Acer brings Haswell power to $249 Chromebook

[Scorpus]

Although Chromebooks haven't exactly taken the market by storm, companies such as Acer are pushing ahead, producing new models every year. Today the company has unveiled the C720, a new 11.6-inch Chromebook powered by a low-end Haswell processor, following on from last year's C7 model.

For $249, the C720 comes with understandably modest specifications, including a 1366 x 768 display, a 1.4 GHz dual-core Intel Celeron 2955U processor with 4 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of internal storage. Overall the device weighs 1.25 kg and comes in at 19mm thick, and features dual-band Wi-Fi as well as USB 3.0 ports. While not confirmed, there's a possibility Acer will also release a model with a touchscreen, and potentially 4G LTE connectivity.

Acer's new Chromebook is another in a series of new mainstream devices that Google announced at the Intel Developer Forum, competing with HP's $279 Chromebook 11. The inclusion of Intel's Haswell processors is said to increase the battery life of these devices considerably, giving up to two times more stamina than previous generation Chromebooks.

While $249 is a low price for an internet- and cloud-centric device like this, buyers have generally been opting for tablets over Chromebooks, due to the more perferable form factor and inclusion of large app marketplaces. Google has been continually adding functionality to Chrome OS, bringing more offline features to devices, but in many peoples' eyes the operating system still remains a glorified web browser.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/54296-acer-brings-haswell-power-to-249-chromebook.html

 

[amstech]

I have not tried a Chromebook but am looking forward to seeing/using the Chrome OS. So many colleges have their students now on Chromebooks with Google accounts, using Gmail and Google Docs. Microsoft is no longer the backbone of education and their overpriced Office with expensive upgrades is slowly being phased away, company by company, school by school.
And just to state I like Microsoft and I am even ok with WIndows 8, but the next 5 years are going to be entertaining as hell!

 

[Jad Chaar]

For $250 that is a bargain. But who needs 4GB of RAM on a chromebook? I really feel that Google Docs cant compete with MS Word. So for that reason, I will try to avoid Chromebooks until Google Apps improve.

 

[GhostRyder]

For $250 that is a bargain. But who needs 4GB of RAM on a chromebook? I really feel that Google Docs cant compete with MS Word. So for that reason, I will try to avoid Chromebooks until Google Apps improve.

Honestly even though its 250 bucks, I dont like that specific processor, I would prefer spending a slight bit more to get a i5 3317u and get the HD 4000 with it. Chrome OS will be the main event on this, but if it can run smoothly on the machine like this, that will open up a new level of OS's since Chrome the browser is plenty low intensive in its needs compared to IE.

 

[tonylukac]

You can still get a low end laptop, like an hp2000, for $300. Who want's this when you can get that? In deja vu, I started computing on an hp2000 timeshared mini computer in high school in the 70s. It had to be programmed in basic.

 

[Cryptopsy]

For $250 that is a bargain. But who needs 4GB of RAM on a chromebook? I really feel that Google Docs cant compete with MS Word. So for that reason, I will try to avoid Chromebooks until Google Apps improve.

You can still use the Microsoft Office (Web Version) on a Chromebook. It offers the same thing as the real Office, all you need is a LIVE account (or skydrive, not sure here). This is what made me changed my mind about the Chromebook.

 

[Cryptopsy]

For $250 that is a bargain. But who needs 4GB of RAM on a chromebook? I really feel that Google Docs cant compete with MS Word. So for that reason, I will try to avoid Chromebooks until Google Apps improve.

You can still use the Microsoft Office (Web Version) on a Chromebook. It offers the same thing as the real Office, all you need is a LIVE account (or skydrive, not sure here). This is what made me changed my mind about the Chromebook.

Oh and, It is free!!

 

[Jad Chaar]

You can still use the Microsoft Office (Web Version) on a Chromebook. It offers the same thing as the real Office, all you need is a LIVE account (or skydrive, not sure here). This is what made me changed my mind about the Chromebook.

The web version doesnt have all of the features of the desktop version, at least from my experiences.