Googlebooks, Aluminium OS and the Schlage Smart Lock That Opens Itself

In this episode

Google is keeping the Chromebook and adding a pricier Googlebook line running Aluminium OS, built on Android 17 with Gemini baked in at system level. Steven Scott and Shaun Preece work out what that means for screen reader users, and Marc Aflalo finds out how Schlage’s ultra wideband locks open the door before you reach for a key.

The Chromebook is not going away. Google is holding that brand at the affordable end, aimed squarely at schools, while the new Googlebooks start around $999 and chase the same buyer who might otherwise pick up a MacBook Air. The bigger change is underneath. Aluminium OS is Android at heart, so Android apps run properly rather than through emulation, and handoff between phone and laptop becomes part of the design.

That raises a question nobody has answered yet. ChromeVox is the screen reader for Chrome OS, but if the Googlebook is Android underneath, does TalkBack take over? With launch days away, Steven and Shaun note how little has been said about accessibility, and they wonder whether ChromeVox will ever support add-ons or scripting the way desktop screen readers do. Existing Chromebooks still get updates for up to ten years, and some hardware may be eligible to move across, though Google has not said which.

Marc Aflalo speaks with Tim from Schlage, the lock maker that has been around more than a century and spun out of Ingersoll Rand into Allegion in 2013. The conversation covers the jump from mechanical keys to Encode, Arrive and the new Sense Pro, which uses Schlage Converge technology and ultra wideband to read the angle and speed of your approach, then unlocks at the right moment when your arms are full.

Sense Pro ships with no keypad and no keyway, so the backup is a USB-C jump start port at the base of the lock that takes power from a phone or battery pack. There is also useful ground on scheduled access codes, firmware updates that add features to locks already installed, Matter support across Apple, Google, Alexa and Samsung homes, and the newer Aliro standard. To finish, a look ahead to Meta Connect on 23 and 24 September and the smart glasses rumours around it.

Chapters
0:00 – What’s coming up
0:35 – Chromebook or Googlebook? Pricing, Aluminium OS and Gemini
4:52 – ChromeVox, TalkBack and the accessibility unknowns
6:06 – Which Chromebooks might transition
9:28 – Schlage’s history, from mechanical locks to Allegion
11:09 – Encode, Arrive and the launch of Sense Pro
14:53 – Converge technology and ultra wideband at the door
17:12 – No keypad, no keyway, and the USB-C jump start
21:27 – Access codes, pet sitters and vacation rentals
26:40 – Meta Connect rumours

Tried a smart lock, or waiting to see what the Googlebook does for accessibility? Email [email protected] and tell us. Like, subscribe and share to help more people find accessible tech coverage.

Relevant Links
Schlage Sense Pro: https://www.schlage.com/en/home/smart-locks/sense-pro.html
Allegion: https://www.allegion.com/corp/en/index.html
Aliro 1.0 standard: https://csa-iot.org/newsroom/introducing-aliro-1-0-a-unified-standard-to-transform-the-access-control-ecosystem/
Chromebook accessibility and ChromeVox: https://www.google.com/chromebook/accessibility/
Accessible Learning Lounge: https://accessiblelearning.gumroad.com
Meta Connect: https://www.meta.com/connect/