Lenovo's
ThinkPad lineup has been one of the best and best-known series of Windows
computers over the last two decades, but it looks like Lenovo's expanding the
brand: the company has just released the ThinkPad X131e Chromebook, its first
computer powered by Google's web-based Chrome OS. There's already a
Windows-powered X131e, and it looks like Lenovo hasn't changed much besides the
operating system. The Chromebook is primarily designed for students, and
Lenovo's touting its rugged design (there's a bumper around the edge in case
it's dropped, and even the hinges are extra sturdy) as much as its specs. The
four-pound, 11.6-inch laptop comes with an Intel processor — Lenovo doesn't
specify which, but it's a safe guess to say it won't be a high-powered Core i5
or i7 — plus a 1366 x 768 display, HDMI and VGA ports, a webcam, and a battery
that Lenovo says will last "the entire school day."
For a while,
"the Chromebook" was a single device, from one company that worked with Google to
show off what its cloud-based OS could do. Now Lenovo marks the third
manufacturer, after Acer and Samsung, to make inexpensive laptops running Google's
software. Lenovo's announcement of the laptop cites data about how much easier
Chromebooks are to deploy and maintain than Windows machines, and how much more
practical the OS is becoming as Google Apps become more prevalent in schools —
if that's all true, it could be a significant shot across Microsoft's bow in a
key market. The X131e will be available February 26th, but there's no telling
if or when it will be available to non-education customers. Guess it's time to
go back to middle school. [TheVerge]
You can follow me on Twitter, add me to your
circles on Google+ or Subscribe to
me on FaceBook or YouTube. You can also
check my Website and Blog to keep yourself
updated with what is happening in the ever changing world of technology
No comments:
Post a Comment