To date, native access to Google Assistant on a Chrome OS device has meant splurging on Google-made hardware like the Pixelbook or Pixel Slate. You won't have to be quite so picky for much longer, though. Google has started testing Chrome OS 72 in beta form, and the new release brings Assistant to third-party Chromebooks for the first time. It works in the same way as you'd expect on the Slate, with support for both voice and written commands through a pop-up at the bottom. The beta also brings Android 9 Pie to hardware beyond the Pixel Slate.

Google launches Pixel 3, Pixel Slate, and Google Home Hub. Two people in my office mistook the Google Pixel Slate tablet I had lying on a desk for one of Apple's newest iPad Pros. At home, my 11-year-old son made the same mistake. If you are Google, this isn't necessarily a bad thing since the company will presumably have to persuade a would-be iPad Pro buyer to choose its pricey new tablet instead. I'm not quite ready to do that myself, though Google's new 1.6-pound anodized aluminum Chrome OS tablet is a capable alternative with a 12.3-inch high resolution touch display that is lovely to look at, notwithstanding bezels that are a little thicker than those on the iPad Pro.

Personal computing is in an angsty place. With the rise of Frankensoftware comes the promise of an effortless computing future, one in which mobile apps and "regular" apps co-exist peacefully on shiny glass displays and there isn't so much debate about what a modern computer is. The company has a vision for what this effortless computing future should be, whenever it arrives. That vision includes Chrome OS, the web-centric operating system it first introduced in 2009, as well as Google's mobile Android ecosystem, and its all-knowing Google Assistant voice platform. All of these technologies are available for you to swipe and tap and shout your way through on the Pixel Slate, Google's newest computing device.

Reviewing the Pixel Slate was like reviewing two devices. But when you attach it to the Pixel Slate Keyboard, it transforms into a premium Chromebook, with a large multitouch trackpad and PC-like multitasking. The Pixel Slate appears to be a dream 2-in-1, the rare hybrid device that truly conforms to your immediate needs. Where the iPad Pro and various convertible PCs fail to consider the jarring interface changes when switching from a touch-based UI to a keyboard-based UI, Google has designed Chrome OS's new hybrid interface specifically with the Pixel Slate in mind. Google understands that you'll use your Chromebook differently as a tablet than you would as a laptop. So the Pixel Slate deserves to be taken seriously as the next generation of both Chromebooks and Android tablets.

Whether you need a smartphone, smart TV, smart home assistant, or smart charger that turns your smartphone into a smart home assistant that can control your suddenly smart TV, Google's Black Friday specials might have what you're looking for. Google's entire Home line of smart home assistants is getting some serious discounts. The new $150 Google Home Hub is now $99, the original and customizable $130 Google Home is now $79, and the tiny $49 Google Home Mini is just $25. Even the bass-blasting $400 Google Home Max is $50 cheaper, making the $350 purchase a bit easier to stomach. Adding a Chromecast device to your existing home theater setup makes streaming from mobile apps and even your PC incredibly simple, and extends the world of Google Assistant past the realm of audio-only interaction.

The announcements came as Google faces pressure over how much access outside developers have to its users' private data, including people's Gmail messages and Google profile information. Google on Monday said it planned to clamp down on such access and effectively close the consumer functionality of Google . The company has also drawn criticism for testing a mobile search engine in China that adheres to the country's censors. Google addressed privacy concerns only tangentially at the event. "We need to offer simple, powerful ways to safeguard your devices," said Rick Osterloh, Google's vice president of hardware. The company's latest Android smartphones, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, which will sell for $799 and $899, have an updated design and improvements to their already lauded cameras.

The Google Pixel Slate isn't the first Chrome tablet, but it's setting new standards for what a Chrome tablet can be. Announced Tuesday at Google's Made By Google Launch event in New York, the Pixel Slate "isn't a laptop trying to be a tablet," said Google's Trond Wuellner, "or a tablet that's really a phone pretending to be a computer." The Pixel Slate shows how Google's trying to evolve Chrome OS from its original desktop aspirations. The Pixel Slate brings together touch, pen, and voice input in a compact, versatile form factor. The Pixel Slate also looks as gorgeous as an Apple iPad or a Samsung Galaxy Tab S. We've highlighted below the important specs and most intriguing new features that we know so far.

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Google has unveiled a slew of new hardware including its $799 (£739) Pixel 3 phones, a new $599 (£549) tablet called Pixel Slate and a $149 (£139) smart speaker with a screen called Home Hub. The firm has pledged to build AI into its entire range at a New York event where Google's Rick Osterloh unveiled the new products, designed to take aim at Apple, Samsung and Amazon. Its new Pixel 3 handset includes AI features that allow it to answer calls itself, weeding out robocalls and transcribing messages if a user is busy, alongside a wide angle'superselfie' lens. Google's new range: The firm unveiled the Home Hub, Pixel Slate and Pixel 3 at a New York event. New handset starts at $799 (£739) for the Pixel and $899 (£869) for the XL and come in three colors - just black, clearly white, and not pink.

While it might seem like the annual Made by Google event has already taken place based on the Pixel leaks we've received on a daily basis, we actually still have another day until the big event. Google hasn't exactly been secretive about its new phone or much of anything else being unveiled tomorrow, but there's still plenty to be excited about. Here's everything we expect to see tomorrow, a few things we probably won't be seeing, and a couple of surprises that may be in store: The star of the show Tuesday will be the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3XL. With all the leaks, there's little left that we don't know about them. You can check out the details in our rumor roundup, but in a nutshell, the two phones will once again be separated by screen size, with the smaller one likely getting a 5.5-inch display and the larger one possibly getting a 6.7-inch one.