Google gave Chromebooks a refresh for the holidays, introducing a new Samsung Series 5 notebook and dropping the price of Acer and Samsung Chromebooks to $299. The new Series 5 is sleek and black (and Wi-Fi only), an impressive-looking refresher for the ailing netbook category.
Google has also overhauled parts of the Chrome OS user interface. The login screen is now so fresh and so clean, and the new tab page now includes a shortcut to the file manager.
“The computer that keeps getting better” lives up to that promise, but the Chromebook category hasn’t caught on. It advertises “nothing but the Web” as a feature, but our experiences have found that to be a limitation. We weren’t sure why Chromebooks had to be more expensive that plain old netbooks, but today’s price drop – and for a sleek, new model, too – is a welcome gesture.
The Chromebook and Chrome OS have gotten some important updates this year. Will you be getting one for the holidays?
Read more on the Google Blog.
