Plus: Vivaldi browser shuns AI, Samsung has a new sustainable display, and Frankfurt Airport tests Auracast for gate announcements. Samsung's first-ever Galaxy Z TriFold went on sale this past Friday, but it sold out in minutes . This folding phone differs from the 7th-generation Galaxy Z Fold7 in that its screen can expand to a whopping 10 inches, turning it into a proper tablet . That also means it commands an incredibly high price of $2,899. It's the first device of its kind here in the West, though Huawei has its own version in China.

If you have a Chromebook, here's an interesting development for you: Google is now making it possible to control ChromeOS using just your face, The Verge reports. Imagine being able to use head movements to move your mouse cursor around, then using facial expressions to click -- or perform other frequent tasks, like toggling dictation so you can speak to write. The feature, which was originally announced in December as Face Control, is aimed specifically at people with motor impairments who'd otherwise have trouble controlling a mouse cursor on screen. But it's also meant for students and educators, who have so far benefited from the many other Chromebook accessibility features already available. Face Control is currently rolling out to compatible Chromebooks.

Qualcomm's 2024 debut of new Arm processors for Windows laptops was arguably the most important PC hardware announcement since the introduction of Intel's 486 processors in 1989. Just as that CPU line heralded an age of Intel-driven x86 dominance, Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite chips have now taken us into a new era of competition. But 2024 was only the preview. Qualcomm's Snapdragon debut was limited, targeting a specific subset of premium, thin-and-light Windows laptops that don't require discrete graphics. I spoke with two expert analysts in the hardware space for insights on how Arm PCs will continue to grow going forward.

It's been a few years since Samsung took a crack at making a premium Chromebook. In 2020, the company released the first Galaxy Chromebook, a 999 laptop with a gorgeous 4K OLED screen that barely lasted five hours away from a charger. The company fixed some issues with its 2021 model, which had a more pedestrian screen and a thicker design while costing 300 less -- a fair compromise given that battery life was significantly better. Since then, Google has also launched the Chromebook Plus initiative, which aims to standardize Chromebook specs to give people a more consistent experience. And now, Samsung has released its first entry to that lineup: the Galaxy Chromebook Plus. It reminds me a little bit of the 15-inch MacBook Air, though its appearance is unmistakably Samsung.

Qualcomm's 2024 debut of new Arm processors for Windows laptops was arguably the most important PC hardware announcement since the introduction of Intel's 486 processors in 1989. Just as that CPU line heralded an age of Intel-driven x86 dominance, Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite chips have now taken us into a new era of competition. But 2024 was only the preview. Qualcomm's Snapdragon debut was limited, targeting a specific subset of premium, thin-and-light Windows laptops that don't require discrete graphics. I spoke with two expert analysts in the hardware space for insights on how Arm PCs will continue to grow going forward.

Chromebooks and Google's ChromeOS that runs them are getting a long-overdue PC-like feature: Snap groups, which allow you to "snap" app windows to various sides of your screen. The new feature is part of ChromeOS M128, the stable version of the operating system. It should automatically roll out to all Chromebooks soon, including yours, if it hasn't already. In ChromeOS, Snap groups allow you to "snap" ChromeOS apps to various parts of your screen -- but you can also save the configurations, much like the virtual workspaces that Microsoft includes in Windows. For me, Snap groups aren't enough to overcome the productivity advantages of connecting a Chromebook or PC to multiple displays.

Google's Chrome operating system is officially on the AI bandwagon, and Chromebook manufacturers marked the occasion with a new batch of laptops. One of the latest is the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714, which aims for a premium laptop experience without a premium (by laptop standards) price. But at 699, it's still well above the budget niche that Chromebooks have traditionally occupied. The Chromebook Plus Spin 714 is an update to Acer's previous non-Plus Spin 714 (which is still available) and inherits a lot from its predecessor. The overall look and feel of the laptop are the same, which is a good thing.

If you're sick of AI being shoved into in more and more consumer electronics, then you're in good company: I'm sick of writing about it. But Google most decidedly is not sick of it. In fact, Google is trying to inject its own AI into every one of its products. That includes both Android and ChromeOS, which are getting a little closer to each other to achieve this end goal. According to the latest Chromium blog post, the Google-developed laptop and desktop system will be "embracing portions of the Android stack, like the Android Linux kernel and Android frameworks, as part of the foundation of ChromeOS."

Did you know that computers have artificial intelligence now? We've been subjected to an absolute avalanche of marketing touting AI from seemingly every tech company, from Microsoft and Nvidia to laptop makers and even thermal paste sellers. Well if you've somehow avoided the AI blitz, possibly by using a Chromebook, you're about to get it in spades from Google. The company has been pushing its Gemini (nee Bard) AI tools into most of its high-profile products, most notably Chrome and Android. Now Chromebook Plus, Google's higher tier of ChromeOS laptops revealed last year, are slated to be Google's flagship platform for the best and brightest of Gemini, with a few tools and options that aren't available elsewhere.

Following an early access period, Minecraft is now more broadly available on Chromebook. You can snap up Minecraft: Bedrock Edition from the Google Play Store for $20. Doing so will grant you access to the Android version of Minecraft, which typically costs $7, at no extra cost. If you have already bought the game on Android and use the same Google account on Chromebook, you can snag the latest port for $13. Mojang started offering this version on Chromebook in early access in March. At the time, it was only accessible on certain models that met the minimum specifications. Minecraft will work on any Chromebook from the last three years along with other models that meet the minimum specifications, according to Google.