HP Leaks Their First Chromebook
by Jason Inofuentes on January 29, 2013 11:57 AM EST
Google's venture into the desktop operating system space has been getting a lot of the right kind of attention lately. Acer's C7 Chromebook has been well received, as has the latest Samsung Chromebook. Google announced that their security competition, Pwnium, would be focused on Chrome OS. And now HP has let slip that they'll be building a Chromebook of their own. Tagged the HP Pavilion Chromebook, the 14-inch screen provides more screen than Chrome OS has seen on a laptop before, but the same 1366x768 resolution limits the value of that real estate. The internals will look familiar; it has the same Intel Celeron 847, and 2GB of RAM, as Acer's C7. The HP model comes with a 16GB solid state drive, in lieu of the Acer's mechanical drive. The 37WHr battery reportedly offers a modest 4 hours and 15 minutes of longevity, similar to the Acer C7. So, once again, not a road warrior, but enough perhaps to serve a lightweight user's needs.
When and how much? The original leak's been pulled, but it looks like the HP Chromebook will premier on February 17th for $329.99. That MSRP puts it above the Acer that it resembles, but for those that like the idea of a larger keyboard and screen the increase could be worth the added cost. We'll be interested to find out how it does.
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themossie - Tuesday, January 29, 2013 - link
I otherwise agree with you, but as long as they're not offering both sizes (13.3" and 14"), no big whoop.Justify the premium with better build quality and, please, battery life!
Not that I expect anything so cool out of HP. Reply
JasonInofuentes - Tuesday, January 29, 2013 - link
Jarred, you're probably hitting on why it's happening. Say you've got some chassis's on the shelf. One is selling pretty well, the other lagging behind. You've already got the chassis sitting in the warehouse, you gotta do something with them. So hand them over to the Chrome team and let them go for whatever price you can justify. It doesn't matter what the size is, nor really the specs. The key is to make them as cheap as you can.I think in this case, Acer probably was a little more willing to push the prices down to make it work. HP's just not placing as big a bet on Chrome yet. Reply
lmcd - Tuesday, January 29, 2013 - link
Well, and Acer isn't using an SSD, as to the price bit.Yeah, these are probably unsold units getting a 2nd life. Reply
pixelstuff - Tuesday, January 29, 2013 - link
1366x768 on a 14"?Didn't PC sales start to decline at the same time manufacturers started offering crappy low res and 16:9 screens? This is probably the sole reason for the decline of the PC in popularity.
I have no proof to back that up of course, it is pure speculation, and based only on my own decision to repeatedly gloss over any PC with those specs. :-)
Does anyone know if a manufacturer has released the same laptop with both a 1366x768 and a 1440x900 option to see which sells better? Reply
lmcd - Tuesday, January 29, 2013 - link
I don't even mind that it isn't 1080p or 2160p or whatever everyone wants, but a 1600x1200 or even a 1600x900 (damn 16:9 ratio) screen would be a fantastic upgrade for this.Too bad 1600x1000 never caught on. It'd make a great next budget resolution, in my opinion. Reply
Death666Angel - Wednesday, January 30, 2013 - link
1680x1050 is really that different for you to need 1600x1000? :D Replykmmatney - Thursday, January 31, 2013 - link
Too bad they don't make 1680 x 1050 anymore. It's was a great resolution for a gaming monitor at 22". Nice size screen, that doesn't require a super high-end video card. ReplyHenk Poley - Tuesday, January 29, 2013 - link
Why do they insist on glossy palm rests, those will look like dirt magnets after a day of use. Replygus6464 - Wednesday, January 30, 2013 - link
Overpricing everything. ReplyAmit kumar - Saturday, April 06, 2013 - link
Wow amazing and pretty solid device. Thanks for one of the fairest review of this. I got its full specification on this website as well. http://www.gadtecho.com/ Reply