Google unveils Googlebook, a new AI laptop built around Gemini

Google today announced a new series of Googlebook laptops that will be built with Gemini at the heart. Googlebooks will run software built on a combination of Android and ChromeOS.

Google says the new laptops are designed for Gemini Intelligence for a more personalized and proactive experience.

Instead of a cursor, Google Books has a magic pointer that users can move to activate Gemini. Gemini can then provide contextual suggestions and responses based on what the user points to on the screen. Tapping a date in an email sets up a meeting, and selecting two images allows you to view them together. Question, comparison and combination tools are available with the Magic Pointer.

Create my widget, a new Android feature, is coming to Googlebooks. Users can create custom widgets with a Gemini prompt. Gemini is able to search the internet and connect to Google apps like Gmail and Calendar to create a custom dashboard that can be used for creating widgets.

Since Googlebooks will run Android, it will be easier to switch between a Googlebook and an Android smartphone. Apps from a connected Android smartphone will be available on the Googlebook, with a feature set similar to Apple’s iPhone Mirroring.

Quick Access will allow users to view, search or insert files from a smartphone to the laptop, without any transfer necessary.

Google says it is working with Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo to create the first Googlebooks. The machines will be built with “premium craftsmanship and materials, available in a variety of shapes and sizes.” Each will have a “light bar” on the lid, making it clear that it’s a Googlebook.

Google hasn’t given any pricing information for the Googlebooks, but with the specific “premium” build language, they could be priced higher than Apple’s recently launched low-cost MacBook Neo. It’s also possible that Googlebooks could be priced at MacBook Neo levels to better compete with Apple’s laptop in terms of price and build quality.

The first Googlebooks are expected to launch this fall.