Google last week added its Google Now personal assistant to the app launcher in a preview of Chrome OS, the browser-based operating system that powers Chromebooks.

Included in the March 26 release of Chrome OS’s latest Beta build — one of three “channels” maintained by Google — was a revamped Chrome Launcher 2.0, the name for the operating system’s app launcher, analogous to Windows’ Start menu.

The refreshed launcher has changed from a smaller pop-up menu to a larger window centered on the screen, with a prominent Google search field and a curated row of the most frequently-used apps’ icons below that.

Also new to the launcher is faster access to Google Now’s card-like informational tidbits and notifications, generated by the Mountain View, Calif. company’s answer to Apple’s Siri and Microsoft’s Cortana personal assistants. Those cards have been available on Android and iOS mobile devices since 2012 and mid-2013, respectively, and notifications were added to the Chrome desktop browser and Chrome OS almost a year ago.

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