@Google launches Google Chromebit, Haier and Hisense Chromebook and @Asus Chromebook Flip - @Microsoft Productivity vs @GoogleChrome OS low Price

Google is making Google Chrome cheaper and cheaper for anyone to access, even if you only have a HDTV TV.

On Wednesday April 1^st 2015, Google introduced the Google Chromebit, a HDMI compatible flash drive sized computer along with three (3) new Chromebooks, the 11.6" Haier Chromebook, the 11.6 Hisense Chromebook  and the Asus Chromebook Flip reported in the article “Google pushes Chrome OS software, with or without Chromebooks”, published March 31, 2015 by Richard Nieva, CNET News.

The announcement was made in Google chrome blogspot blog in a Press Release entitled “More Chromebooks, for everyone”, published Tuesday, March 31, 2015, Google Chrome Blog and caught me totally by surprise.

After Google had launched the Google Chromecast and celebrated it's one-year Anniversary with some free stuff from the Google Play Music store as reported in my blog article entitled “Google Play Music’s All Access Music Subscription Three months Free Streaming - Happy Birthday as Google Chromecast fights Amazon fire TV”, I didn’t imagine Google would be making any more HDMI Stick related device any time soon.

Neither did I expect three (3) new Chromebooks, as I though they already had the K-12 market cornered nicely as noted in my blog article entitled “IDC Stats say Google Chromebooks dominates U.S. K-12 School System - 1 TB Free Google Drive as Microsoft HP Stream and 12.9-inch Apple iPad in 2015”.

So why did Google launch four (4) new Google Chrome OS products? Microsoft seems to be in their crosshairs.

US$100 Google Chromebit - Google Chrome OS in your Top Pocket but cheaper than Intel Compute

These new products are available only in the US of A, but Google has plans for a wider global release as noted in the article “Google announces budget-priced Chromebits and Chromebooks”, published 1 April 2015 By Leo Kelion, BBC News . They seem to have been launched to coincide with the Microsoft Surface.

The Google Chromebit, which is made by Asus, is a lot like most traditional USD-sized stick computes, allowing you to connect  to any HDMI Monitor and run a particular OS in this case Google Chrome as noted in the article “Google Puts Chrome OS on a Stick With Chromebit”, published MARCH 31, 2015 BY CHLOE ALBANESIUS, PCWorld.

It's a lot like the US$149 Intel Compute Stick which will be going on sale on Friday April 24th 2015 as reported in my MICO Wars Blog article entitled “US$150 Intel Compute Stick launches on NewEgg and Amazon” but costs less than US$100.

The Google Chromebit runs on Google Chrome OS on a Rockchip 3288 Processor supported by an ARM Mali 760 Quad-Core GPU. It's got 2GB of RAM and 16GB eMMC and as it connects to the HDMI port of any HDTV Set, it needs external port to power the device, which is provided by a USB 2.0 connection.

Google Chrome OS is a Browser based OS and as such, its main Internet connectivity is via 802.11ac Wi-Fi that connects via either 2.4 or 5GHz frequencies. Bluetooth 4.0 suggests that this device can be controlled via a smartphone worth Bluetooth connectivity as well as you'll have to use a Bluetooth Mouse and Keyboard to navigate on this computer.

Given its small size and low price, it’s expected to sell in the millions comes the summer of 2015.

11.6" Haier Chromebook 11 and 11.6" Hisense Chromebook - US$149 for Chromebooks with similar specs

The 11.6" Haier Chromebook 11 and 11.6" Hisense Chromebook are brothers from different mothers apparently, with both products similarly priced at US$149, the same cost as the US$149 Intel Compute Stick. Both Chromebooks run on a Rockchip 3288 with an ARM Mali 760 Quad-Core GPU supported by 2GB of RAM and 16GB eMMC.

They both have two USB 2.0 Standard A ports and HDMI and sport a 720p camera. Internet connectivity is mainly via a 802.11ac Wi-Fi that supports 2.4 and 5GHz frequencies. Despite their similar specs, their battery life differs; the 11.6" Hisense Chromebook gets 10 Hours on a single full charge whereas the 11.6" Haier Chromebook 11 gets 8.5 hours on a single full charge.

Another slight difference is that the 11.6" Haier Chromebook 11 has a 11E version with a removable battery and no microSD port but rather a full sized SD Card Slot. Also The 11.6" Haier Chromebook 11 will be sold via Amazon, while Walmart.com will carry the 11.6" Hisense Chromebook.

US$249 Asus Chromebook Flip - Full Metal Chrome OS that pits Microsoft productivity vs Chrome OS low Price

The fourth Chromebook product is the all-metal Asus Chromebook Flip, which as its name implies, it can flip around to become a tablet similar to the US$999 Lenovo Ideapad Yoga 2 Pro as reported in my Geezam blog article entitled “US$999 Ideapad Yoga 2 Pro is a quirky Windows 8.1 Ultraboook with an Ultra-HD Screen”.

At US$249, the 10.1" Asus Chromebook Flip also flips around and weights class than 2 lb to boot. Running on a Rockchip 3288 supported by an ARM Mali 760 Quad-Core GPU with a 16GB SSD (Solid State Drive) it comes in one of two (2) RAM configurations:

1.      2GB of RAM

2.      4GB of RAM

Like the 11.6" Haier Chromebook 11 and 11.6" Hisense Chromebook, Internet connectivity is achieved via a 802.11ac Wi-Fi that utilizes both 2.4 and 5GHz and has Bluetooth 4.0. Simply put, not only can you BYOD (Bring your Own Device), but you can also remotely control this Laptop using the Remote Mouse App as explained in my MICO Wars blog article entitled “How Remote Mouse can make your Smartphone or Tablet into a Graphic Artiste’s Palette”.

With 10 hours battery life for such a low price, Microsoft is sure to get a lot of competition for their partnership with HP (Hewlett Packard) that produced the HP Stream Tablets and Laptops back in September 2014 as explained in my blog article entitled “US$200 HP Stream Netbooks and Tablets – Microsoft floating Windows 8.1 on Free 1TB Microsoft OneDrive Cloud against Google's Chromebooks”.

These are the cheapest Windows products that I can think of and come the Summer of 2015 when these Google Chrome Products go on sale, the main differentiator will be price vs productivity.