Those waiting for a laptop running the most talked about Google operating system will have to wait just for a few more days. According to Google’s Website their latest Chrome operating system will come installed on laptops termed as the Chromebooks which will be available in June 2011.
The Google chromebook website shows two models, the Samsung and the Acer Chromebooks that will be the first to feature the new Chrome OS. The price is expected to be around $350 to $500 and users can place orders only from June 15th 2011. Indian users looking to buy the Chromebook will have to wait even longer as the first shipments will happen only in selected countries including U.S., so probably it may take a few more months before the products is made available worldwide.
Google Chrome OS Features
The main highlight of Chrome OS is that it stays fresh forever. Which means it will automatically updates itself whenever it is turned on. But the best part is that the Chromebooks can boot in less than 10 seconds much, much faster than a traditional laptop or desktop. Sleep mode works at an amazing speed, the Chromebooks wakes up almost instantly.
The Chromebooks run on cloud based operating system integrated with the Google Chrome web browser. The Chrome OS is completely different from what we have been using. The OS is web based so you need “an always” on internet connection to get the most out of it. All your data for example the movies, music, documents, apps and games etc will be on cloud.
The OS itself is of a minimal size and no software is stored on the Chromebook. This also has an advantage as users do not need to install any specific applications say for example anti-virus and other software’s. Moreover users need not worry about backing up their files. Also since all the data is stored on cloud they can access the same from virtually anywhere.
Google will be using its own cloud online services and all necessary software’s will be on the cloud. The Chromebooks will have a slot to plugin special storage devices that uses will need to buy separately.
Google Chrome OS will be free however technical support will be available for $28 a month in the US.
The Chrome OS itself is made fail proof. Just in case there is a failure the Chrome OS will be reinstalled automatically. There really no need to spend any money on additional software’s. The Chrome OS has it all. As far a security is concerned there are several features such as secure tabbed browsing, verified boot and data encryption. There are several layers of security and there is no need to install an antivirus or any software for maintenance.
Chromebooks will first be made available in US, Netherlands, Britain, France, Spain, Italy and Germany. There is no word about Chromebooks in India, so I guess we will have to wait a bit longer.
Samsung Chromebooks specification
- Screen size of 12.1 inches
- 1.48 Kg weight
- Atom Dual Core Processor (intel).
- 2 USB 2.0 ports, a Mini VGA port and 4 in 1 memory card slot.
- On a single change the Chromebook can last for 8.5 hours (continuous usage).
- Chrome Keyboard and clickable trackpad.
Acer Chromebook Specification
- Widescreen CineCrystal with LED backlit LCD of size 11.6 inch.
- Atom Dual core processor (intel).
- 4 in 1 card slot, HDMI port and 2 USB 2.0 ports.
- Weight 1.34kg.
- 3G (Optional) and Wi-Fi.
- Webcam (HD) with microphone (noise cancelling).
- Supports high definition Audio.
- Chrome Keyboard and clickable trackpad.
In the above Chromebooks specification you might have noticed one thing. The Chromebooks do not have a hard disk.
Orders can be placed only on June 15 onwards. Chromebooks in India may come for a price tag of Rs. 28,000 onwards.