Android-powered Googlebooks stumble over connectivity and app support, hindering adoption
A reviewer finds that Googlebooks’ Android base offers useful features but suffers from unreliable phone pairing, limited app optimization, and broken file-sharing.
After a week of testing Asus and HP Googlebooks, the writer notes that the devices boot quickly through Android and can sync with a phone for app restoration. Yet maintaining that cross-device link is cumbersome, demanding toggles, restarts, and identical Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings. While some apps run well in scaled-down desktop mode, most mobile-only versions—such as Slack and Adobe’s tools—are unusable on a laptop.
Google’s Chrome for Android lacks key desktop features, and certain apps like Bluesky and Okta cannot be installed at all, even on ARM models. The casting feature lets users control phone apps from the laptop, which is handy for brief actions but suffers from missing copy-paste and file-system access. File sharing via the built-in drive is extremely slow, making it impractical. The piece concludes that Googlebooks have promise, but one outlet Android implementation needs substantial fixes and broader developer support before they can compete with traditional laptops.
