Google is working on a new productivity feature for Chromebooks. This new integration brings Google Calendar to Chrome OS.

There will be a keyboard shortcut to access the calendar view:

ALT + SHIFT + C

Google Calendar

Chrome OS users have been asking for a calendar widget for ages. The demand is for a quick calendar widget like Windows when you click on the date or time on the system tray.

It looks like Google is listening. Maybe in a slightly different way.

The story starts with a new experimental Chrome OS flag that I spotted today:

Productivity experiment: Monthly Calendar View: Show Monthly Calendar View with Google Calendar events to increase productivity by helping users view their schedules more quickly.

That’s pretty clear. A calendar “view” integrated with Google Calendar. First, however, I had to confirm if this is the same widget that we have been waiting for. I searched code commits by the same developer, looking for clues.

Yes, there is a shortcut to open the popup directly. A few of the code changes suggest that we will be able to open the “bubble” by clicking date/time.

Summary

Calendar View is an exciting feature for me. I am sure there will be many other Chromebook users in the community waiting for this feature.

I always wanted a calendar widget on the Chromebook desktop. However, I never expected a Google Calendar integration. That’s a bonus for sure.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments section.

Source: Chromium Gerrit & bugs.chromium.org.