Chromebooks,
as you may recall, run Google's web-centric Chrome Operating System consisting
mainly of a web browser and promising simplicity and security.
There's been a tradeoff between price -- Chromebooks start at
around $200 -- and specs, but HP's latest offering sets it apart from earlier
Chromebooks in a few ways.
For starters, while many other cheap Chromebooks feature so-so
screens, HP's model sports a nice-ish IPS (in-plane switching) screen for
better viewing angles and more vivid color reproduction.
Second, the Chromebook can be charged with a micro-USB cable --
the same kind used for most non-Apple smartphones. If you've a got an Android
phone, for instance, you could get away with packing a single charger before
you leave the house. And finally, there will be a model available later this
year with a built-in 4G/LTE cellular connection.
With the exception of the $1,300-and-up Chromebook Pixel,
previous Chromebooks have only had a cellular option that used aging 3G
networks.
Design-wise, the HP Chromebook 11 sports similar internal specs to
an earlier $250 Samsung model; both feature a mobile processor more
commonly found in smartphones and tablets than portable computers.
The idea is to offer better battery life, but there's an
associated performance tradeoff. The machine has
a 16-gigabyte solid state drive, two gigabytes of memory and HP claims battery
life will last up to six hours. Weight is 2.3 pounds.
HP's Chromebook is available now in a Wi-Fi-only version for $279.
The 4G/LTE model will be available later this year. That's the one I'm most
interested in for use a mobile reporting computer. Hopefully the price is right
and the cellular data plan options aren't too outrageous.
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