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Acer's 14-inch Chromebook tries premium on a budget
Acer's Chrome OS strategy is all about saturation. The company has been an ardent supporter of Google's browser-based OS, and it offers laptops, convertibles and all-in-ones in a wide range of sizes. One thing it's been missing, though, is a 14-inch model. That changes today.
HP's refreshed Chromebook 14 gets a price drop and longer battery life
No, they're not as wacky as that special edition Star Wars laptop, but Chromebooks are still likely to make for popular gifts this holiday season, given that they're cheap, compact and come in fun colors. Unsurprisingly, then, HP's just refreshed its 14-inch Chromebook ahead of the Black Friday stampede, cutting the price by $50 and promising longer battery life. In particular, the Chromebook 14 is now rated for nine hours and 15 minutes with a 1,366 x 768 display, up from eight hours in the last-gen version. HP also moved from an NVIDIA chip to an Intel Celeron N2840, which could in theory yield faster performance in some areas, though it's a shame there doesn't appear to be an option to configure it with more than 2GB of RAM. There's also a 1080p screen option; just don't expect the battery life there to be quite as long.
HP quietly adds a touchscreen model to its Chromebook 14 line
If you're after a Chromebook with premium specs, HP quietly released a touch-friendly model that might just do the trick. The Chromebook 14 Touch touts a 14-inch FHD WLED backlit touchscreen with a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution -- up from the 1,366 x 768 tally on the existing machine. Even after doubling the RAM (from 2GB to 4GB) and storage space (32GB, up from 16GB), HP claims the new version will still last just over eight hours on a charge. And like this year's regular Chromebook 14, NVIDIA's Tegra K1 processor and Kepler GPU are still packed inside. As you might expect, the boost in specs comes with a price increase, as the new model hits your wallet for $440, and it only comes in white. If you're not looking to get all grabby with a new laptop, the non-touch version is set at $300.
Weekly Roundup: Apple iPhone 5s and 5c hands-on, LG G2 review, Moto X's Texas factory, and more!
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
HP Chromebook 14 with Haswell hands-on (video)
Aside from the new Acer Chromebook, we also got a hands-on look at the new HP Chromebook 14. The latest Haswell-powered Chromebook from HP comes in an array of eye-popping colors -- Snow White, Ocean Turquoise and Coral Peach -- which certainly makes them the most colorful Chromebooks we've ever seen. In person, the colors seem bright and playful, though we can't help but feel they look like they belong in Toys R Us rather than an electronics store. The Chromebook's chassis is made out of plastic, which makes the whole thing seem even more toy-like. The top cover has a smooth rubberized finish, but the plastic-molded keyboard feels a bit gritty; the texture reminds us of the material used in 3D printing. As the name suggests, the Chromebook 14 has a 14-inch display with 1,366 x 768 resolution. It looked bright enough underneath the convention center's lighting, though it's difficult to tell after just a few minutes of use. It's certainly not the lightest Chromebook we've ever held -- it measures about 0.81-inch thin and weighs in at a whopping 4.08 pounds. HP opted to adhere to the standard Chromebook keyboard layout instead of its own, and the trackpad has just a single button instead of the two found on the HP Pavilion 14. Other features include a HDMI port, 16GB of storage, USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports, an HD webcam, an SD card slot and a battery that promises up to 9.5 hours of continuous use. If you decide to buy one, it comes with 100GB of Google Drive for free for two years. The HP Chromebook 14 is priced at around $299.99 to start, and should be available for purchase before the holiday season. To get a closer look at the candy-colored laptops, have a peek at the gallery or hit the video after the break.
