Category: Chromebook

Earlier today I posted Today’s Deal on the Asus C201 Chromebook over at Amazon.  That post generated a couple of comments and questions around just which Chromebooks are going to see the Chrome 53 update that will bring Android apps to them.  For the record, the C201 is one of the Chromebooks that will be able to run Android apps when it is released later this year.  But what about the others?  Fortunately the Chromium team at Google have put together a comprehensive list.

To be clear, this list was originally posted by the Chromium team back in May and there have been some additions of newer Chromebooks that have hit the market.  It is likely that most new Chromebooks that meet the minimum specifications will be added to this list so bookmark this link for the most up-to-date list.  After the break I’ve posted the most recent update to the list from the Chromium team.  It’s searchable so just Ctrl+F to find your Chromebook in the list.

Today’s deal over at Amazon is on a great little Chromebook.  The Asus C201 has an 11.6″ display, 4GB of RAM and 16GB of storage and is currently down to $159.99 for the Navy Blue model.  Equally as important, when the Chrome OS 53 build is made public, the C201 is going to be able to take full advantage of it and run Android apps.  That makes this deal a bit sweeter.

The C201 is powered by the Rockchip rk3288 processor that runs at 1.8GHz and the 11.6″ display renders at 1366×768 and is an LED display.  Like most other Chromebooks, you have 3 USB ports (2x USB 2.0 and 1 USB 3.0), an HDMI port, a SD Card Reader and a 3.5mm headphone jack.  Overall, a solid package.

HP, like many other traditional PC manufactures, is getting serious about Chrome OS.  The company has announced the new Chromebook 11 G5, an 11.6″ Chromebook that will start at just $189 when it is released to partners this month and retailers in October.  The new Chromebook 11 will be available with an optional touch screen display which, given that upcoming release of Android apps on Chrome OS, is something those of you in the market for a Chromebook should seriously consider.  It will be powered by the Intel Celeron N3060 and likely will have configurable memory and storage options once it does hit the HP store.  Equally, it was have an impressive 12.5 hours of battery life.

Google, much like what that did with the Nexus 9, have quietly dropped the entry level Chromebook Pixel from the Google Store.  The $999 premium Chromebook is gone although you can still pick up the beefy $1200 model in the store.  The timing of the removal from the store is not coincidental.  Just last week Google and HP announced the far more affordable, yet premium, Chromebook 13 G1 that has an all metal body and starts at $499.  That’s half the cost of the base Chromebook Pixel with an improved processor and essentially the same high resolution display.

Today over at Amazon, you can pick up a great deal on the Samsung Chromebook 2.  While supplies last, Amazon has the 11.6″ model with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage down to $185.88.  That’s a savings of just over $64 from the regular price of $249.99.  The Samsung line up of Chromebooks have always been well received and highly rated for their performance, fit-and-finish and design.  On Amazon, this one has over 165 reviews with an average rating of 4.5/5 stars by other consumers.

Powering the Chromebook 2 is the Intel Celeron 2.16 GHz processor along with that 2GB of RAM.  It has an 11.6″ HD display that renders 1366 x 768, is only .66″ thin and weighs less than 3 lbs.  It also has 802.11ac Wi-Fi support for fast wireless access while you are at home or on the go.  The chassis is aluminium which makes it a far more durable Chromebook than others in this price range which are often made of plastic throughout.  As far as battery life is concerned, you will get 9 hours of life out of the unit so you can keep going all day.

Through the Google Chrome Release blog, the company has announced a new build of Chrome OS is now available for devices.  The updated build is version 48.0.2564.92 (Platform version: 7647.73.0) for those keeping score at home and it is available for all Chrome OS devices.  While most updates to the platform focus on performance and security improvements, this update also includes a number of user experience changes and app changes.

• Improved Download Notifications
• Material Redesign for Video Player
• Adding Google Photos as a Default App
• Update Recovery Screens
• Cultural Institute Wallpapers for Chrome OS

The update is available now and will be pushed to your device in the coming days.  I have already upgraded my Acer Chromebook and this update is big.  It took several minutes to download unlike most updates which take just a few seconds.