Google has announced the “next step” in Chrome OS will be a new Chromebook that is being made available through Samsung and a new device called a Chromebox that is intended to function as a desktop machine.
The new Samsung Chromebook model and the Chromebox share most system specs, having an Intel Core CPU, 4GB of RAM, dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi, 6 USB 2.0 ports (2 for the Chromebook), and dual DisplayPort++ outputs (only one will be available on the Chromebook). The Chromebox is also Bluetooth 3.0 compatible and has a single DVI video output while the Chromebook boasts an HD camera, 4-in-1 card reader and a 12.1″ 1280 x 800 display. Google is touting other features above the system specs however, with speed being paramount.
The new Chromebook apparently boots in 7 seconds and resumes instantly, while the Chromebox is supposed to be even speedier. Both have hardware-accelerated graphics support and are supposedly almost 3 times faster than the first-generation Chromebook. The ability to view Microsoft Office documents and other common file formats has been built in to the Chrome OS app-centric user interface and new apps can get hooked directly from the Chrome Web Store.
We have Google’s short presentation on the new Chrome OS notebook below. It is available now through various online agencies in selected countries now and is due to roll out in other countries and in stores soon.
Source: Google blog