List of Chromebooks

Well, since NBR now has a Chromebook section, I think it'd be useful to have a list of Chromebooks that are available for purchase, as well as a short spec list for each one.

While the thread title is "List of Chromebooks", there will also be links to reviews and an introduction to the concept of Google's Chromebooks and ChromeOS, including some neat tricks that can be performed on these laptops (including replacing ChromeOS with a Linux install).


Acer C7 Chromebook (C710-2055)
Price (Amazon, 3/27/13): $280 (WiFi)
Weight: 3 lbs
Dimensions: 11.22 x 7.95 x 1.09 inches
CPU: 1.1GHz Intel Celeron 847
RAM: 4GB DDR3-1333
Display: 11.6", 1366x768
Storage: 320GB 5400RPM HDD
Ports: USB2.0 (x3), HDMI, 2-in-1 card reader
Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n, 10/100 Ethernet
Battery (claimed life): 6-cell (6hr)

Acer C7 Chromebook (C710-2833)
Price (BestBuy, 5/29/13): $199.00
Weight: 3.1 lbs
Dimensions: 11.2 x 8 x 1.1 inches
CPU: Intel Celeron 847
RAM: 2GB DDR3-1333
Display: 11.6", 1366x768
Storage: 16GB SSD
Ports: USB2.0 (x3), HDMI, 2-in-1 Card Reader
Connectivity: 802.11 a/b/g/n, 10/100 Ethernet
Battery: 4-cell (~4 hours)

Acer C7 Chromebook
Price (Google Play, 3/27/13): $199 (WiFi)
Weight: 3 lbs
Dimensions: 11.22 x 7.95 x 1.09 inches
CPU: 1.1GHz Intel Celeron 847
RAM: 4GB DDR3-1333
Display: 11.6", 1366x768
Storage: 320GB 5400RPM HDD
Ports: USB2.0 (x3), HDMI, VGA 2-in-1 card reader
Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n, 10/100 Ethernet
Battery (claimed life): 4-cell (4hr)

Google Pixel
Price (Google Play, 3/27/13): $1299 (32GB, WiFi), $1499 (64GB, LTE)
Weight: 3.35 lbs
Dimensions: 11.72 x 8.84 x 0.64 inches
CPU: 1.8GHz Intel Core i5-3427U
RAM: 4GB DDR3-1333
Display: 12.85", 2560x1700, 400 nits, touchscreen
Storage: 32GB or 64GB SSD
Ports: USB2.0 (x2), mini-DisplayPort, 2-in-1 card reader, mic/headphone jack
Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n
Battery (claimed life): 59 Whr (5hr)

HP Pavilion Chromebook 14 (14-c010us)
Price (Amazon, 3/27/13): $330 (WiFi)
Weight: 3.96 lbs
Dimensions: 13.66 x 9.37 x 0.83 inches
CPU: 1.1GHz Intel Celeron 847
RAM: 2GB DDR3-1333
Display: 14", 1366x768
Storage: 16GB SSD
Ports: USB2.0 (x3), HDMI, card reader
Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n, 10/100 Ethernet
Battery (claimed life): 4-cell (4.25hr)

Samsung Series 3 Chromebook (XE303C12-A01US)
Price (Amazon, 3/27/13): $249 (WiFi), $429 (Verizon 3G)
Weight: 2.4 lbs
Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.09 x 0.69 inches
CPU: 1.7 GHz Samsung Exynos 5250
RAM: 2GB DDR3-1333
Display: 11.6", 1366x768
Storage: 16GB SSD
Ports: USB2.0 (x1), USB3.0 (x1)
Connectivity: 802.11 a/b/g/n

Samsung Series 5 550 (XE550C22-A01US)
Price (Amazon, 3/27/13): $580 (WiFi), $729 (Verizon 3G)
Weight: 3 lbs
Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.5 x 0.83 inches
CPU: 1.3 GHz Intel Celeron 867
RAM: 4GB DDR3-1333
Display: 12.1", 1366x768, 300 nits
Storage: 16GB SSD
Ports: USB2.0 (x2), DisplayPort, 4-in-1 card reader, mic/headphone jack
Connectivity: 802.11 a/b/g/n, 10/100/1000 Ethernet
Battery (claimed life): 6800mAh 6-cell (6hr)

Samsung Series 5 Chromebook (XE500C21-A04US)
Price (Amazon, 3/27/13): $429 (WiFi), $409 (3G)
Weight: 3.3 lbs
Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.5 x 0.83 inches
CPU: 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N570
RAM: 2GB DDR3-1333
Display: 12.1", 1366x768
Storage: 16GB SSD
Ports: USB2.0 (x2), 4-in-1 card reader, mic/headphone jack
Connectivity: 802.11 a/b/g/n
Battery (claimed life): 4-cell (6.5hr)

 

Reviews


Google Pixel:

Spoiler

Full Engadget review: Chromebook Pixel review: another impractical marvel from Google
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars

Conclusion:
Again we reach the dreaded wrap-up section on a Chromebook review. It's simply never easy to classify these machines. In some regards, the Pixel is even harder to pigeonhole than its predecessors. The level of quality and attention to detail here is quite remarkable for what is, we'll again remind you, Google's first swing at building a laptop. Boot-ups are quick, performance is generally good and, of course, there's that display.

But, with one single statistic, Google has made the Chromebook Pixel even easier to write off than any of its quirky predecessors: price. For an MSRP that is on par with some of the best laptops in the world, the Pixel doesn't provide anywhere near as much potential when it comes to functionality. It embraces a world where everyone is always connected and everything is done on the web -- a world that few people currently live in.

The Chromebook Pixel, then, is a lot like the Nexus Q: it's a piece of gorgeous hardware providing limited functionality at a price that eclipses the (often more powerful) competition. It's a lovely thing that everyone should try to experience but, sadly, few should seriously consider buying.

Samsung Series 3 Chromebook:

Spoiler

Full Wired review: Review: Samsung Chromebook
Rating: 7 out of 10

Conclusion:
The full-size keyboard is fantastic to type on. The trackpad is great too, on par with the Series 5 550. But there are still more trade offs. The Series 5 550 had a much more upscale palm rest, made of brushed metal. The cheaper Chromebook is straight plastic — everywhere. If you push down on the palm rest, with a decent amount of force on either side, you can see and feel the plastic flex ever so slightly. The new Chromebook feels cheap and looks cheap, and that’s OK for a secondary computer or a student’s machine. Yes, it’s much less powerful than higher-priced Macs, Windows PCs and even other Chromebooks. But it’s so capable, so cheap and so easy to use for those living in the cloud, it’s hard not to like it.

**********
Full NBR review: http://www.notebookreview.com/defau...view=samsung+series+3+chromebook+chrome+os+3g
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Conclusion:
It's easy to be captivated by the Samsung Chromebook. It has many of the same attributes of an Ultrabook including light weight, thinness, an 11.6-inch screen, and comfortable keyboard. Great battery life is another plus. All if this priced less than most tablets.

Granted, the Chromebook Series 3 isn't going to do it for some users, especially those who need a fair amount of on-device storage, need to run applications that require significant CPU or graphics power, or who, for some reason, have significant Internet access restrictions.

But as a second or travel laptop, a laptop for casual users, or an alternative to a tablet, the Samsung Chromebook should fit the bill just fine.

Samsung Series 5 Chromebook:

Spoiler

Full NBR review (Jerry Jackson): http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=6203&review=samsung+series+5+chromebook+3g
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Conclusion:
The Samsung Series 5 ChromeBook offers some exciting advantages for a $499 laptop. For starters, you get contract-free access to the Verizon 3G wireless network and 8+ hours of battery life. Add to that a nice 12-inch matte display that is very easy to read outside under bright sunlight. You also get the very promising Google Chrome operating system that uses cloud-based storage so your important files aren't lost if you lose your laptop. This also makes it easy to replace your laptop and quickly get back to work.

Despite these advantages, we cannot in good conscience recommend the Samsung Series 5 ChromeBook for the majority to laptop users. For starters, the lack of abundant built-in storage for apps and files means that you MUST rely on cloud storage for all but the most basic tasks. That's fine if you're somewhere with WiFi or Verizon 3G access, but if you're in a 3G dead zone or if you're on an airline that doesn't offer in-flight Wi-Fi then your fancy ChromeBook is effectively nothing more than a paperweight. Yes, you can download a few apps for offline use, but most still require access to the internet for full functionality.

 

Chromebook and ChromeOS Overview

So, what is a Chromebook? And ChromeOS?

A Chromebook, in a nutshell, is a computer designed primarily for use with Google's cloud applications and is centered around the Chrome Internet browser. These laptops are typically ChromeOS versions of their Windows counterparts, and can include additional Google branding, and they typically come with small SSDs to reduce booting times. Chromebooks also typically use inexpensive CPUs and other hardware components to provide affordable computers to users. Instead of storing data locally, most of what a user does on a Chromebook is stored online through Google Drive and other cloud services. Chromebooks can range from very inexpensive netbooks, such as the $199 Acer C7, all the way up to high-quality, high-resolution machines such as the $1299 (or $1499) Google Pixel.

ChromeOS can just just about everything that a user would want to do on a computer. You can create and edit documents and spreadsheets in Google Docs, Google Calendar, store your files in Google Drive (or other cloud storage solutions, such as SkyDrive, https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/skydrive/nffchahhjecejoiigmnhhicpoabngedk), edit and manage photos in Google Picasa (or, for something a little more advanced, there's Pixlr ( http://pixlr.com/)), Youtube, and anything else you can do in a web browser. However, this is just a tiny fraction of the full list of applications a user can use in ChromeOS, found at the Chrome Web Store ( https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/home). There are even solutions for tasks that traditionally didn't work very well in a web-based application, such as CAD (AutoCAD WS, https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/autocad-ws/dcjeclnkejmbepoibfnamioojinoopln) and video editing (WeVideo for Google Drive, https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/wevideo-for-google-drive/okgjbfikepgflmlelgfgecmgjnmnmnnb). While not as full-featured as locally-installed software for these tasks, they provide much of the functionality that most computer users need.

Even if you have no Internet access, ChromeOS is still very much usable, and Google even has a dedicated section of the Chrome Web Store that includes only offline applications (900 and counting, so far), as well as full Google docs support. Calendar has support for viewing calendars and RSVP'ing to existing events offline, and Gmail supports storing email locally and composing new emails offline (Gmail will automatically send out sent mail when it reestablishes an Internet connection).


Installing a Linux distribution on your Chromebook

While Chromebooks seem to be unique due to their web browser-based operating system, in reality a Chromebook is an awful lot like any other laptop out there in the world. This is great news for those people who are feeling a bit adventurous and want to install a full-fledged operating system on their shiny Chromebook, and it's relatively simple to accomplish this. There's even a Linux distribution specifically created for installation on Chromebooks called ChrBuntu, developed by Jay Lee (based on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin) ( Intel-based version with instructions) ( ARM-based version with instructions). In essence, it's a vanilla Ubuntu OS but with scripts added to make Chromebook installation much easier.

Note: Switching to Developer Mode will erase any data you have stored on ChromeOS, so it's recommended that you perform a backup if you want to keep any of it!

As a quick video overview, here's what switching to Developer Mode looks like...

<param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pLAwqNyVqYg?version=3&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pLAwqNyVqYg?version=3&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width='560' height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

... And here's a Chromebook (in this case, the Acer C7) running ChrBuntu:

<param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2AmkViFJbAg?version=3&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2AmkViFJbAg?version=3&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width='560' height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

Video source: http://liliputing.com/2012/11/how-to-install-ubuntu-12-04-on-the-199-acer-c7-chromebook.html

As a summary, here are the general instructions for getting ChrBuntu onto a Chromebook:

• To enter into Developer Mode, boot into ChromeOS and press the following key combination: Esc + Refresh + Power.
• Your Chromebook will sit there for a bit, then reboot after OS verification (or you can skip this by hitting Ctrl + D).
• When it reboots, it'll wipe your data, which will take a few minutes to complete. Then, the Chromebook will boot into ChromeOS.
• Don't log into ChromeOS. Instead, press Ctrl + Alt + forward arrow key.
• This brings you to a command prompt, where you should enter:
  
  Code:

  localhost login: chronos
  chronos@localhost $ sudo bash
  localhost chronos # chromeos-firmwareupdate –mode=todev

  This updates the BIOS and enables Developer Mode BIOS. Make sure that you're connected to the Internet, either via WiFi or Ethernet (not celluar).
• Run the following command exactly:
  
  Code:

  wget http://goo.gl/tnyga; sudo bash tnyga

• You can now select how many GB you want to give to ChrBuntu in 1GB increments. It's recommend to leave at least 1GB free for ChromeOS data, if you want to continue using that OS. ChrBuntu will need at least 5GB of space. Give your Chromebook a few minutes to make these changes.
• Your Chromebook will reboot, then take you to the Welcome setup that you saw when you first used the laptop. Go through this setup again until you get to the Google login page.
• Press Ctrl + Alt + forward arrow key, log into chronos again, and run the tnyga command once more. Now the script sees that there's room for ChrBuntu and will start downloading the OS.
• The script will run a few updates once all 52 files are downloaded, then it'll reboot.
• Now your Chromebook should have booted into ChrBuntu (username is "user" and password is "user", without quotations). Make changes if you need/want to.
• If you reboot now, you'll go back into ChromeOS. To change this so that ChrBuntu is the default OS to boot into, run:
  
  Code:

  sudo cgpt add -i 6 -P 5 -S 1 /dev/sda

• If you want to make ChromeOS the default OS again, you can either turn off Developer Mode or run the following:
  
  Code:

  sudo cgpt add -i 6 -P 0 -S 1 /dev/sda

Instruction credits go to liliputing and Jay Lee.

 

I'd just like to note that most of the Chromebook reviews (being a year or more old) over-state the lack of functionality off-line as well as app limitations. Google has implemented most Google Drive functionality offline and the amount of non-graphically-intense productivity tasks which are not in the cloud in some form or fashion has rapidly diminished.

 

That's a pretty good observation. Aside from specialized tasks that require local storage and program installation, most users should be fine with just a browser and Google Apps such as Docs, GMail, etc.

 

ChromeOS is something I'd like to hear more about.

Are old Chromebook models upgradeable to gain functionality of the newer models? Well, almost anything can be upgraded but officially?

 

ChromeOS updates automatically and regardless of unit model so yes, all models remain fully up to date and considering the minimal hardware requirements it's unlikely that Google would implement a method of planned obsolescence. As far as opening the case and applying hardware upgrades, I have heard the acer models can be upgraded by way of RAM and HDD, but AFAIK other models are on-board deals that you won't be able to do much to.

The best part about ChromeOS is you can fully utilize it (in effect) just by installing chrome browser and trying out the apps, all from the comfort of your current desktop or laptop. I found that most of my daily driver tasks were already incorporated into the chrome ecosystem, but it took me weeks of working in that environment to be convinced.

 

Added instructions on how to install ChrBuntu a Chromebook.

 

I'd like to add that just about any distro can be ported to the intel chromebooks, but the ARM version (samsung series 3) is best served by Ubuntu (as above), Debian, Arch, Kali (formerly backtrack), and a handfull of others. Most distros have an ongoing ARM project, but those four I've been successful in porting over myself. Nothing is 100% stable yet, so don't expect too much.

 

Just some quick questions regarding the Chromebook Pixel: Do we know who the OEM is? The model number of the screen?

 

BestBuy has introduced a new version of the Acer C7 Chromebook with 16GB SSD for $199: Acer 11.6" Chromebook 2GB Memory 16GB Solid State Drive C710-2833 - Best Buy

 

Just picked up a second hand Pixel. This thing is beautiful. I am not sure who the manufacturer is. The screen is gorgeous and everything runs extremely quick. Reminds me of a MacBook Pro but thinner and lighter. LMK if you have questions.

Sent from my white C6603 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

You forgot the Cr-48

As much as i hate having low functionality inside a laptop + bad feelings with Chrome, i guess Chromebooks are great laptops for those who are computer-illiterate

 

They're usually very cheap too, and are a good alternative to tablets with keyboards in the same price range for people who need a physical keyboard.

I didn't include the Cr-48 since technically that was never on sale to the public.