1/29/2024 0 Comments Chromebook duetGoogle’s Chrome OS is much more than a glorified browser. Lenovo promises software updates to the Duet for the next eight years - an eternity in the tech industry. ![]() If you’ve used Android 10’s gesture navigation, the new Chrome OS gestures will feel very familiar. Gestures are used for common tasks like switching between apps, going to the home screen, or using apps in split-screen mode. Chrome OS has always had touch controls, but starting with Chrome OS 81, there’s now a dedicated tablet mode that changes how you interact with and navigate a Chrome OS tablet. The Duet runs Google’s Chrome OS, and is the first Chrome OS device to take advantage of the new tablet mode. It’s distracting enough that we remove the cover whenever we’re using the Duet without the keyboard. The magnets aren’t strong enough to hold it still, meaning when you’re using the Duet as a tablet, the back is constantly sliding - just slightly - and moving around. One small quibble we have with the cover is how it rests on the Duet. ![]() If your kids are using the Duet for remote learning, they’ll surely have a better typing experience. Typing on it is an OK, but not great, experience. However, that also means it took us a while to acclimate to the key size and spacing. The keyboard is small, but that’s expected with a device of this size. ![]() The cover uses magnets to attach to the back of the Duet, and it even has a fold-out kickstand that looks a lot like the Surface Go 2’s kickstand. Included in the box with the Duet are the keyboard and cover. We spent a lot of time streaming cooking lessons with the Duet and found the volume to be plenty and sound quality to be just fine. On the top of the Duet’s housing are two speakers that pump out impressive audio. Along the top is a 2-megapixel front-facing camera and an indicator light that lets you know when it’s active. The bezels surrounding the screen aren’t the thinnest we’ve seen on a tablet, but they don’t get in the way or add any sort of distraction. The front of the Duet is taken up almost entirely by the 10.1-inch 1080p display. There’s a single USB-C port on the right side of the Duet, near the bottom, along with a small indicator light that puts checking on the Duet’s charge status just a glance away. Granted, you can hold the Duet however you want, because the screen will rotate on its own, but there’s a bit of mental reassurance in knowing that if the blue section of the tablet is at the top, then the volume controls and power button are on the right side of the housing, and the pogo pins that connect it to the included keyboard are along the bottom, ready to dock the tablet at a moment’s notice. The breakup in color makes it easy to identify which side of the Duet should be facing up when you’re holding it in landscape mode. The majority of the back housing is iron gray, but it switches to ice blue for a small section of the housing, where you’ll also find the rear 8-megapixel camera. The aluminum housing has a premium feel and two-tone color scheme. On its own, it weighs 0.99 pounds and is an impressive 0.29 inches thin. In total, with the cover and keyboard installed, the Duet weighs a light 2.03 pounds and is only 0.71 inches thick. Our favorite aspect of the Duet’s design is its size. In fact, we would have expected this tablet to start around $399, if not higher. Judging the Duet on design merits alone, we would have never guessed its $279 starting price point. ![]() Your CNN account Log in to your CNN account
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