Following a mediocre teaser back in May, Googlebook is officially here and, well, I’m still pretty skeptical. I’m not sure I see Google’s vision of this new lineup or laptops because, frankly, I’m not solving any of the problems Chromebooks already faced.

Our initial coverage of Googlebook is live, with Abner, Jordan, and Damien all walking away with a good first impression of Google’s efforts.

Yet, I’m unconvinced thus far. I’ve yet to get my hands on a Googlebook and, as someone sitting mostly in the same boat as you, our readers, I’m yet to be sold on this new platform. I simply don’t understand why it exists, even more so why Google seems to think it will succeed.

Google’s entire pitch around why you should buy a Googlebook more or less boils down to smartphone integration – specifically Android integration. Googlebook takes existing tools from ChromeOS and supercharges them, giving you the ability to mirror apps, sync files, and do a whole lot more between your Android phone and your laptop. And it does sound pretty good! As someone who currently juggles a MacBook with various Android phones, there are integrations I wish existed; instant hotspot and proper Quick Share support (AirDrop works, but tends to be wildly slow) are at the top of that list.

Googlebook is delivering the MacBook + iPhone experience, just for Android users. That’s the pitch.

Where it falls flat for me is in the apparent functionality. At its core, Googlebook is Android, just with a desktop experience built on top.

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