If you purchase a new Hewlett-Packard laptop in the upcoming weeks, you will notice a new app called Google Essentials on the “Start” menu. On Thursday, Google announced that this app will bundle core services such as Google Photos, Google Drive, and Google Messages. The Google Essentials app will not only include shortcuts to these services, but also centralize your Google account information and saved materials like documents, photos, and saved games from Google Play Games. Eligible subscribers will receive a two-month trial of Google One cloud storage with 100GB. This app will only be available on Windows PCs starting with new HP laptops like the Spectre, Envy, Pavilion, OMEN, and Victus, with plans to expand to more Windows PC brands in the future. The concept of a bundled Google services app is reminiscent of the old Windows Live Essentials, which provided quicker access to Microsoft applications like Mail, Movie Maker, Messenger, and Writer. An archived version of the Windows Live Essentials installer can be found on the Internet Archive.
