Google added to its collection of “Chromebooks” yesterday, with their announcement of the HP Chromebook 11. If you haven’t been following the search engine giant’s every move, they’ve already produced four Chromebooks and announced another three, including today’s 11-inch mini-laptop.
The Chromebook 11 is produced by HP, like the HP Pavillion Chromebook and the upcoming Chromebook 14. Available immediately for $279, the device sports a sleek new design and is promised as “the Chromebook for everybody,” although that moniker has been applied to Chromebooks in the past.
The Chromebook 11 comes in five different accent colors: Google Blue, Yellow, Red and plain black. With the exception of black, which has an all-black shell, the chosen colors serve as an accent ring around the keyboard and the rest of the device is white plastic.
The Chromebook 11 actually has an 11.6 inch screen with a resolution of 1366x768px. This puts its screen density at 150dpi, about twice a standard screen and half a high-density screen like the Chromebook Pixel. The high density means that images appear crisper on-screen. Google also claims a viewing angle of 176 degrees, meaning it can be viewed comfortably from awkward angles. Mounted above the screen is a webcam.
Also included on the Chromebook 11 are two USB ports, a combined headphone/microphone jack, 2 gigabytes of RAM and 16 gigabytes of solid-state hard drive space. The solid state hard drive means that the device can store less information, but is not as sensitive to shock and other hazards, avoiding expensive hard drive repair. To supplement the small hard drive, Google includes access to 100 gigabytes of cloud storage via Google Drive for two years. However to access cloud files, the user must have access to the internet.
The Chromebook charges via micro-USB, which has long been used for mobile devices like phone and tablets but not laptops. Google claims this will allow for consolidation of power cords, using one style to charge every device.
The HP Chromebook 11 sells for $279 and is available immediately on Amazon.com, Google Play Store, and Best Buy.
Image from Google
About The Author: Andrea Eldridge is CEO and co-founder of Nerds On Call, a computer repair company that specializes in on-site and online service for homes and businesses. Andrea is the writer of a weekly column, Nerd Chick Adventures in The Record Searchlight. She prepares TV segments for and appears regularly on CBS, CW and FOX on shows such as Good Day Sacramento, More Good Day Portland, and CBS 13 News, offering viewers technology and lifestyle tips. See Andrea in action at callnerds.com/andrea/.
