16 PCWorld DECEMBER 2019NEWS CHROME OS 78
Virtual desktops have already appeared in
Windows, of course, as part of Task View,
which can be accessed via the Windows
taskbar (go.pcworld.com/tkvw). In Chrome
OS, the way to access Virtual Desks is through
a button in the upper right-hand corner, or by
using the Shift + Search + = (equal sign)
shortcut. You can switch from Desk to Desk by
using the Search + ] (closing bracket)shortcut.
Chrome OS has also taken another step
toward tying Android to Chrome OS with a
new click-to-call feature. With Chrome OS 78
you can right-click a number, and it will be
automatically sent to your Android phone to
call. You’ll have to be signed in on both
devices, and have syncing turned on in your
Chrome browser. (Chances are you already
do.) Google has also promised a simplifiedGoogle’s simplifying printer lists within Chrome OS 78.printing procedure, where compatible
printers will show up in your list of printers.
Google also unexpectedly added to the
period of time in which Chromebooks are
supported. Typically, Google promised to
support Chromebooks for five years since first
launched, an arbitrary length of time. Now,
Android Police (go.pcworld.com/xtsp)
discovered that Google has quietly started
adding extensions of 6 to 12 months to each
model. Google publicly publishes that
information (go.pcworld.com/atup); all you
need to do is scroll down the list of
manufacturers and find your model number.
If you don’t need to execute Windows
programs locally, Chromebooks can be a
cheap, effective way to connect to the web.
This week, they just got better.