Tag: chromebook
Gareth, Jay and Micael and get together for one last chat about Mobile World Congress 2015 before some big changes are employed.
Featuring Gareth, Jay and Micael
Email us: [email protected] Tel: 0208 123 3757
Show notes
Phones
Asus Zenfone 2 pushing 4GB of RAM
LG to develop a Super Flagship later this year
The Galaxy S6 has a removable non-removable battery
Tablets
Macbook
Wearables
Time to consider the Apple Watch
Oppo’s 5 minute charge Smartwatch
Other Shi…zzzle
Acer CB5 Chromebook Benchmarks
Nikon Coolpix P900, a thing of beauty
Email us: [email protected] Tel: 0208 123 3757
Gareth Myles – @garethmyles
Jay Garrett – @JayGarrett
Micael Samuelsson – @smicael
Dan Carter – @mobilemandan
Matt and Tracy Davis – @tracyandmatt
Phil Lain – @low405
Lenovo announced two new Chromebooks, this time for the consumer market. It has now been revealed their next in the Chromebook line up with N20 and N20p. The new Chromebooks have flexible displays you can rotate, and one model comes with a touchscreen. The display can be rotated back to allow the N20p to form a stand, or tent mode as it has now been internationally recognised. The N20 Chrome is similar to the N20p without touch operation and the flexible display.
- Intel Celeron
- Intel HD Graphics
- Bluetooth 4.0
- 1,366 x 768 screen
- 16GB SSD
- 4GB RAM
- 802.11ac
- USB 3.0
- 2.8lbs and 3.1lbs
HP have updated their Chromebook 14 for 2014 with a stylish and modestly priced machine that brings a lot to the table.
Taking many queues from the excellent 11″ HP this bigger brother has a few extras included to separate it from the rest somewhat similar line up of Chromebooks available now. Combining some of the best looks on a Chromebook to date with a generously proportioned keyboard and a beefy Haswell enabled processor this is a serious contender for the most desirable Chromebook on the market.
In the video below, you’ll see me unboxing our HP Chromebook 14 review unit and then checking out the hardware as well as starting up and having a look…
HP Chromebook 14 specification:
- 14”, 200-nit display with 16:9 aspect ratio
- 20mm thin – 4.08 lbs / 1.85 kg
- Up to 9.5 hours of active use
- New Intel Processor
- 100 GB Google Drive Cloud Storage2 with 16 GB Solid State Drive
- 60-day free trial with Google Play Music All Access, and £9.99/month pricing after that3
- Built-in dual band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, 3G modem (opt)
- HP TrueVision HD Webcam
- 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0
- Full size HDMI Port
- Bluetooth®4.0 Compatible
Samsung has announced that customers in the UK will be able to buy the Chromebook 2 series from May 2014. Available in 11.6 and 13.3-inch versions, the 11.6-inch black device will be able to buy from selected retailers from 1 May, and the 11.6-inch white device and 13.6-inch devices from 12 May.
The new models offer faster performance, longer battery life and a slim, light build, all enhanced by a durable textured lid and elegant stitched design. The 13.3-inch model also features a Full HD (1920×1080) resolution screen, so whatever you are viewing, whether it be for work, teaching, learning, or entertainment, you can enjoy in crystal clear clarity.
The Samsung Chromebook 2 Series wakes up in less than one second and cold boots in less than ten. Samsung’s energy-efficient Exynos 5 Octa processors mean you can multitask and render graphics and videos quickly. Up to 8.5 hours of battery life in the 13.3-inch device means that you can enjoy the Chromebook 2 throughout a full work or school day – all on a single charge. The Google Chrome OS also regularly auto-updates, so you always have the most recent technology and security features without needing to think about updating your device.
Simon Stanford, Vice President of IT & Mobile Division, Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland said: “Since we introduced our first Chromebook in 2011, Samsung has been committed to continually developing the design and features of the series to meet our customers’ ever-changing needs, while staying true to the core Chromebook attributes of simplicity, speed and security. The Chromebook 2 Series does just that, which is why we’re delighted to be bringing the devices to the UK market.”
Top leak specialist @evleaks has put out a picture of the oft rumoured Samsung Chromebook successor.
Adopting the faux leather look of the Samsung Galaxy Note III this Chrome OS notebook is touted to be running the Exynos 5 Octo and has four low-power cores (Cortex A7 1.3 GHz) and four high-performance cores (Cortex A15 1.8 GHz). The built-in graphics chip is a Mali-T628 of ARM. The product is expected to be priced at £250-£300.
The new Chromebook is likely to have an improved resolution of 2560×1600 with 3 GB RAM, a storage capacity of between 16GB and 32GB, and a screen of 12 inches or less. Also, it is predicted to support USB 3.0, have a built-in battery lasting for at least seven hours, and weigh slightly over 1 kg.
Microsft have put together another advert for their new budget Windows 8 laptop built by Asus.
Honestly, the laptop looks quite nice, however, the content of the add is anything but. Singling out the Chromebook as an online only device, users of the Windows laptop can achieve so much more without an internet connection… like Chat! The only real factor on display is that Microsoft must really be concerned about the Chromebooks and perhaps lends more substance to the likes of Samsung ending their Windows laptop production run and Dell preferring Windows 7 over 8 as a option.
Lovely to see that Google does not feel the need to retaliate, just let Microsoft embarrass themselves.
Sources within the supply chain serving the South Korean electronics giant, are reporting that Samsung “will no longer launch conventional notebook models except Chromebooks” from 2015. ‘Samsung will no longer launch conventional notebook models except Chromebooks…’
The company was one of the first on the block with Google’s thin-client cloud-based OS, launching one of the first Chromebooks back in 2011. A refreshed version of their best-selling ‘Samsung Chromebook’ is rumoured to arrive near Easter, utilising an eight-core ARM processor.
A rumour like this is probably most unlikely however when thinking of Dell’s decision to discontinue shipping Windows 7 on their hardware there might be something in it. With that said, the report does give a potential reasoning for such a switch. Samsung expected to ship 17 million notebooks in 2013 but only managed to shift 12 million. As a result, insiders say the company has lowered its notebook forecasts for 2014 to 7 million units. Do it make sense to drop an entire platform when notebook and laptop sales are down and tablet sales are up?
The Chromebook of the moment has got to be the Acer C720. Currently being released in a number of different configurations featuring various amounts of RAM and storage, touchscreens and now colours.
Acer seem to have hit upon a winning combination of value, power and quality. What new edge does the Acer C720 bring to the table, despite options? Well, not a lot to be entirely honest, in terms of specification it’s really on par with all the other Chomebooks out there at the moment. However, the C720 does offer great value for money and seems to be the solid choice.
As always, I’m starting off the review process by recoding an unboxing video, which you’ll be able to see below. Here I’ll be showing off the hardware as well as taking a look at the OS and UI once we’ve booted up. A process that takes seconds!
We saw fairly concrete rumours of it last month and now it has arrived. Toshiba’s new Chromebook features a 13.3-inch screen at a common 1366×768 resolution. Like other Chromebooks, the Toshiba device is powered by a Haswell Intel Celeron 2955U processor clocking in at 1.4GHz.
Toshiba Chromebook Specs
- 13.3-inch screen (1366×768)
- Intel Celeron 2955U @ 1.4GHz
- Intel HD Graphics
- 2 GB RAM
- 16 GB SSD
- 2x USB 3.0
- SD Card Reader
- HDMI Out
The Chromebook weights 3.3 pounds and Toshiba are expecting up to 9 hours of battery life out of their first Chromebook. The larger screen size will appeal to some, however the 2GBs of RAM and 16GB SSD make very similar to almost every other Chomebook released recently. The design is somewhat reminisent of Samsung’s Chromebook range but in the end, it’s plastic.
The Toshiba Chromebook will retail for $279 in the US and will be available starting February 16. By which time we should have a cleared idea of what to expect from Samsung’s next Chromebook.
Looks like Dell is planning to release a Chrome OS devices. We have hard this before as they had considered it back in 2009, but then nothing came of it. Dell has now announced the Chromebook 11 and it is looking like a great option for those looking to get a Chromebook soon. The Dell Chromebook 11 has fairly typical specifications and comes with a large focus on education.
Dell Chromebook 11 specifications
- 11.6-inch 1366x768p display
- Intel Celeron 2955U processor
- 16 GB Solid State drive
- 4 or 2 GB of DDR3 RAM (depending on the model)
- 720p webcam
- WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0
- Two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI port
- 10 hours of battery life
Dell’s Chrome OS computer comes with some powerful specs, so it will definitely be one of the top options in your lists. The promise of 10-hour battery life is certainly exciting, and paired with those specs this computer should run very smoothly!
Price and Availability
The laptop will be released in Q1, 2014 Stateside. Dell state it will cost you “under $300″. Which probably means it will cost $299 or so, for the higher-end model. Whether that is dollar for pound is anyone’s guess at the moment! My guess is probably.
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