Google opens pre-orders for its $899 Googlebook AI laptop
Google has begun pre-orders for its new $899 Googlebook, an Android-based laptop built to showcase Gemini AI features, as the company hopes the new format will drive new device purchases and eventually win over the school Chromebook market.
Google announced on Monday that its Googlebook, first revealed in May, is now available for pre-order at $899. The device runs on Android OS combined with a desktop version of Chrome and familiar ChromeOS elements, but its main draw is the deep integration of Gemini's latest AI capabilities.
New features
The standout addition is Magic Cursor, an AI-powered pointer that acts as a bridge to Gemini — letting users highlight webpage content for Gemini to analyze, ask it to check whether a hovered email looks suspicious, or select multiple images for Gemini to visualize together. The feature resembles Android's existing Circle to Search tool, which on its own never triggered a mass shift toward Android devices.
Another new feature, called Rambler, uses AI to turn messy, rambling voice dictation into clean, readable text. The laptop also includes vibe-coded widgets, along with previously available tools like Gemini Spark and Gemini Live, neither of which requires new hardware.
Targeting the school market
The Googlebook appears to be part of a longer-term strategy to move roughly 50 million Chromebooks currently used in schools toward Google's Gemini AI ecosystem. Google said in May that existing Chromebooks will continue receiving support, though many will become eligible to transition to the new Googlebook experience over time.
Pricing and availability
The $899 price includes 12 months of Google AI Pro, offering 5TB of cloud storage, advanced Gemini tools, and three months each of YouTube Premium, Adobe Photoshop and other services. Devices will receive updates for up to 10 years. Pre-orders are already open through the Google Store, Best Buy and other retailers, with sales starting October 4 in the U.S. and October 5 in Canada, the U.K., Ireland, France, Germany and Australia. Flagship models will be built by Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo using aluminum, magnesium alloy and carbon fiber, featuring displays up to 2.8K OLED resolution and up to 14 hours of battery life.
