By now everyone knows that Google is putting Android apps on Chromebooks. If you don't, you can start reading all you need to know right here. And this time, it's not a half-hearted attempt through a weird run-time interpreter that developers weren't interested in using. It's a full operating system that runs alongside Chrome and can integrate seamlessly with things like the native notification system, local files, and the clipboard. That means you can go to Google Play and download an Android app and it will probably work just fine. This is a pretty big deal. Adding support for Android apps is a turn-key solution for any so-called "app gap" a platform has.Because it's Google that is doing it, that means the biggest Android app repository this side of the moon — the Google Play Store — is going to add a million plus apps all at once. And with "full" Android support and Google Play Services, you can have a great Android experience on something with a big screen, a keyboard, and a big battery. And a much more reasonable price than a high-end Android tablet. Verizon is offering the Pixel 4a for just $10/mo on new Unlimited lines This might mean a Chromebook is the best big-screen Android experience out there.

A million Google Play Store apps all at once tackles any "app gap" nicely. I've been using the ASUS Chromebook Flip, which is the "official" testing device for the version of Chrome and Play store support, for a few weeks now. While sometimes I get frustrated at the Dev channel — Android app support is still in the experimental phase — when it comes to the Android side things work a whole lot better than I expected. You still see critical bugs and crashes from time to time, but for the most part, Android apps just install with one click and run as expected. Plenty of apps can't take advantage of the bigger screen, and the Flip lacks things like a Hall sensor or a gyroscope so some features just won't work. There is still some work to be done by both the Chrome team and the Android team, but I certainly think the end-result is going to be a winner. And I think it's going to be a better experience than a tablet for a whole lot of us.

Of course, I could be wrong when I think how people use their Android tablets, but everything I think is better on a tablet than a phone is going to be even better on the right Chromebook. I know my usage habits for a tablet like a Pixel C and my wife's on her Galaxy Tab S2, and I know what I hear you guys say about how you use a tablet. And I tell ya if you're going to have something in your hands for more than five minutes, a $250 Flip is already as good of an Android experience as either. And you get a first-class web browser and operating system in Chrome OS to go with it. $250 will buy you an even better experience than the Pixel C. Android apps run on a Chromebook the same way they run on a tablet. Apps that are designed for a vertical orientation are a small window that doesn't take advantage of a big portrait screen. Menus are clunky and buttons have poor placement on some older apps because they want to squeeze everything into a small space and use a static layout. Some apps are just bad because the people making them just never cared about a tablet. Others, though are pretty damn great — having the Android Hangouts app on my laptop is a thing of beauty when compared to the Chrome version. That Android Hangouts app is a great example of why I think Chromebooks running Android nominate tablets for a spot in the desk drawer. Having a well-designed app can be a better experience than a dedicated website or a browser extension. A single window with access to the app features you'll use most, readily accessible that you can minimize to an icon works great for messenger apps like Slack or Hangouts. Other times, having a full desktop web browser complete with extensions is the best way to fly. Hello, YouTube. Hello, Facebook. The seamless integration — Android apps look and feel native on Chrome OS — means you can freely mix and match between the web, a Chrome app or an Android app and get the best experience you can tailor for yourself.