Tag: Chromebook Pixel

New Chromebook Pixel Takes On MacBook With Two USB-C Ports And Fast Charging Feature

Google has something in store that may give Apple a shiver; well, to some extent. The Mountain View based tech giant discreetly expanded its web store the previous day with the addition of an updated Chromebook Pixel. Priced at $999, the Google’s new netbook resembles the original edition but overcomes the glitches reported in the 2013 version of the Chromebook Pixel.

The sturdy machine has an aluminium finish and packs some top features equipped in the new MacBook. The latest Chromebook Pixel sports two USB-C ports, first introduced by Apple just a few days back. The new Pixel sports two multi-functional USB C-Type ports, while Apple’s 12-inch MacBook offers just one. Google has an upper hand in here as users have two connectivity options rather than one. One port can charge the device and at the same time connect the laptop to another external device like a phone or hard disk. Apple has been heavily criticized for offering just one port.

Furthermore, Google claims that the upgraded Chromebook Pixel has a 12-hour battery life, another advantage over the lightweight Mac that lasts for 10 hours at most. Google has provided a fast charging option with the new Chromebook, which can pep up the laptop for 2 hours of usage in just 15 minutes. Now, that’s what Google can tap on to topple Apple’s fresh mean machine.

The Chrome OS-powered Pixel, comes in two variants. The first variant, priced at $999 is powered by Intel’s Core i5 processor (2.2 GHz Broadwell-U). It features 8GB RAM along with 32GB onboard storage capacity. The other version costing $1,299 is a bit high on specs and equips an Intel Core i7 processor. It offers 16GB of RAM and 64GB SSD storage.

Rest of the specs of the device are similar. Both the versions have 12.95-inch (2560x1700p resolution) touchscreen display and weight 3.3 pounds (1.5kg). The Wi-Fi only models house a conventional 3.5mm headphone jack. The netbook also features many Android apps.

The laptops are completely revamped, and the inclusion of battery indicator in the form of LED strip is entirely original. The new Chromebook Pixel seems to be a worthy contender to the new Macbook.

March 12, 2015
Google Confirms New Chromebook Pixel is on its Way

A fresh round of rumours surfaced that speak of an updated version of Google’s Chromebook Pixel. The Chromebook Pixel is the most premium offering from Google’s Chromebook family. This would be the first update by the company since the original released two years back.

The confirmation of the news that Chromebook Pixel 2 is currently in works was confirmed by Google executives on a YouTube video, which was later made private. The video showed Renee Niemi, who is responsible for running Google’s Android and Chrome programs for work and education. She confirmed at the TeamWork 2015 partner event about the same.

OMG Chrome translated the conversation of Niemi who said –

We do have a new Pixel coming out and it will be coming out soon. We will be selling it… but I just have to set your expectations: this is a development platform…This is really a proof of concept. We don’t make very many of these—we really don’t. And our developers and our Googlers consume 85 percent of what we produce. But yes, we do have a new Pixel coming out.

Chromebooks have gained popularity since last year, and many big companies are investing highly in Google’s project running on Chrome OS. It’s a high-performance gadget and is extremely beneficial for educational and business purposes. Samsung, Acer and Dell have their chromebooks, and they come at a much lower price than that of Google.

There is no news about the display size, the apps it will be equipped with and or any other details regarding the Chromebook Pixel 2. Considering it’s an upgrade, we can expect it to be priced slightly higher that the original Chromebook Pixel, which costs $1,299.

February 24, 2015
Samsung To Release 276 PPI Laptop Display Panel, Beats Chromebook Pixel And Retina MacBook

When Google released their Chromebook Pixel earlier this year, its pixel density topped anything on the market, including Apple’s Retina MacBook. That could be set to change however, as Samsung is working on a display that could best both those devices.

Samsung is preparing to showcase what could be the sharpest display to ever debut on a 13-inch notebook. At this year’s Display Week 2013, Samsung will flaunt a 13.3-inch notebook display with a 3200 x 1800 pixel resolution and 276 pixels per inch.

This beats Apple’s 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro by a decent margin, which comes with a pixel resolution of 2560 x 1600 and 227 ppi. It also outshines Google’s 2560 x 1700- resolution Chromebook Pixel, which comes with a 12-inch display packing 239 ppi.

By utilizing a decreased number of driver circuits and increased LED BLU efficiency, the duo will also deliver up to 30% energy savings compared to the current generation of displays, said Samsung.

As Laptop Mag reports, Samsung will also show off a 10.1-inch 2560 x 1600 resolution touch screen for tablets and an 85-inch LCD panel for TVs that enables local-dimming control. This means that color will render more vividly on the 85-inch screen with higher contrast and “80 percent brightness uniformity.”

It certainly sounds enticing, especially when you consider the quality of the displays on both Retina MacBook Pro’s, and even the Chromebook Pixel. More competition in the laptop display space can only be good news in the long run.

These newest displays come on the heels of a recent announcement by Sharp, where they unveiled that they will begin producing IGZO panels with UltraHD resolutions for notebooks. It is not yet known if the panels will simply be displayed or will be included as part of actual products, but we should know more in the coming days.

[The Verge, LaptopMag]

May 20, 2013