At the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, California, HP took the opportunity to unveil the Chromebook 14, a colourful addition to the Chrome OS line-up powered by Intel’s Haswell micro-architecture.
The HP Chromebook 14 is so named for its 14-inch WLED BrightView HD display with 1,366 x 768 resolution. Like all Chromebooks, it runs on Google’s web-based Chrome OS but, unlike the Chromebooks that came before it, this one comes packing fourth-generation Intel Core Haswell processors.
What this means is that the device should be more power-efficient and HP claims it can last all day.
HP senior vice-president and general manager of Consumer PCs, Services and Solutions Ron Coughlin says that customers are interested in new operating systems, particularly Chrome OS. Google Chrome apps like Search, Gmail, YouTube, Google Drive and Google+ Hangouts come pre-installed with more available from the Chrome Web Store. Also, with Chrome OS, users can expect fast start-up, smooth online operation and automatic software updates.
The Chromebook 14 has also been built to be aesthetically appealing with a wedge design tapering to less than an inch thick and a choice of three colours: white, turquoise or coral. The whole thing weighs less than 2kg and comes well-equipped with HDMI, USB2.0 and USB 3.0 ports; a combination headphone and microphone jack; and a memory card slot.
The Chromebook 14 also comes with the option for 4G connectivity and the choice of a 16GB or 32GB SSD. It will be ready in time for the holiday season in US starting from a typically Chromebook-style low price of US$299.99.
