Google unveils first Chrome powered laptops

Samsung's laptop will be one of the first Chrome powered PCs to hit the market

Google has unveiled the first laptops that will run on its Chrome operating system.

The machines, made by Acer and Samsung, will go on sale next month.

Unlike conventional computer systems which use installed software like Microsoft Word, Chrome is built around web-based applications such as Google Docs.

Some analysts have questioned whether users will want laptops that rely so heavily on an internet connection.

However, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, hailed the technology as a “new model of computing”.

His comments came on the second day of the company's developer conference, where Google announced that so-called Chromebooks will go on sale in June http://www.google.com/chromebook/features.html .

Samsung and Acer will be the first manufacturers to offer the devices, for between $349 and $499, in the US and six European countries initially.

Google's aim is to encourage people to use web-based applications, claiming that that is where most people spend their time and that most tasks can be accomplished online.

The internet giant said because Chromebooks are not weighed down by software and applications common to most laptops, they boot up in eight seconds instead of minutes.

The company said battery life on the device will last a day, security updates will be done automatically and they will be faster than traditional laptops.

“It's a much easier way to compute… and Chromebook is venturing into a new model of computing that I don't think was possible even a few years ago,” said Mr Brin.

“Ultimately the most precious resource is the user's time. I think the complexity of managing your computer is really torturing users out there. It is a flawed model and I think Chromebooks are a new model and this is the way things are going to be,” added Mr Brin.

Source: BBC