ASUS' latest Chromebook is rugged enough for kids
The tech giant is also building a hub for Google's internet of things.
ASUS made a name for itself in the crowded Chrome OS scene with the Chromebook Flip, and now it's ready to bring that design know-how to the classroom. The company's new Chromebook C202 is tailor-made to survive the kind of abuse you'd expect in schools. It has the rugged, drop-resistant body you've seen in rivals, but it's also designed to help out in the event it does break. Its modular body lets you easily replace parts like the battery, keyboard and power socket, and it's easy to tear apart the whole machine with standard tools.
The performance isn't spectacular between the Intel Celeron chip, 11.6-inch, 1,366 x 768 screen, 2GB to 4GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. However, the price is definitely right -- ASUS tells us that the C202 will ship in February at a price of about $219 to $229 for the 4GB RAM model.
ASUS isn't stopping there with its CES news, either. It's previewing an internet of things hub (below) for devices based on Google's Brillo platform, including ASUS-made devices like a camera (the Ai-Cam) and even a smart power plug. The company isn't saying much about when this hub will ship, but its first Brillo devices arrive later this year -- we'd expect the hub to show up in a similar time frame.
