SAN FRANCISCO, April 2 — As Chromebooks look set to rocket in popularity over the coming years, we round up a selection of the best low-cost notebooks using Google’s ChromeOS in the market.
(Click here for why Chromebooks are bucking the downward trend of the PC market.)
Samsung Chromebook 2
Available with an 11.6-inch or 13-inch HD display, Samsung’s second generation of Chromebooks aim to improve on the basic design of the original devices. However, a faux leather finish, complete with stitching, may not be to everyone’s taste.
That said, a 1080p screen (on the 13-inch model) will no doubt pique the interest of consumers who like streaming and editing video, as will 4GB of RAM.
The 11.6-inch version is expected to cost US$319 (RM1,040) when it goes on sale at the end of April, while the 13-inch model will cost US$399.
Acer Chromebook C720P
CNET calls this computer the best Chromebook it has ever seen. It boasts an 11.6-inch touch screen, USB and HDMI ports and the 32GB of on-board memory can be expanded via an SD card. And all for US$299.
A version without the touch screen costs US$100 less.
ASUS Chromebox
The company is planning to launch two ChromeOS-powered notebooks too, but for the moment its Chromebox is another take on cloud computing. Plug in a monitor or television and it’s a home entertainment system.
Pair it with a wireless keyboard and it’s a computer. And all for just US$180.
Toshiba Chromebook
Consciously designed to sit between existing devices from competitors, the Toshiba Chromebook costs US$279, and has a 13.3-inch screen that also gives it a larger keyboard.
Yet, inside, like many of the smaller, 11-inch Chromebooks, it has just 16GB of solid state storage and 2GB of RAM.
HP Chromebook 14
The company took its time in deciding whether to give Google’s ChromeOS a go, and it currently offers two Chromebooks, one of which, the Chromebook 14, can lay claim to having the largest screen of any Chromebook.
However, that 14-inch display isn’t HD, but the device does come in a choice of colours and supports HDMI and has an SD card slot too. It has a suggested retail price of US$299 while the 11-inch version can be had for just US$270.
Google Chromebook Pixel
A bit of a white elephant, although one that is beautifuilly built, Google’s very first in-house computing product has an incredibly high-resolution, touch-enabled display and a serious Intel processor.
However, at US$1,299, it costs more than an Apple MacBook Air, and is still just a cloud-based Chromebook underneath all of the polished metal. — AFP/Relaxnews
