An overwhelming sense of familiarity struck me the first time I used a Googlebook. That was immediately followed by a realization that this is just Android, and I think that feeling of similarity will go a long way in justifying and ultimately selling Googlebooks.

Going into this event, I was not particularly asking for a desktop operating system that felt like my Pixel phone. In fact, having used Chromebooks for many years (my first unit was the 2013 Acer C720), I thought Googlebook OS would not feel too different from ChromeOS. The desktop and app dock look the same, but the changes made by building on top of Android make all the difference.

That shared design and user experience allowed me to immediately start using Googlebook OS like a near-expert. Quick Settings and Notifications were obviously in the top-right corner, matching Android’s conventions. It’s a small change compared to ChromeOS, but it felt natural the first time I used it. I knew immediately to move the cursor to that top corner instead of the usual bottom corner on Chromebooks.

I also knew I could add and edit widgets, a long-requested feature ChromeOS lacks, by long-pressing on the desktop, while seeing the same ones from my phone homescreen evoked an almost nostalgia-like feeling.

The Settings app is identical to that on Pixel phones, while I was very happy to find Pixel Weather (and its widgets) along with the excellent Recorder pre-installed. Meanwhile, the app drawer is basically the Pixel Launcher.

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