AI-rewritten: This is a summary of an article from The Verge, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story.

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The author finds the new Android-powered Googlebooks both impressive and frustrating. While accessing native desktop versions of apps like HBO Max and Netflix is great, many other applications are unworkable. The mobile version of Slack is too difficult to use on a laptop, and Adobe’s Android apps lack the functionality of their desktop counterparts. Even Chrome, which Google claims is a desktop version, misses key features like profile switching and split views. Additionally, some apps like Bluesky and Okta cannot be installed because they do not run on the Arm-based hardware used in these laptops.

Connecting the laptop to a phone for file sharing or app casting is often difficult. The setup requires multiple restarts and specific Wi-Fi configurations, and connections frequently break when switching networks. While the author has achieved reliable connectivity with an Oppo phone, other devices like the Pixel 11 Pro Fold have been ignored by the laptops for days. Even when connected, some secure apps fail to run entirely, while others cause rendering issues on both the phone and the laptop.

File transfer remains a major problem. Although the phone’s storage appears as a drive in the file manager, actually accessing files is near-impossible due to slow loading times and transfer failures. Notifications are also messy, mixing phone and laptop alerts and often opening casted versions of apps instead of native ones. The author notes that while casting specific apps like Splitwise or WhatsApp works well for quick tasks, it is not a long-term solution because users can generally install native apps quickly anyway.