Google
and Samsung have again joined hands to create a new Chromebook and
Chromebox and as usual both run Google’s cloud based Chrome OS. The new
Samsung Chromebook – the Series 5 550, flaunts a 12.-inch display, an
Intel Core series processor, 4GB of RAM, an HD camera, two USB 2.0
ports, and a rated battery life of six hours. On the other hand, the
Chromebox which admittedly, is a Mac Mini look alike now get four USB
4.0 ports and gets built-in dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and Gigabit
ethernet.Of course, we are just scratching the surface here as specs have never been the USP of Chrome OS powered devices. The OS and its cloud centric approach have been the draws and Google has introduced a lot of new stuff.
For starters, the new Chromebook and Chromebox will ship with the an version of Chrome OS donning the Aura UI, which brings a more desktop like app centric UI to the table, which also does not restrict the user inside the confines of a browser window.
Google has ramped up the file format support including support for Google Drive, which has not been integrated at the OS level. The Mountain View company is also rolling out an offline version of Google Docs for Chrome OS in the next few weeks which will definitely be a big deal. Even the media player has been revamped and the Photo Editor and uploader also sees a facelift.
Google touts, that the Chrome Web store now offers a better ecosystem of apps including Kindle Cloud Reader, Angry Birds, Bastion and Pandora. One can now even securely interface with one’s PC or Mac by way of the Chrome Remote Desktop Beta app with an underlying technology called VP8 which eliminates latency.
One can get the Chromebook and the Chromebox for $449 and $329 respectively, though only in the US. That said, Google is saying both the products will soon hit the UK as well. In the meantime checkout the video below.
