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How to install and use ADB on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, Chromebooks, or even in a browser
Want to set up and use ADB? Read this
The Android Debug Bridge, or ADB for short, is one of the most powerful tools for your favorite Android phone. While it may take some time to learn all the options the command-line tool offers, like installing your favorite custom ROM, activating it, and using it with guidance is as easy as running a simple line of code on your computer. The best part is that it doesn't matter which device you use to send ADB commands to your phone. ADB works on Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, and even on the web or your phone, at least to an extent.
Linux Dirty Pipe kernel bug exposes Android to potential malware vector
Get ready to clean those dirty pipes
If Android were a car engine, and you popped the hood and poked around a bit, you'd find the label "Linux" etched on the engine block. The open-source operating system provides the starting point that Android's built on top of, but sharing code also means sharing vulnerabilities. Now a newly discovered Linux kernel bug is raising concerns for the security of Android devices, as it leaves a door open for malware intrusion.
You can pre-order the Linux-powered PinePhone Pro Explorer Edition starting today
Linux lovers, the time is nigh
Pine64, the team behind all sorts of Linux-powered hardware like single-board computers, notebooks, and smartphones, announced the PinePhone Pro last October as the successor to its OG PinePhone from 2019. While early units of the Pro model shipped to developers last month, broader availability is only just now getting underway following initial production delays, with the Pro Explorer Edition going up for public pre-order.
Chromebooks will soon be a lot more useful for Linux power users
Support for running multiple Linux containers at once is incoming
It took a long time for Linux to become officially supported on Chromebooks. In fact, it spent three years in beta until the release of Chrome OS 91. Now, anyone who wants to can install and run Linux on their Chromebook, with the caveat that they can only use one container at a time. A new update aims to remove this limitation.
The new PinePhone Pro is a Linux phone for people who love Android
THIS will be the year of the Linux phone
Pine64, the hardcore nerds behind Linux-powered hardware including the PinePhone from 2019 which we have reviewed, is opening pre-orders for its new $399 PinePhone Pro.
Google plans to bring Android's kernel closer to the Linux upstream
If successful, it could reduce fragmentation and development time
Google has spent nearly half a decade attempting to make it easier for OEMs to keep their devices updated, most notably with the introduction of Project Treble in 2017. The company has previously proposed efforts to bring Android closer to the Linux kernel, something it's finally attempting with the upcoming release of Android 12. At this week's Linux Plumbers Conference, Google laid out how it's planning to accomplish its lofty goal.
Chrome OS 93 is heading to your Chromebook today, and it's all about the details
Tweaks that strengthen, mature, and enhance the overall Chrome experience
Today Google is launching Chrome OS 93 to Chromebooks, just a week after it released Chrome 93 to mobile and desktop platforms. Chromebooks have seen wild success over the last couple of years thanks to Chrome OS being reliable, secure, and easy to use, and Chrome OS 93 adds polish here and there to help you enjoy your Chromebook even more. Here are all the important features and tweaks coming with this update.
This small change could help with poor framerates in games on Chromebooks
A new change may make slow games feel a lot more responsive
Chromebooks are no ordinary machines: they're powered by Google's Chrome browser, offering a speedy, simple, and secure web surfing experience. The experience is also a lot more versatile than its "Chrome OS" moniker implies, leveraging a slew of virtualization technologies so you can enjoy using Android and desktop Linux apps on your Chromebook. The added security benefits from virtualization comes at a penalty of less efficiency — Google's implementation is no exception. Thankfully, Google has been working hard to mitigate the performance hit, and in a future update, Android games will start running even more smoothly.
Chromebooks are incredible tools for school and home use, and although they're often thought of as simple machines, they can do a variety of tasks beyond surfing the web. When Google launched Linux support for Chrome OS in 2018, it unlocked access to thousands of desktop applications. While modern Chromebooks have had access to Linux apps for years, capable Skylake-powered systems like the Samsung Chromebook Pro got left in the dust. It seems the wait may finally be over thanks to recent updates — but it may be too late to matter.
Linux on Chrome OS is finally out of beta, three years later
And Google has a lot more planned for it
Chromebooks have had Linux support for such a long time by now, you'd be forgiven if you forgot that Linux has only ever been in beta testing for all these years. At I/O 2021, Google has announced that that's about to change with the next version of Chrome OS, 91. Linux is finally losing its beta moniker.
Your Chromebook will be getting a massive gaming performance boost soon
Early benchmarks show speeds that rivals native performance
Read update
Linux for Chromebooks has come a long way since Google introduced it in Chrome OS 69 a couple of years ago. On supported devices, it opened the door to an extensive library of desktop apps for users, like video editing tools and IDEs. GPU acceleration was an important milestone that made graphic intensive Linux app usable on Chrome OS. This is thanks to Virgil 3D, a component that allows the Linux container to tap into the hardware's GPU. In exciting news shared by Luke Short from VMware, Google is working on adding Vulkan passthrough into Virgil to improve app performance.
Flutter 2 is coming with support for Windows and macOS, foldables, and a ton more
Write once, run everywhere
The great unicorn of software development is to have one language and framework that enables devs to code an app once and run it on any operating system and any type of device. Flutter has been aiming to do this since its inception, and today it gets quite a bit closer to that goal with the announcement of Flutter 2. The latest major update brings major enhancements for mobile platforms, adds support to desktop, and massively extends its capabilities on the web — among other things.
2020 was (well, as of writing, still is) quite a crazy year, and that craziness also had a huge impact on the tech industry. The internet is gradually becoming more divided across countries, the trade war that completely changed Huawei's phone business is raging on, and the global pandemic affected both hardware and software release cycles — you might remember that Chrome and Chrome OS updates were temporarily paused when everyone started working from home.
Pine64 partners with KDE for new Community Edition PinePhone
Pine64 is also working on new Wi-Fi/Bluetooth drivers and Qi charging
The first production-ready PinePhones became available earlier this year, giving Linux enthusiasts another option for a phone powered by open-source software. Pine64 has released a few different production runs of the PinePhone, each partnered with a different OS vendor, and a new model running KDE Plasma Mobile will be available next month.
This phone doesn't run Android, but now it can run Android apps
The Anbox emulator comes to Purism's Linux-based Librem 5 phone
Android and iOS aren't the only mobile operating systems viable today. Last month, Corbin wrote about the PinePhone, a phone that runs Linux and has physical kill switches for privacy-minded people. The PinePhone isn't alone in its use of Linux; Purism's Librem 5 phone runs PureOS, a free, open-source operating system that's not based on Android. But just because phones like the Librem 5 don't run Android natively doesn't mean users have to miss out on the benefits of the Android ecosystem.
How to play GeForce Now in your Chrome browser without installing anything on your PC or Linux machine
You just have to spoof your browser's user agent with an official Google tool
While Google Stadia needs nothing but your browser to work, the story is different for GeForce Now. Nvidia would like you to install its dedicated application for its game streaming service on Windows and Mac. But ever since GeForce Now is available on Chromebooks, we know that it's capable of running inside Chrome, and where there's a will, there's a way. By spoofing your browser user agent with an official Google tool, you can use GeForce Now right in Chrome on your PC, Mac, or Linux machine — nothing but an extension required.
The Linux-based PinePhone is the most interesting smartphone I've tried in years
A fully open smartphone
Android's potential for customization was seemingly endless when it was first introduced, thanks to its Linux kernel and open-source nature. However, Google has introduced more restrictions over the past few years in the name of privacy and security, making root and other deep modifications difficult or impossible. While I agree that most of the security changes in Android are needed (I really don't need the Facebook app digging through my local files), they do mean you are not in full control of your own device.There's still the option of using custom ROMs like LineageOS and Paranoid Android, but they're still limited by the restrictions of Android. Porting ROMs to new phones is a time-consuming and difficult process, they sometimes lack features compared to the stock software (like full camera quality), and some devices don't allow unlocking the bootloader at all.Thankfully, there's now an alternative to Android for enthusiasts who want full control over their phone: the PinePhone, a budget device developed by Pine64 and supported by the Linux community. Despite its many (many, many) limitations, the PinePhone is still the most interesting phone I've used in years.
Google has been ramping up the Linux environment on Chrome OS lately, with features like microphone support and USB connections. For those of you who spend a lot of time in the command-line Terminal, Chrome OS 84 has updated the app with new themes and customization options.
Chrome OS 84 tweaks Linux setup to include username and container sizing options
Another step in making Linux a first-class citizen on Chromebooks
When Google introduced Chrome OS back in 2011, it was mostly just a window to the web. The operating system eventually expanded to include Android integration, and last year Google announced that every new Chromebook would be launching with Linux support. However, the implementation of Linux on Chrome OS had been a little limited out of the gate. Now with the launch of Chrome OS 84, Google is adding the ability to set a username and configure the Linux disk size during initial setup.
Chrome working on a Read Later feature for desktops, 3 years after it added it on iOS
Chrome for Android is still left out, but at least it offers an alternative solution
For more than three years, you've been able to save articles for later via Chrome on iOS. Google never cared to introduce the feature on other platforms, but it looks like that's about to change rather soon. An entry spotted in the Chromium Gerrit (via Techdows) shows that the company is working on bringing a Read Later feature to Chrome OS, macOS, Windows, and Linux.