One of the bigger announcements coming out of yesterday’s session of Google I/O was a follow-up on the ChromeOS-wielding Chromebooks announced last December. For those of us not at the session, the updated details were published on the Google Blog (Chrome and Code blogs too).
Samsung and Acer are the first partners to have Chromebooks ready to go this Summer.
Chromebooks will be available online June 15 in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy and Spain. More countries will follow in the coming months. In the U.S., Chromebooks will be available from Amazon and Best Buy and internationally from leading retailers.
Samsung’s offering, the Samsung Chromebook Series 5, include two different colors: white or titan silver. The Wifi-only version cost $429 while one with Verizon’s 3G built-in costs $499. It has an Intel ATOM N570 1.66GHz Dual-Core processor, 2GB DDR3 RAM, a 16GB SSD, and a 12.1″ screen at 1280×800 resolution. The 3G device comes with 100MB of data usage per month for 2 years with additional bandwidth available in a subscription. The battery life is supposed to ring in at 8.5 hours and the entire package weighs in at 3.26 lbs.
Acer’s specs include an 11.6″ LED LCD, 6 hour battery life, Intel Atom Dual-Core processor, Wi-Fi or 3G, and HDMI port, all weighing 2.95 lbs.
You can shop for them online at Amazon and Best Buy.
Even with dedicated IT departments, businesses and schools struggle with the same complex, costly and insecure computers as the rest of us. To address this, we’re also announcing Chromebooks for Business and Education. This service from Google includes Chromebooks and a cloud management console to remotely administer and manage users, devices, applications and policies. Also included is enterprise-level support, device warranties and replacements as well as regular hardware refreshes. Monthly subscriptions will start at $28/user for businesses and $20/user for schools.
I could see getting a Samsung Chromebook for myself because of the portability and battery life, connectedness, and simplicity.