Google announced earlier this month that they will be launching a series of Chromebooks.
Chromebooks are a new type of web-browsing device that run on Google Chrome OS which is effectively an operating system made-up solely of Google's Chrome browser. This enables the laptops to boot in seconds and to have much less demands on memory and performance than a full laptop.
When using a Chromebook you store all your files on "Cloud based" internet storage meaning your laptop doesn't need much memory and your files are more secure, because losing your laptop won't lose your files. All applications will then be run through your browser including Word processors, spreadsheet packages and many more. Infact, with a version of Google maps was announced yesterday which runs inside a browser. You can read more about Google Chromebooks by clicking here.
The Samsung Chrome Series 5 is one of the devices that will launch the Chromebook series and it has just appeared on the Three's "Coming Soon" page. The device is listed as launching in June, which isn't far away but no precise date was given. However, on Samsung have listed the device as being available to order from Amazon from June 15th, so we'll assume that's the exact launch date.
The Samsung Chromebook has a 12.1 inch display, is powered by an Intel Atom processor, supports both WiFi and 3G (optional) and has a full-size keyboard and trackpad. Other features include 2 USB ports, a HD webcam, 4-in-1 memory slot and a mini-VGA port.
Due to the lower specification needed we expect Chromebooks to significantly undercut the prices of tablets and laptops, which could lead to them being very succesful. However, the lack of a touch-screen may hinder it's impact against tablet devices, such as the iPad.
