HP has updated its Chromebook laptop, bringing out what it’s touting as its first Chromebook running on an Intel processor based on the Haswell microarchitecture.
Available in white, turquoise, or peach, the HP Chromebook is like other Chromebooks as it runs the Google Inc. Chrome operating system (OS). So while it doesn’t run more traditional operating systems we’ve seen like Windows, Mac, or Linux, it instantly loads Google Chrome and has apps like Gmail, YouTube, Google Drive, and Google+ Hangouts available on-screen.
It also allows customers to jump right into the Internet, without having to first go through their OS, although the Chromebook does have regular software updates to keep Web site browsing up to speed.
Measuring in with a 14-inch, high-definition display, HP touts it as having vivid colours on-screen and a 16 gigabyte (GB) solid-state drive. It also has HDMI, USB 2.0, and USB 3.0 ports along its sides, and a combination headphone and microphone jack. The HP Chromebook also comes with an add-on option for 4G wireless connectivity.
The HP Chromebook is one of a few laptops from HP that offer Google as part of its multiple OS strategy. Other offerings include the HP SlateBook x2, the HP Slate, and the HP Slate All-in-One.
While there’s been no word as of yet on Canadian pricing, U.S. customers can expect to pay about a starting price of about $300. But like our neighbours south of the border, Canadians will be able to pick up an HP Chromebook at www.shopping.hp.com before the holidays roll around at the end of the year.
HP’s version of the Chromebook joins a slate of other Chromebook offerings out there, all using the Google Chrome browser and eschewing an OS in favour of storing user data in the cloud. Other Chromebooks include offerings from Samsung Electronics Corp., and Acer Inc.