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Google has finally unveiled the first third party ‘Chromebook’ notebooks running the firm’s web-focused Chrome operating system with devices from Acer and Samsung.
The 12.1-inch Samsung Series 5 Chromebook is just 2 centimeters thick and is armed with a dual core Intel Core 2 Duo N570 processor and 16GB SSD drive. The device has a claimed battery life of 8.5 hours.
Slighter smaller at 11.6-inches, the Acer Chromebook uses the same CPU and same capacity SSD and runs the same operating system offering an ultra-fast 8 second boot time. The Acer is device also a fractionally lighter but has a more modest 6 hours of battery life.
Going on sale to consumers in the US and much of Europe including the UK on the 15th of June, US pricing for the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook will be $429 and $359 for the Acer device.
However Google also said that the Chromebook devices would be available under subscriptions priced at around $28 a month for enterprise and $20 a month for educational users.
The internet giant’s new CEO Sergey Brin said: "Chrome with Chrome OS and Chromebooks is venturing into a really new model of computing that I don’t think was possible previously," adding that traditional computer management was a "flawed model."
For the subscription, enterprise users will gain Chromebooks, web-based administration, support and warranty and the option to upgrade hardware on renewing subscription. Google’s existing cloud-based productivity suit Google Apps for Business is an additional $50 per user per year.
Google launched a website for the Chromebook including pages dedicated to enterprise and education use.
