LONDON -- Google has announced that it will be releasing a portable PC called Chromebook in June that will run on its own operating system - not Windows. The Chromebook will be made by Samsung and Acer, who have both previously made machines that run Microsoft software.
Google's new laptop will be completely web-centric, relying on the company's cloud services. That means the Chromebook will have almost no storage capacity of its own. It's been described as a tablet computer with a keyboard and, according to Google, it will bring together the best features of tablets and smartphones.
These features include great portability, a very quick startup time, cloud-based apps, built-in 3G, and battery-life rivalling that of the iPad and Motorola Xoom.
The Chromebook laptop will, as its name suggests, run on Google's super-light Chrome OS. Google Chrome is basically a web browser that takes you to applications you'd normally store on your harddrive, like Outlook or Excel, online. This is the essence of cloud computing, and explains why Google's new machine will come with very little storage space.
According to Google, storing minimal data on the Chromebook's 16GB solid-state drive will mean no need for backing up data or transferring it from one device to another.
Chrome OS, like Google Android, will be free. Google wants to encourage users to spend more time on the web, where they are likely to use Google, which in turn will expose them to ads - the core of Google's business.
Google's take on the laptop will start shipping on 15 June as price comparison site Idealo states.
