Toshiba is entering the Chromebook game, and it's bringing one of the first affordable 13-inch models to Google's Chrome OS-running notebook lineup.
It may look like a lot of the current 11- and 12-inch Chromebooks out there -- with a minimalist brushed aluminum housing -- but Toshiba's new entry will come with slightly more screen real estate thanks to a 1,366 x 768 (standard HD) resolution 13.3-inch display.
Chromebooks continue to be alluring computing devices, and not just because of their low prices. As more and more cloud-based computing options pop up -- including productivity tools -- these lightweight machines need not rely on beefy processors for performing CPU-intensive tasks or a bunch of built-in storage for files.
With that in mind, Toshiba opted for a modest Intel Celeron processor under the hood. For running Chrome OS, it’s efficient, helping provide up to 9 hours of battery life for the notebook. Considering on Samsung’s 2013 Chromebook we could only get about 6.5 hours of battery life, and on the Chromebook Pixel achieves about 5 hours, that’s a pretty significant improvement in the category.
The inclusion of a Celeron processor also helps keep the cost of the device low. Toshiba’s Chromebook will cost $279 and goes on sale February 16th.
