Andre Yoskowitz
11 May 2011 14:40
Google has introduced two Chromebooks today, one made by Samsung and the other made by Acer.
The netbooks will run on Google's Chrome OS.
Samsung's model will have a 12.1-inch display, 1280x800 resolution, 8 second boot time and 8 hour battery life. The device runs on a dual core 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N570 processor, has an HD webcam, a mini-VGA port, 2 USB ports and will weigh just 3.3 pounds.
A Wi-Fi-only version will sell for $429 while a 3G version will sell for $499.
The Acer model will be smaller and have an 11.6-inch display, 8 second boot time, dual core Intel Atom processor, 2 USB ports, an HD webcam, optional 3G and HDMI-out.
Acer's Chromebook will sell for $350 as Wi-Fi-only.
Perhaps more importantly, Google says both of the Chromebooks will be easily jailbroken, meaning users can tweak the OS, install homebrew or even (possibly) add a Linux distro for a dual boot.
The books go on sale on June 15th.
In what is likely a first, Google is also offering the Chromebooks as a subscription model for students, at $20 per month for schools per student.
View more pics here: Google Chromebooks