

Some users told us that the latest version of the YouTube app (15.42.36) reverted the change, but we’ve tested that version and it seems to have exactly the same behavior. Given that this appears to be a deliberate change, we can’t imagine that any amount of updating will change this “feature” before The big G is good and ready.

This behavior change comes alongside a much-requested simplification for playback quality in the YouTube mobile app, which has now been refined down to Higher, Data Saver, or Auto (the latter chooses for you). An advanced option will take you into a choice of specific quality levels, ranging from 1080p (FHD) down to 144p, which even dial-up users would find irritating. Although the quality can be controlled on a per-video basis, there’s also a settings page (clearly marked as Beta) which allows you to change the default option for all your watching.

We first spotted evidence for YouTube’s default video quality settings all the way back in March, and Google said this feature was in limited testing back in late June. Now, it appears to finally be rolling out for users, according to AndroidPolice.

Screenshots via AndroidPolice

In a bizarre additional detail, it has emerged (via AndroidPolice) that YouTube is throttling playback of purchased movies to 480p, even if you’ve bought an HD version, but only for those watching via the web interface. It appears to be a temporary issue caused by problems at the back-end, but as of yet, there’s no hint as to when you’ll be able to see your movies on the web in their full glorious resolution once more.

All in all, one of YouTube’s odder days, and it remains to be seen how this will all resolve itself.

YouTube (Free, Google Play) →

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The high-quality LG CX 55-inch 4K TV is $500 off at Amazon

There will be plenty of TV deals over the holiday shopping season, but that doesn’t mean you should wait on this one. The LG CX 4K Smart TV is currently a little over $500 off at Amazon, bringing the 55-inch TV’s price down to the historic low of $1,496. While that might still seem like a lot, this TV is worth every penny, and then some.

The 55-inch LG CX is an OLED TV, which means that the pixels emit their own light. OLED screens have a wider depth of color than a normal LED screen, so you’ll see true black as well as bright and vivid colors. For gamers, the LG CX has NVIDIA G-Sync built-in and a 120hZ refresh rate to produce minimal lag. That’s something not even a lot of computer monitors can do! LG’s ThinQ technology makes it easy to stream anything you want, and the remote control also accepts voice and motion commands, perfect for accessibility. Finally, with 4 HDMI ports and 3 USB ports, you’ll have space to plug in every console and device you need to complete your home theater experience.

The LG CX is one of a few smart TVs on sale on Amazon, but it’s easily the most impressive of the bunch. If you are on a budget, though, the LG NanoCell is a great TV in its own right, and the 49-inch model is just $547. If you still have Amazon Prime, you’ll also get free two-day shipping on any of these TVs, which given their size is a potentially-costly delivery fee saved as well.

LG Alexa Built-In CX 55-inch 4K Smart OLED TV

Get one of the best TV experiences around for $500 off. The LG CX 55-inch smart TV is just $1,496 at Amazon, and with its beautiful OLED screen, Alexa capabilities, and gaming-ready technology, you really can't go wrong.

Buy at Amazon

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Google Photos introduces a monthly print service for $6.99

Google Photos is a great service for backing up the images you take every day. Because it holds so many of our memories, it’s also a good place for finding your favorite photos to print out. Google capitalized on this fact by launching a same-day print service in conjunction with Walmart and CVS. In the coming weeks, Google will offer a monthly premium print series.

The $6.99 per month service will provide subscribers with 10 high-quality photo prints, which are delivered to your doorstep. According to Google, the new service will use machine learning to suggest the 10 photos to print. Users can edit the photo selection before it’s shipped, of course, and also choose between matte or glossy finishes. A border can also be added to photos if you don’t like the edge-to-edge look.

Google trialed the service earlier this year before quietly shutting it down. The only major difference we can see is that the earlier trial was a little more expensive. During the trial, Google also gave Photos users a little more control, allowing them to tell the algorithm to prioritize certain categories, including people and pets or landscapes. It’s unclear if those options are available in the premium print series, but based on a recent leak, it doesn’t appear that’s the case.

Google said monthly subscribers can skip a month or outright cancel the service at any time, so there’s plenty of flexibility. In addition to simple prints, users can also turn their photos into postcards made from cardstock paper, so they should last a cross-country journey in the mail.

In addition to the new premium print series, Google said users can order 4×6, 5×7, or 8×10 prints through Photos for same-day pickup at Walgreens. Google Photos users could previously order same day prints from CVS and Walmart. Google said prints will have a glossy finish at CVS and Walgreens, and a matte finish at Walmart.

Google Photos has long allowed users to order photo books and canvas prints. Adding a premium photo service adds more convenience to getting prints, and brings back the fun of looking at physical prints, which can often feel much more tangible to something that’s digital. With the holidays on the horizon, Google’s new service arrives at an opportune time.

Google Photos (Free, Google Play) →

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Latest Tasker beta lets you reject calls before they even start ringing

João Dias, the developer behind the popular automation app Tasker, has released a new beta version which makes it even easier to screen those robocalls (or your parents, if that’s your thing). Tasker 5.11.3 beta is currently rolling out in beta and adds a feature that can stop a caller from connecting with you before your phone even starts to ring.

The feature takes advantage of CallScreeningService, an API that was initially made available with API level 24 (Android 7.0 Nougat) but was changed in API level 29 (Android 10) to no longer require the call screening app to be set as the default dialer. As such, Tasker’s implementation of the feature is available to users of Android 10 and above. After installing the latest beta, users can set Tasker as their Caller ID & Spam app and consequently be able to set it up to screen or block calls according to the Profiles that they’ve set in the app.

João Dias has shared a video demo of the new feature in action:

The new Call Screened Event and Call Screening Action are the only significant new features in this version (but remember, this is only a beta), as the developer is mostly focused on getting Tasker ready for Google Play’s upcoming API level 29 requirement set for November 2nd. As a reminder, all new apps submitted to Google Play are already required to target API level 29, while updates to existing apps will be required to target API level 29 starting November 2nd.

Other tweaks in this Tasker beta version include the ability to convert sensor orientation coordinates to degrees, a fix for the camera action, and a number of other bug fixes. It has also added warnings to actions that have been temporarily scuppered by the API issue.

As mentioned, the stable version of Tasker in the Google Play Store won’t have this feature yet. If you’re in the beta program but you simply can’t wait, there’s a direct link to download the APK here. If you’d like to join the Tasker Beta program, you can do so here. And don’t forget, XDA has an entire forum full of hints and tips on how to make the most of this most powerful of apps.

Tasker 5.11.3.beta Full Changelog

• Added Call Screening action and Call Screened event for Android 10+. Allows you to reject calls event before they start to ring. Demo here: https://youtu.be/JxwfwkeffMk
• Added option to convert orientation coordinates to degrees in the Test Sensor action and in the Any Sensor conditions
• Fixed Camera action on Android 10+
• Fixed issue where value for video would be reset when editing the Element Video Control action
• Fixed issue with last beta on some phone related actions
• Fixed Any Sensor events and states not stopping sensor monitoring when other less battery intensive conditions are false
• Fixed issue where sometimes the Any Sensor Event would fire every single time you accepted a new setup in Tasker
• Don’t use Manage External Storage permission for now since Google Play doesn’t support it yet but made preparations for it
• Made SSID field in Wifi Connected state multiline if needed
• Fixed sending literal variable names (like \%variable) to plugins
• Added warning that Mobile Network Type action won’t work anymore on Android 10+.
• End Call action no longer works as before on Android 10+ due to Android restrictions

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The Google Pixel 5’s Portrait Light feature rolls out to older Pixel phones

The Pixel 5 and the Pixel 4a 5G were both recently announced as part of Google’s Pixel lineup. We’ve already covered both smartphones as well as the smaller, non-5G Pixel 4a in plenty of detail before. As expected, these Pixel phones have amazing cameras and are priced much more competitively compared to previous offerings from Google. Alongside these new Pixel devices, Google introduced new camera features. One of them is called Portrait Light, and it allows you to dynamically tweak and edit lighting, brightness around the faces, and lighting angle of portrait photos so you can have your selfie exactly how you imagined it to be. As with most Pixel camera features, Portrait Light is all software-based, which means that older Pixel phones should be capable of using it.

Google Pixel 4a 5G Forums ||| Google Pixel 5 Forums

Google didn’t confirm if this feature would be coming to other Pixel devices, but it looks like it’s now rolling out to older Pixel devices such as the Pixel 2 series, the Pixel 3 series, the Pixel 3a series, the Pixel 4 series, and the Pixel 4a. There is no word on whether or not first-gen Pixel phones will get it, but it’s unlikely given that they are not actively supported by new Android updates anymore. It also doesn’t matter whether a picture was taken using Portrait Mode or not, as Google Photos can apply a bokeh effect to pictures that were already taken thanks to machine learning.

For Pixel users, we’re also introducing Portrait Light. This feature makes your portraits look even better. You can illuminate faces even when they’re backlit against a sunset or have heavy shadows. #LaunchNightIn https://t.co/oVsqhSr4sE pic.twitter.com/icPaYFeYX7

— Google Photos (@googlephotos) September 30, 2020

Portrait Light actually resides as a feature inside of the Google Photos app rather than the Google Camera, and according to Android Police, it’s rolling out via a server-side update. The publication did note that all devices they tested were running Google Photos version 5.15.0.337400196, so check if you’re on that version to see if the feature is available for you. If you have an older Pixel device and you want to see if Portrait Light is available, then it doesn’t hurt to go to the Google Play Store and grab the latest update of Google Photos for your device.

Google Photos (Free, Google Play) →

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