Google Drops A New Chromebook And Chromebox


If you haven’t paid attention to Google’s Chrome OS in a while, you might not recognise it after today’s update: the cloud-based OS UI has been revamped and now has multitouch trackpad support. Coinciding with that release is an updated Samsung Series 5 Chromebook and a Series 3 Chromebox. The emphasis here is nearly singular: speed, speed, speed.

The updated OS has a new app-focused user interface that lets you choose which programs you use most often for easier access. Google Drive will serve as the data storage system, and deeper integration should be coming in the next few weeks. Also included is a revamped media player, a brand new photo editor and uploader, along with remote desktop support for both Windows and Mac. Additionally, Chrome OS now supports hardware-accelerated graphics.

And then there’s the new hardware. According to The Verge, the Chromebook has a 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Celeron 867 processor and 4GB of RAM to go with a 12.1-inch, 1200×800 display, multitouch trackpad, Wi-Fi and 3G, two USB 2.0 ports, a 4-in-1 card reader and more than eight hours of battery life. The Chromebox is a diminutive box with a 1.9GHz Intel Celeron B840 processor and 4GB of RAM, dual-band Wi-Fi, six USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit ethernet, and two DisplayPort++ for an HDMI, DVI or VGA connection. And it’s worth noting that despite their Celeron designation, Google says the computers are part of the Sandy Bridge family and are about three times faster than their predecessors. [Google]

Google said both computers are about three times faster than their predecessors, with Intel Sandy Bridge processors. They’re also deeply integrated with Google Drive, which serves as their data storage system. [Google]


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