Fancy a laptop for less than two hundred quid? Have a gander at the Acer C7 Chromebook, a new online-powered laptop with Google software that costs a mere £200.
The C7 sports an 11.6-inch, 1,366x768-pixel LED-backlit screen and 1.3-megapixel webcam. The first version is the Acer C710-2847, powered by a 1.1GHz Intel Celeron 847 processor with 2GB of DDR3 memory and a 320GB hard drive.
Chunky at an inch thick, the laptop boasts an HDMI connection and three USB ports, as well as SD card reader.
The C7 is the latest laptop powered by Google's Chrome operating system, which keeps your computer light on its feet by including only the most basic software and files built-in, doing pretty much everything online.
Your Chromebook comes with up to 100GB of free Google Drive storage for two years, so your work, music, photos and other files are safe in the cloud even if you lose your laptop. You can still get to files without an Internet connection, or write Google documents and Gmail emails as well. But that's it: no installing applications, and very little that doesn't require an Internet connection.
On the other hand, unburdened by built-in software, the C7 boots up in less than 18 seconds and springs back to life in the blink of an eye when it's been in sleep mode.
Samsung has also recently announced a new Chrome OS laptop, the eponymous Samsung Chromebook. Fingers crossed this new wave of Chromebooks solve the problems of previous attempts, which earned a resounding thumbs-down: the Samsung Series 5 550 earned just two CNET stars in our review.
But with a price of £200, is the C7 still a bargain? It's available now from Google Play, Amazon, PC World and Currys.
Is Chrome an evolutionary cul-de-sac now we have tablets like the iPad, Google Nexus 7 and Microsoft Surface? Do hybrid Windows 8 laptops do the same job much better? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.
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Comments 19
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CaptainPicard 13 November, 2012 14:27
Surprised Google and its hardware partners are still wasting their time with Chrome OS. Google has already got the perfect OS, Android, which is wildly successful, and most 'Droid tablets have an attachable keyboard made by a third party; so they can essentially be called a "Tablet-Laptop" hybrid.
anonymous 13 November, 2012 15:27
it's not a macbook though
anonymous 13 November, 2012 15:42
Google are indeed trying to flog a dead horse here.
They have spent a vast fortune on developing the Chrome OS, only for it to be a total flop.
This must surely be their last attempt to launch the OS and if it fails (the omens are not good), then they'll probably have to write it off and bury it.
anonymous 13 November, 2012 16:47
It's a great concept but people will always be drawn to what they know.
Personally I'd love a Chromebook, for the majority of people they're utterly ideal. The Chrome OS just makes sense. It's just such a shame that the marketing isn't there and that people are afraid of change.
anonymous 14 November, 2012 01:58
The Samsung just plain makes more sense: http://answerguy.com/2012/11/05/google-chromebook-desktops-browser-business-change/
Takeshima 14 November, 2012 04:24
give it up google.
lol 1.1GHZ Celeron chip? enjoy the choppy 720p youtube videos.
by the way cnet 1080p screen? are you smoking crack? the res is 1366x768. you got the hdmi output mixed up with the laptops max res...
Takeshima 14 November, 2012 05:01
nexus Q, google tv plus Chromebooks need to be added to the list of googles massive failiures
Nick Hide 14 November, 2012 09:51
@Takeshima - thanks, fixed the resolution spec in the text.
flyingacedude 14 November, 2012 10:29
Hmm, could be an interesting product. I'm glad Google are persisting with this as I think with the right development it could be an excellent product that could cater for the needs of a large proportion of laptop users.
anonymous 14 November, 2012 14:11
$119 in the US - that equates to £125 - rip-off the UK again Google and pay no taxes!
anonymous 18 November, 2012 14:21
Why on earth is it £199?? When it is $199 in the US?
199.00 USD = 125.256 GBP
Essentially £75 or 37% more expensive in the UK, that is a huge mark up!!
If it was £149, I can see it being much more attractive option to take on the train with you... oh wait, it needs to connect to the internet... what is this for again???
anonymous 19 November, 2012 13:20
Ideal (additional system) for sitting in the lounge, rattle out a few emails (probably containing more text than if using a tablet), edit a few pictures, listen to music in Play Music cloud, bit of surfing, stream a movie, maybe even create or edit a few documents. In other words >95% of my computing needs. All for 200 quid (although I prefer the Samsung at £129) and mostly free online apps. In addition, no more microsoft updates going on, no sluggish protection programs and all the other things we've learned to accept without thinking about. Can't wait to get mine.
tuxtester 19 November, 2012 16:11
It is more expensive in the UK than in the US but the US quoted price of $199 does not include tax, which will be added at the point of sale. The UK price does include tax (VAT).
It would be interesting to see what Acer have to say about the price difference. Acer can be contacted here: http://www.acer.co.uk/ac/en/GB/content/contacts
tuxtester 19 November, 2012 16:36
That picture shows a US keyboard, no sterling symbol above the 3 key. I hope the UK version has a sterling symbol.
CaptainPicard,
Reasons for Google to develop Chrome OS:
- Google Drive. Schools are making use of Google Drive so cheap thin clients are ideal for pupils. When pupils enter the real world of work they will prefer to use the tools they used at school.
- Microsoft have no answer for Google Drive or the Chrome book.
- Google are playing the long game. They will simply nibble away at Microsoft's core without actually meeting Microsoft face to face, in Microsoft's entrenched domain.
Does anyone have any sympathy for Microsoft?
CaptainPicard 19 November, 2012 23:01
^ I hope Google succeeds but I think this will fail.
anonymous 22 November, 2012 13:09
£199 UK... $199 US (£125). Sod off, Google. Yeah, I know about the VAT, but still... sod off.
jopov123 23 November, 2012 17:20
Vat is only 20% so if the US price converts to about £125 in the UK it would only have £25 VAT added making it £150......
anonymous 24 November, 2012 14:15
Dealer margins in the US are much less here in UK retails like Currys expect 35% plus before they will list a product , in the US its only 10% -15% there are far more competitive , & VAT @ 20% , makes most of the difference. Its the same situation in most markets like brown goods & white good , £ price & $ price usually the same
anonymous 22 December, 2012 20:12
I learned to type in high school so I am very keyboard friendly. To the point that I would not consider a tablet or Iphone. The Acer C7 is ideal as a secondary machine for web serfing email and other internet related activities. Not for work related however since I use XL and Word. Still, for the price, you can hardly go wrong. I particularly like the boot times and NO INVASIIVE MICROSOFT UPDATES!!!!!!