Laptops

Intel Core i3 power leads new Chromebook charge

Intel Core i3 power leads new Chromebook charge
Google and Intel have announced that the number of devices running Chrome OS is about to significantly increase
Google and Intel have announced that the number of devices running Chrome OS is about to significantly increase
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Google and Intel have announced that the number of devices running Chrome OS is about to significantly increase
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Google and Intel have announced that the number of devices running Chrome OS is about to significantly increase
Acer has announced that it will release a new version of its C720 Chromebook built around Intel's Core i3 processor
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Acer has announced that it will release a new version of its C720 Chromebook built around Intel's Core i3 processor
Acer has announced that it will release a new version of its C720 Chromebook built around Intel's Core i3 processor
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Acer has announced that it will release a new version of its C720 Chromebook built around Intel's Core i3 processor
Acer has announced that it will release a new version of its C720 Chromebook built around Intel's Core i3 processor
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Acer has announced that it will release a new version of its C720 Chromebook built around Intel's Core i3 processor
The new 11.6-inch Asus C200 Chromebook is powered by a 2.42 GHz Bay Trail-M processor
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The new 11.6-inch Asus C200 Chromebook is powered by a 2.42 GHz Bay Trail-M processor
The new 13.3-inch Asus C300 Chromebook is powered by a 2.42 GHz Bay Trail-M processor
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The new 13.3-inch Asus C300 Chromebook is powered by a 2.42 GHz Bay Trail-M processor
Dell will add a Core i3 configuration to its Chromebook 11
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Dell will add a Core i3 configuration to its Chromebook 11
Dell will add a Core i3 configuration to its Chromebook 11
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Dell will add a Core i3 configuration to its Chromebook 11
Dell will add a Core i3 configuration to its Chromebook 11
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Dell will add a Core i3 configuration to its Chromebook 11
LG's Chromebase All-in-One computer will be available in the US from the end of May
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LG's Chromebase All-in-One computer will be available in the US from the end of May
The family-friendly Chromebase AIO is based around Intel's 4th generation (Haswell) Celeron processor
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The family-friendly Chromebase AIO is based around Intel's 4th generation (Haswell) Celeron processor
The Chreombase AIO has a 21.5-inch Full HD IPS display with built-in 1.3 MP webcam and 5-watt speakers
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The Chreombase AIO has a 21.5-inch Full HD IPS display with built-in 1.3 MP webcam and 5-watt speakers
Lenovo's Celeron-based N20 Chromebook
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Lenovo's Celeron-based N20 Chromebook
The Chromebook N20p has a touchscreen display and a flexible hinge for dual mode operation
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The Chromebook N20p has a touchscreen display and a flexible hinge for dual mode operation
The Lenovo N20p in laptop mode
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The Lenovo N20p in laptop mode
View gallery - 15 images

The number of devices running Google's Chrome OS is about to significantly increase. At a press event in San Francisco yesterday, Intel and Google upped Chrome system designs to 20 by introducing a bunch of new computers and notebooks from OEM partners like Acer, LG, Asus, Dell and Lenovo, including a few powered by the latest generation Core i3 processors.

"Intel has grown to become the No. 1 microprocessor in Chrome systems," said Navin Shenoy, vice president and general manager of Intel Mobile Client Platforms Group. "We've been working on five generations of Chrome and after Google, Intel is the largest contributor to the Chromium OS. Intel chips are the first and only to support 64-bit Chrome OS."

The first of the new Chrome devices announced at the Intel/Google Chrome event are all built around a Haswell-based Intel Celeron processor. HP will add some colorful Chromeboxes to its Chrome OS device catalog, which will be available in the US from next month. In addition to finding their way onto desktops and under TVs, the new HP devices are being pitched as a good fit for digital signage and kiosk deployment.

LG's Chromebase All-in-One computer will be available in the US from the end of May
LG's Chromebase All-in-One computer will be available in the US from the end of May

LG is finally bringing its Chromebase AIO to the US, after showcasing it at this year's CES show in Las Vegas. The family-friendly computer is based around Intel's 4th generation (Haswell) Celeron processor, has a 21.5-inch Full HD IPS display with built-in 1.3 MP webcam and 5-watt speakers, and comes supplied with input/output peripherals. It will carry a suggested retail price of US$349.99, and is due to hit store shelves from the end of this month.

Manufacturers will be introducing the first Chrome OS devices based on Intel's Bay Trail-M system-on-chip during 2014. Bay Trail has been optimized for low power (with the promise of up to 11 hours of battery life), strong performance and low cost. The new devices will include the first fanless Intel Chromebooks for quiet operation in a thin and light form factor, and sport 802.11ac Wi-Fi.

"Every Chromebook keeps getting better over time," said Caesar Sengupta, vice president of product management for Chrome OS. "This is what differentiates it from every other operating system in the market, every 6 weeks all Chromebooks that are in the field will update with the latest and greatest. So your device keeps getting better. Think about what type of device you can buy in consumer electronics that actually gets better over time."

Lenovo opted to show its hand before the event with the Celeron-based N20 and N20p. Asus has now revealed that two Chromebooks will be joining its Chromebox – the 11.6-inch C200 and the 13.3-inch C300. Each model is powered by a 2.42 GHz Bay Trail-M processor, and sports an LED-backlit display with a resolution of 1366 x 768, HDMI-out, and two USB ports, one of which is USB 3.0. The C200 ships with 2 GB of RAM and is available in 16 GB and 32 GB configurations, while the C300 has 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage. They'll be available from the end of June, prices start at $249.99.

Acer has announced that it will release a new version of its C720 Chromebook built around Intel's Core i3 processor
Acer has announced that it will release a new version of its C720 Chromebook built around Intel's Core i3 processor

A new 13-inch Toshiba Chromebook based on the Bay Trail-M architecture was also revealed, though no detail was forthcoming. In addition to releasing an all-new 11.6-inch Bay Trail-M Chromebook later in the year, Acer will be upgrading its C720 to Intel's 4th gen Core i3 processor. Said to be smoother and faster than current models, it will be made ready for release in time for the return to school at a starting price of $349.99.

Dell revealed a new configuration of its Chromebook 11 featuring Intel's 4th gen Core i3 processor. Intel's Shenoy said that power users and small/medium business customers can look forward to extremely responsive device with smooth, multi-tab surfing of content-rich websites. This model will also be available later in the year.

"We're adding Google Now and voice actions to Chromebooks," revealed Sengupta. "And it's built directly into the platform, so within the next few weeks and months, you'll be able to do stuff with your laptop that's never been done before." He also confirmed that Google will be rolling out its Play Movies app in the next few weeks that will allow users to watch films both online and off.

The video below outlines some of the claimed benefits of using a Chrome device with Intel Inside.

Source: Google, Intel

Chrome Devices- Do More with Intel Inside® | Intel

View gallery - 15 images
2 comments
2 comments
Daishi
ChromeOS is all about minimalism and loading just enough at boot required to get to a browser. I saw some refurbished chromebooks on woot for about $150 and I am kicking myself for not buying a couple just to gift them to people whose computers I don't want to work on.
I remember something Richard Stallman (the guy who ate something off his foot) said a long time ago that basically as computers continue to drop Windows would finally be challenged by cheaper OS's like Linux.
Microsoft seems to finally be responding by making Windows free on devices with screens under 9 inches. I read an older article that said to fight chromebook they planned to lower the cost of windows 8.1 for low end devices from $50 to $15.
Some competition here was overdue and I'm glad to see ChromeOS gaining momentum. Even HP looks like its jumping into the mix with a Chromebox. The current best selling desktop computer on Amazon is the $180 ASUS Chromebox and the #2 best selling laptop is a $200 Acer Chromebook.
Price isn't the only factor either, I think a lot of people are just sick of having their windows machines hijacked by hostile software. My mom took an out of the box laptop to facebook once, tried to play games, and ended up with a bunch of hostile spyware in all of about 4 hours. Maybe its time to seriously considering redesigning windows even if it means breaking backwards compatibility. Browsers could be placed in a VM/sandbox, a special license should be required for all software that runs at boot time that can be revoked by Microsoft at any time and companies writing software that runs at boot are required to agree to terms they can be sued over for violating the terms (by doing things like tampering with their ability to be removed or blocked). It's the wild west right now and Microsoft has to take this seriously even if it means forking windows.
I think in the past MS shrugged off this problem figuring once peoples PC's become riddled with unwanted garbage software they will just go buy a new PC with a new license for windows and it keeps them and the OEM's happy but competition is eventually going to force their hand.
Robert in Vancouver
Really good ideas and comments by Daishi.