Google attempts to go mainstream with its latest budget Chromebook. October 8, 2013 6:00 AM PDT (Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET) The Chromebook family just got a little bigger. Google on Tuesday introduced the Chromebook 11 from Hewlett Packard. The $279 utilizes a Samsung dual-core Exynos processor -- commonly used in smartphones and tablets -- comes in different colors and features a microUSB port for charging, and an improved display. There is a 4G version, although H-P hasn't announced the price of the device. That's a step beyond the inexpensive Chromebooks that start at $199 and are currently popular with bargain shoppers. Google's hope is that the improved specifications nudge this device closer to a mainstream product. Because of their limited capabilities relative to a Windows or Mac PC, they have yet to really make a dent with consumers. Still, Google was quick to tout the increasing adoption of Chromebook. Google executive Caeser Sengupta, who works on the Chromebook team, touted the Samsung Chromebook as the top selling laptop on Amazon, and noted that six of the top computer manufacturers are already making or committed to making a Chromebook. He noted 5,000 schools in the U.S. have also embraced the stripped down laptops. For the Chromebook 11, Sengupta talked up the high-end finishes that went into the relatively budget device. Alongside the improved IPS screen which has a wider viewing angle of 176 degrees, it is 50 percent brighter than most laptops, features speakers that are built underneath the keyboard, and doesn't have any visible screws. He noted that the Chromebook 11 took many of its cues from the much more expensive Chromebook Pixel. Unlike the Pixel, the Chromebook 11 doesn't have a touchscreen. While the interface and built-in tools of the Chrome OS have undergone some changes over the past couple of years, Chrome remains essentially a browser-based operating system (unlike Android, which is more app-based), and it operates almost entirely within the Chrome Web browser, which looks and feels the same as the Chrome Web browser found on your Windows or Mac OS computer. Sengupta said that unlike popular conception, consumers don't need a connection to use the Chromebook 11. Despite having access to many of the same online tools Windows and Mac users do, such as Gmail, Google Docs, Netflix, Facebook, and others, the real challenge of Chrome has been that it does not particularly excel in any particular area, and even a budget Windows laptop offers more flexibility and the ability to run more software. That said, the price has been right on models from Acer, HP, and others, with other Chromebooks going for $199 to $329, making them comparable to the inexpensive netbooks that were popular from a few years ago. At the same time, Chromebooks can be arguably more useful, because they largely operate in the cloud, rather than being held back by the low-power processors used to run local apps that were the downfall of the netbook. More to come.
Google attempts to go mainstream with its latest budget Chromebook.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
The Chromebook family just got a little bigger.
Google on Tuesday introduced the Chromebook 11 from Hewlett Packard. The $279 utilizes a Samsung dual-core Exynos processor -- commonly used in smartphones and tablets -- comes in different colors and features a microUSB port for charging, and an improved display. There is a 4G version, although H-P hasn't announced the price of the device.
That's a step beyond the inexpensive Chromebooks that start at $199 and are currently popular with bargain shoppers. Google's hope is that the improved specifications nudge this device closer to a mainstream product. Because of their limited capabilities relative to a Windows or Mac PC, they have yet to really make a dent with consumers.
Still, Google was quick to tout the increasing adoption of Chromebook. Google executive Caeser Sengupta, who works on the Chromebook team, touted the Samsung Chromebook as the top selling laptop on Amazon, and noted that six of the top computer manufacturers are already making or committed to making a Chromebook. He noted 5,000 schools in the U.S. have also embraced the stripped down laptops.
For the Chromebook 11, Sengupta talked up the high-end finishes that went into the relatively budget device. Alongside the improved IPS screen which has a wider viewing angle of 176 degrees, it is 50 percent brighter than most laptops, features speakers that are built underneath the keyboard, and doesn't have any visible screws. He noted that the Chromebook 11 took many of its cues from the much more expensive Chromebook Pixel. Unlike the Pixel, the Chromebook 11 doesn't have a touchscreen.
While the interface and built-in tools of the Chrome OS have undergone some changes over the past couple of years, Chrome remains essentially a browser-based operating system (unlike Android, which is more app-based), and it operates almost entirely within the Chrome Web browser, which looks and feels the same as the Chrome Web browser found on your Windows or Mac OS computer.
Sengupta said that unlike popular conception, consumers don't need a connection to use the Chromebook 11.
Despite having access to many of the same online tools Windows and Mac users do, such as Gmail, Google Docs, Netflix, Facebook, and others, the real challenge of Chrome has been that it does not particularly excel in any particular area, and even a budget Windows laptop offers more flexibility and the ability to run more software.
That said, the price has been right on models from Acer, HP, and others, with other Chromebooks going for $199 to $329, making them comparable to the inexpensive netbooks that were popular from a few years ago. At the same time, Chromebooks can be arguably more useful, because they largely operate in the cloud, rather than being held back by the low-power processors used to run local apps that were the downfall of the netbook.
More to come.
