Google Unveils Chrome Laptop

Google is
introducing a $
US279 (N44,556.30) laptop that runs its internet-centric Chrome operating
system, borrowing many of the high-end features found in models that cost
$US1000 or more.

Hewlett-Packard Co makes the new HP Chromebook 11.
Although its price is in line with most other Chrome OS notebooks, the new
model sports many design features found in pricier devices, including the $
US1,299 Chromebook Pixel.

Unlike Windows and Mac laptops, Chromebooks rely heavily on continuous
internet connections to run Gmail, Google Docs and other online services.

Many apps don’t run directly on the device but over the internet.

The devices also have relatively little storage, as documents, photos and
other files are supposed to be stored online.

Google promotes Chromebooks as affordable laptops for a wide range of
people, including schoolchildren and merchants who can use Google’s tools
on the internet without the extra expense and hassle of installing more
sophisticated software such as Adobe’s Photoshop photo-editing software or
Microsoft’s Office word processing and spreadsheet package.

Chromebooks come with a lightweight photo editing package and
Quickoffice, a Microsoft Office alternative that Google brought in last year.
The Chromebook 11 has a sleek, plastic frame with no sharp edges or
corners – or even screw holes.

The speakers are tucked under the keyboard so sound comes out toward the
user, even when the laptop is on the user’s lap.
Devices with speakers on the back or the bottom don’t do that.

The new laptop’s display measures 29 centimetres diagonally, the same as a
popular Chromebook model from Samsung Electronics.
The Chromebook 11 weighs slightly less, at 1.04 kilograms, compared with
1.09 kilograms for the Samsung model.

Caesar Sengupta, Google’s vice president of product management for
Chromebooks, said HP approached Google after seeing the Pixel, which
Google designed and made on its own using an unnamed contract
manufacturer.

He said Google and HP made a few trade-offs to keep the price low.
The Chromebook 11 doesn’t have a touch screen, and the display’s
resolution isn’t as sharp as the Pixel’s.

The Chromebook 11 also uses a plastic frame rather than metal, but there’s
magnesium underneath to keep the laptop sturdy.
There’s less storage, too – 16 gigabytes, compared with 32 gigabytes for the
base model of the Pixel.

In recognition of the growing popularity of smartphones and tablet
computers, the Chromebook 11 uses the same Micro-USB charger common
in those mobile devices.

Other laptops typically come with their own charger, which Sengupta
described as yet another item that needs to be packed for weekend trips.