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Google releases cheapest Chromebooks yet

Google unveiled some new low-cost members to its popular Chromebook family today, and a new Chrome-on-a-stick device.

Google recently unveiled the Pixel, a higher end Chromebook device featuring a fast Intel processor, lots of RAM, and a high-res display. While the laptop itself was light weight, the price tag was hefty. Now, Google is releasing some Chromebooks for those looking for a bargain. Here’s what you need to know about the devices, as reported by Recode:

  • Two new manufacturers have made Chromebooks available to market, using Rockchip processors. Both the Haier Chromebook 11 and the Hisense Chromebook features an 11.6-inch display, 16 GB of storage and promises all-day battery life. The Haier product is available from Amazon while the Hisense notebook is sold by Walmart.
  • Asus will release a new Chromebook later this spring that can fold into a tablet form factor. A 360-degree hinge allows the user to pivot the keyboard, then fold it right up behind the 10.1-inch touchscreen screen.
  • Asus is also planning an entirely different type of Chrome device with the Chromebit. About the size of a USB modem, the idea is you plug it into an HDMI port and voila, you’ve got a Chrome OS computer. You can plug in a keyboard and mouse to the one USB port or use Bluetooth.

Hisense-Chromebook

Value devices seem like the right play for Chrome OS

Google raised some eyebrows when it released the Pixel. Since Chrome OS is designed as a lean, easy-to-use OS that requires a connection to the Internet, pairing it with premium hardware didn’t make a ton of sense. These devices are the counter-point to that, providing a cheap way to achieve computing tasks. That’s a value proposition that many can get behind, and will probably make Chrome OS a lot more popular.

Brian Jackson
Brian Jacksonhttp://www.itbusiness.ca
Editorial director of IT World Canada. Covering technology as it applies to business users. Multiple COPA award winner and now judge. Paddles a canoe as much as possible.

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Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

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