Google announced new hardware, Android software compatibility, and other improvements meant to make Chromebooks even more welcome in the classroom. The changes--plus updates to the company's suite of education products--could extend Google's influence over the American school system.

Chromebooks are popular with schools because they're much cheaper than PCs or tablets. Schools also have the ability to ensure students have internet access, which is critical to accomplishing many tasks with a Chromebook, so the platform's main limitation isn't an issue within the halls of academia. Combine those factors with Google's school-focused services and the rush to deck out classrooms with modern technology and you have yourself a hit.

Google said in its announcement that more than 20 million teachers and students use Chromebooks; another 70 million use its G Suite for Education. Now the company's expanding on that lead by calling attention to the Asus Chromebook C213 and Acer Chromebook Spin 11 convertible laptops, which were designed with input from Google and educators, as well as new software tools arriving with the addition of Android app support to Chrome OS.

Chromebooks For The Classroom

The main draws of the Asus Chromebook C213 and Acer Chromebook Spin 11 are their stylus compatibility, new cameras, and USB Type-C charging. Here's what Google had to say about the styluses:

Both Chromebooks come with an intelligent, affordable stylus for student note-taking and drawing. The low-cost pens resemble #2 pencils with a unique eraser for correcting mistakes and don’t need charging or pairing, so they can be shared and easily replaced if lost. These Chromebooks use an input prediction model built using Google's machine learning to ensure writing is extremely responsive. And with Optical Character Recognition in apps like Google Keep you can easily search handwritten notes.

Those styluses could allow these Chromebooks to be used for more activities. Instead of having to wait for a paper that needs to be typed up for English class, for example, students could doodle in art class or take notes in History class. Meanwhile, the new cameras will face out when students fold the Chromebooks into tablet mode to "capture photo and video from all directions." Both  are supposed to make Chromebooks better learning devices.

The USB Type-C charging is all about convenience. Google said it "heard from educators that multiple chargers and slow charging wastes precious time for students," so it made sure "all Chromebooks will have standard super-fast USB-C charging, so one Chromebook cart can charge any device quickly." This could make it easier for teachers to plan around using Chromebooks in their lessons without having to waste valuable time fiddling with chargers.

Say Hello To Android

Along with the new hardware, Adobe released "a suite of Android apps optimized for Chromebooks," which schools can download for free. This will give them the opportunity to use the Creative Cloud product suite--which includes PhotoShop Sketch, Lightroom Mobile, and other apps--without requiring schools to break the bank. The hope is that providing access to these tools will encourage students to use their Chromebooks in more creative ways.

“Having access to free creative tools like Adobe’s on Chromebooks allows for much more creative freedom for students with different learning styles or talents to shine,” said Nicole Dalesio, Teacher on Special Assignment (ToSA) for the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District, CA. “It gives them an opportunity to demonstrate their learning in a much more powerful way. Now all students can get the skills they need to create and share in a digital world.”

Google previously said that all Chromebooks released in 2017 and beyond would be compatible with Android apps from its Play Store. These education-focused devices are no exception: the company said that "in the coming weeks" Chromebook administrators will be able to approve specific apps for installation on the devices they manage. This will give students access to apps like Adobe's without letting them get distracted with mobile games.

When Will These Arrive?

Google revealed precious few details about the Asus Chromebook C213 and Acer Chromebook Spin 11. It said on the Google for Education device page that both products are "coming soon" and that all Chromebooks start at $149. It wouldn't be a surprise if these products cost more--they do have a bunch of new features, after all--but the company might also try to keep the prices down just so it can get its software platforms into more schools.

Both devices sport a 294mm displays with a 1366 x 768 resolution. Google claims they boot in seconds. The Asus Chromebook C213 boasts 12 hours of battery life; Acer's Chromebook Spin 11 gets just 10. Still, both have more than enough power to last an entire school day, and the additions revealed today could push schools to purchase these devices instead of going for more expensive Windows laptops or cheaper but more limited Chromebooks.

Google said in May 2016 that select Chromebooks--laptops built entirely around its Chrome browser--would support apps originally made for Android devices. Now the company has updated the list of devices gaining access to the Google Play marketplace to include every Chromebook debuting in 2017.

Chromebooks were built with the belief that many consumers don't need high-power computers. Most people want to be able to handle some documents, listen to music, and dilly-dally on social networks. All of those things can be accomplished through a web browser, so Google turned its Chrome browser into a bona fide operating system manufacturers could use to make low-end laptops at even lower prices. Voila! A platform was born.

It didn't take long for Chromebooks to grow popular. The NPD research group said in August 2015 that Chromebooks helped keep overall PC and tablet sales in the business-to-business market from tumbling in the preceding quarters. IDC analyst Linn Huang said in May 2016 that Chrome OS devices (Chromebooks and their desktop counterparts) outsold Apple computers for the first time in the beginning of the year. Chromebooks were getting hot.

Yet they weren't perfect. A laptop that relies on the web is only as reliable as the internet connection between the two. People can use Chromebooks to edit documents, look at photos, or watch videos without an internet connection, but the devices are still far more hamstrung by a lack of connectivity than a traditional laptop would be. The devices were also limited in their ability to work with Microsoft Office documents, which are still ubiquitous despite competition from Google and other companies, or with software that isn't available online.

That's why Google brought the Play Store to Chromebooks. Here's what the company said in its May 2016 announcement:

Chromebooks have always been about making computing more accessible for everyone, and by bringing together the best of Android and Chrome OS, we are taking a big leap forward. Not only are we addressing many of the existing needs and use cases that people have for their Chromebooks, we are also betting on the millions of developers who are innovating every day to build the next great experience that wasn’t even possible on PC platforms before.

Google called out popular mobile games like Clash of Clans, apps that play better with Microsoft Office, and other Android software in its announcement. The web is broad, but the rise of mobile software has led to many utilities that exist only within the confines of major app marketplaces. Chromebooks still won't replace more powerful laptops and all the games and software they're able to run, but they could at least expand beyond the world wide web.

This revolution started off slow. Right now just three products boast compatibility with Android apps: the Asus Chromebook Flip, the Acer Chromebook R11 / C738T, and the 2015 version of Google's own Chromebook Pixel. The company said it "won't be able to bring Android apps to every Chromebook ever made" but is "continuing to evaluate more devices based on a range of factors, like processor type, GPU, and drivers" for Play Store compatibility.

Now, that paltry list of three devices will expand to include 61 products from Acer, Asus, Lenovo, and other manufacturers. Some of the products are expected to debut in 2017; others have already been released and will receive updates with Play Store compatibility. The flood gates have opened: Google said "all Chromebooks launching in 2017 and after" will be able to run Android apps. The platform has finally gone beyond the browser.

Google announced that it would be deploying the Google Play Store in Chromebooks, giving users the ability to use some of their favorite mainstream Android apps inside their Chrome OS-powered notebooks for the first time.

The company revealed the plans to integrate the Play Store in a blog post, stating that although the Chrome OS-powered notebooks were always about "making computing more accessible for everyone," that the continued growth of the Chromebook market and users' requests for more functionality and compatibility sparked the decision to offer the Android app market in its notebook devices.

"The same apps that run on phones and tablets can now run on Chromebooks without compromising their speed, simplicity or security," stated Google in the blog.

The inclusion of Google Play in a notebook device is similar to Canonical's Ubuntu Core, in that it's expanding the Chrome OS platform's capabilities in a growing market. Google prides its Chromebooks on the security features (also similar to Canonical), and the obvious challenge to the deployment of the Play Store in these devices is to see how that security holds up after opening the proverbial floodgates of vulnerability in the form of thousands of Android apps and utilities.

Google Play will start appearing on the developer channel with M53 on the Asus Chromebook Flip, the Acer Chromebook R11 and the latest Chromebook Pixel. Additional makes and models will roll out over time, and the full list of supported Chromebooks can be found on Google's support page.

Derek Forrest is an Associate Contributing Writer for Tom’s Hardware and Tom’s IT Pro. Follow Derek Forrest on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube.

Today’s elementary and high school classrooms are trading in pencil and paper for a more digital solution that comes in the form of Chromebooks and iPads. With this continuing trend, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) started a campaign called “Spying on Students,” which aims to educate parents and school administrators about the potential dangers of these devices in the classroom. Google has been accused of endangering students’ privacy, and the EFF filed a report against the search giant to the Federal Trade Commission.

The EFF examined two of Google’s products -- the Chromebook and the cloud-based Google Apps for Education. The main issues comes from the Chrome web browser. By default, the Sync feature on Chrome is on when a school-supplied Chromebook is used, and the software doesn’t ask permission from the students or their parents.

According to the EFF, this allows Google to “track, store on its servers, and data mine for non-advertising purposes, records of every Internet site students visit, every search term they use, the results they click on, videos they look for and watch on YouTube, and their saved passwords.” In addition, the administrative settings provided by Google for these school-based Chromebooks allow the information to be shared to third-party sites.

But it doesn’t stop once the Chromebook is turned off. Because they log in to the Chromebook with their Google account, the data gathered can still carry over to any device where the student logs in with his or her Google username.

The EFF said that the alleged intrusion in privacy violates the Student Privacy Pledge, of which Google is a co-signer. The pledge dictates that companies “not collect, maintain, use or share student personal information beyond that needed for authorized educational/school purposes, or as authorized by the parent/student,” as well as prohibiting the sale of student information.

However, the same pledge also allows Google to obtain student personal information that is authorized by the school, teacher, parent or student. Granted, the company must disclose in a contract or privacy policy what types of personal information is collected, the purpose for the collection, and if it’s used by or shared with a third party.

By having the Sync option on by default in each new Chromebook, Google seems to break these rules, by not offering students a choice in the matter and collecting their information from the moment they log in to the device.

However, it’s taking some steps to remedy the problem. Google told the EFF it’s working on disabling the setting on school-provided notebooks that activates the Chrome Sync feature so that information isn’t shared with other Google services. In terms of Google Apps for Education, the company said that the service doesn’t show ads when a user opens one of the apps in the bundle (such as Google Docs, Gmail or Talk). However, a few popular apps, such as YouTube, Google Maps and Blogger, can show ads because they’re not part of Google Apps for Education.

Despite Google’s efforts, the EFF believes that the preventative measure isn’t going far enough in protecting the privacy of students. For now, the group posted two blog posts that teach parents and students how to adjust the privacy settings on their Google accounts and Chromebooks. We contacted Google for comment on the filing, and will update accordingly.

Update, 12/2/2015, 2:42pm PST: Google responded to the EFF's claims with a post by Jonathan Rochelle, the director of Google Apps for Education on the Google for Education blog. The company said it's confident that "our tools comply with both the law and our promises, including the Student Privacy Pledge, which we signed earlier this year," and also pointing out that The Future of Privacy Forum and The Software and Information Industry Association (co-authors of the Student Privacy Pledge) criticized the EFF's claims.

Google also reiterated the function of its classroom services. For Google Apps for Education, specifically its core services such as Gmail, Drive, Docs, and Hangouts, the personal data is used to provide the actual services so that students can communicate through Gmail or collaborate on a project with Google Docs. In addition, there are no ads in any of these services, and student data isn't used for advertising purposes.

In terms of Chrome Sync, Google stated that the feature is used so that students can quickly get to work on any system where they have to log in with their Google account, creating a personalized experience on any device. The company did state that certain data is collected from Chrome Sync, but information regarding individual users is removed before it's analyzed by the company in order to improve its services. Administrators, students and teachers can also disable Chrome Sync entirely, or hand-pick which information to sync with the feature.

Finally, apps that are not part of the Google Apps for Education suite, such as YouTube, Google Maps, and Blogger, can be blocked by schools so that they're inaccessible. Rochelle wrote, "We are committed to ensuring that K-12 student personal information is not used to target ads in these services, and in some cases we show no ads at all," citing Google Search as an example where no ads are shown when a student is logged in.

______________________________________________________________________

Rexly Peñaflorida II is a Contributor at Tom’s Hardware. He writes news on tech and hardware, but mostly focuses on gaming news. As a Chicagoan, he believes that deep dish pizza is real pizza and ketchup should never be on hot dogs. Ever. Also, Portillo’s is amazing.

Follow Rexly Peñaflorida II @Heirdeux. Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube .

According to a new IDC report, Google has managed to overtake Apple's iPads in the classroom as the device category of choice for education. Google and its partners shipped 715,000 Chromebooks, while Apple shipped 702,000 iPads to schools. Chromebooks also accounted for a quarter of the educational market in the third quarter of this year.

IDC said that schools tend to prefer Chromebooks over iPads for two main reasons: lower costs -- which is usually half that of the iPads -- and the fact that they have keyboards. Some schools get their iPads with keyboards as well, but that only adds to the already-higher total cost for the tablets.

The schools' IT departments also like Chromebooks more because they are simpler to manage than iPads.

"Chromebooks are really gaining traction," said Rajani Singh, analyst with IDC. "The growth of Chromebook is a major concern for Apple's iPad."

Ms. Singh also said that as the average student age grows, the need for a keyboard increases as well, so it's not just teachers and IT managers who prefer Chromebooks, but most students, too.

Apple still owns a larger share of the educational market right now when combining its iPads and Macs. The company also has a big head start with 13 million iPads and 75,000 educational apps already sold to the education market. However, the difference between iPads and Chromebook userbases in schools seems to be shrinking because of the fast growth of Chromebooks.

Google also launched its Google Play for Education last year, which is a customized version of the Play Store that makes it easier for teachers, students and IT managers to find apps and manage Chromebooks.

Windows still seems to own the biggest share of the educational market, although long-time Windows PC makers such as HP, Dell, Samsung and Acer are heavily promoting their Chromebooks to schools right now, which could end up stealing more market share from both iPads and Windows devices down the road.

When Google built Chrome OS, the company didn't know where exactly it would take them, and right now Chromebooks are still a minor portion of the PC or computing devices market. However, in certain markets, such as education, Chromebooks seem to have found their niche.

The education market is also an important one over the long term because many children will grow up using Chromebooks. Even if Chromebooks don't become successful overnight in the mainstream market, they could still see a steady and healthy growth over the next decade.

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According to the IDC’s latest report on tablets and notebooks for K-12 education, Chromebooks are the best-selling category of devices. Google said that students and teachers like Chromebooks for three main reasons:

Easy to use. From the very beginning, Chrome OS has been about simplicity and ease of use. Everyone knows how to use a browser, and Chrome OS is designed to function primarily within the browser. This makes it ideal for both students and teachers.

Easy to share. Chrome OS makes it easy to switch between multiple accounts with no hassle. The fact that most user data is hosted on third-party cloud services makes it easier still to share these devices with other students. If the devices get lost or broken, the data is safe in the cloud, and the users can access it on other Chromebooks or any other Internet-capable devices.

Easy to manage. This is a boon for schools, because they need to be able to manage hundreds or thousands of devices at once. Google has made it easy to do so remotely, in part because IT admins don't have to install apps on every single device.

Although Chromebooks are great products on their own, Google seems to have played a major role in convincing so many schools to adopt Chromebooks as their tool of choice in education. Chromebooks have been relatively successful in other areas as well, including the consumer market, where they are seeing a steady rise in popularity, but the education sector remains by far the most approachable by the company.

In addition to rapid popularity growth in the U.S. education sector, Chromebooks are also gaining ground in other countries abroad. Malaysia, for example, uses Chromebooks for its entire national school system. Google said that it will host the Global Education Symposium this week, where education ministers from 18 countries will participate. This seems like another great opportunity for Google to convince even more countries to adopt Chromebooks for their schools.

A combination of low price, simplicity, product quality, enhanced security, a move towards cloud computing, and Google’s own Education-related services and apps has led to Chromebooks becoming so successful in this market.

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Google and VMware are teaming up to bring Windows to the search giant's Chromebook laptops. Chromebooks run on Google's Chrome OS and are only able to run Chrome apps. As a result, these machines aren't exactly optimized for a corporate setting. However, VMware is hoping to change that.

Speaking today at its annual VMware Partner Exchange, the company announced plans to provide businesses with secure, cloud access to Windows apps, data and desktops via Chromebooks. Chromebook users will be able to access their Windows apps, data and desktops using VMware's Blast HTML5 technology from a Web app on their Chromebook. Google reckons this solution will save businesses about $5,000 per computer compared to PC deployment using traditional PCs.

"Chromebooks are designed for the way people use computers today and are a secure, easy and cost-effective solution to help organizations embrace a new way of doing business," said Amit Singh, President of Google Enterprise. "Through our partnership with VMware, businesses can now capitalize on these advantages with access to legacy applications, data and desktops they need to keep employees productive."

This option is initially only going to be available as an 'on-premise service' and will be fully managed by VMware. Of course, with Chromebooks comes a need for trust in cloud computing, something companies like Google and Microsoft are working on. In fact, Microsoft's new CEO comes from the company's Cloud and Enterprise group. Perhaps this combined solution will help coax corporations towards the cloud.

Follow Jane McEntegart @JaneMcEntegart. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.

Altair Semiconductor announced on Wednesday that its FourGee-3100/6202 chipset was selected to connect the new 11.6-inch HP Chromebook to the Verizon 4G LTE network. This new version of HP's popular Chromebook (if you ignore the early power adapter problem) is available at Best Buy now for $329 after a $50 rebate provided when activating with Verizon Wireless.

As with the previous Wi-Fi version, HP's Chromebook features an 11.6-inch IPS display with a 60 percent color gamut, a brightness of 300 nit, and 176 degree viewing angles. The device is powered by a dual-core Samsung Exynos 5250 SoC, aka the Exynos 5 Dual clocked at 1.7 GHz, along with 2 GB of DDR3L RAM, 16 GB of internal storage, and a three-cell lithium-ion polymer battery promising up to six hours of active use.

The Chromebook also provides Wireless N and Bluetooth connectivity, a built-in VGA webcam, a Chrome keyboard, a "fine-tuned" clickable touchpad, a headphone/microphone jack, "digitally tuned" speakers with sound directed through the keyboard, and two USB 2.0 ports. Also included is a microUSB port for charging the Chromebook, and video output via Analogix's SlimPort HDMI tech.

"We are extremely proud to have been selected by Google and HP to power the world's first low-cost LTE Chromebook," said Eran Eshed, Co-Founder and Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Altair. "Our solution equips the Chromebook with a dependable and incredibly fast Internet connection.  By focusing on 100% LTE and eliminating costly 3G components, we were able to help our partners lower the cost of this critical LTE connectivity feature."

For more information about the new 4G LTE capable Chromebook, head over to Best Buy here and Google Play here.

While Google has made this feature available for some time in Chrome, the company finally introduced Supervised Users to the beta channel. This Chrome parental control first reared its head back in December when developers stumbled across "Managed User Settings" in the Canary build. The feature then became part of Canary during the summer.

Managed Accounts should be quite handy for parents who need to track their teen's whereabouts online (especially those sneaky enough to erase their history), and keep the younger kids off inappropriate sites. The feature should also be highly useful on Chromebooks, which uses Chrome as the operating system, allowing parents to restrict younger users from inappropriate sites and apps.

"Let's say you've recently purchased the new HP Chromebook 11 and want to share it with your son. He'll be able to use your Chromebook as a supervised user," writes Google's Pam Greene, Software Engineer and surf instructor. "This means once you've created a supervised user for him on your Chromebook, you'll be able to visit chrome.com/manage to review a history of web pages he has visited, determine sites that you want to allow or block, and manage permissions for any blocked websites he has requested to view."

To set up Chrome for multiple users, simply head into Settings, scroll down to the Users section, and then hit Create. A window pops up to set up a new account, so make sure the box for "this is a supervised user managed by" is checked, and you should be good to go. The Manage site allows users to manage site permissions, answer requests to access specific sites, and browse the supervised user's activity.

Based on a little hands-on, this browser feature seems to work on a single Windows primary account when a PC is set up with multiple logins. For example, my wife and I have a homeschool PC dedicated to the kids, set up with my account and two additional accounts for each child. Although I could set up supervised users on my Windows account, the option didn't show up on their accounts even after making sure the browser was updated to the latest beta and signing in to my Google account.

That said, this new feature seems more focused on Chromebooks, and limiting access on a single Windows user account. "Creating a supervised user in Chrome is not the same as adding another user on your operating system," reads Google's support site. "A supervised user is an additional Chrome user, and can close the supervised user windows and access other Chrome users available on the computer. If you are the manager of a supervised user, you can always remove your own Chrome profile from the computer or sign out of Chrome before handing it off to a supervised user."

Still, the move is a step in the right direction, and according to Greene, it's just the beginning. "We hope this new feature helps you share Chromebooks with everyone in your family," she writes. "Additionally, you can try an early version of supervised users on Chrome beta for Windows, Mac and Linux, too. This is just the beginning — we'd love to get your feedback on features you'd like to see. If you're on the beta channel, supervised users will begin rolling out this week."

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As of this writing, Chrome is a Version 31.0.1650.26 beta-m.

There was a time when Google's Chromebooks were only available in few select places. Since then, the company has diversified (no doubt in an attempt to shift more units), and the laptops are available in brick and mortar retail stores as well on online through sites like Amazon. This week, Google announced that it would be tripling the number of stores offering Chromebooks around the world.

Google is upping the number of shops carrying the laptops to 6,600 worldwide. In the UK, shoppers could already hit up Dixons for their Chromebook fix. With Google's latest expansion, 116 Tesco stores are being added to the list of places you can buy a Chromebook. Unfortunately for the big spenders out there, the Chromebook Pixel is not yet available in the UK, so you're stuck with the more affordable and budget friendly Acer C7 and Samsung XE303.

The C7 is the slightly cheaper of the two and is priced at £200. It's based on a Celeron 847 and packs 2 GB of RAM, an 11.6-inch TFT display, two cameras (one in the front and one in the back), and, of course, Google's Chrome OS. The Samsung XE303 is slightly more expensive at £230 and packs an 11.-inch LED display, a 1.7 GHz Samsung Exynos chipset, 2 GB of RAM, and two cameras.

CNET tuned in to HP's Q2 FY13 earnings conference call with analysts on Wednesday and reports that company CEO Meg Whitman focused on Android products, and made no mention of Microsoft's touchy new Windows 8 platform. She did say, however, that the company is moving quickly to produce devices that customers want by using multiple operating systems, multiple architectures, and multiple form factors. Clearly the company is no longer a Windows-focused OEM.

"Following the launch of our first Chromebook in February, we launched the new Slate 7 in the second quarter. The slate marries a sleek 7 inch form factor with an ARM chip and an Android platform to deliver a compelling mobile device at $169. Earlier signs of interest are encouraging," Whitman said.

She also mentioned the SlateBook x2, launched last week, which is "the first Android hybrid device with the Nvidia Tegra 4 mobile processor."

Later on in the call, Whitman did talk about PCs, but added that Android is a very important part of the mix. "About PCs, listen, if we have the right product that's priced right, the channel still loves HP. And frankly, having Android products here helps a lot. The $169 Slate helps covers a segment of the market that we didn't have before," she said.

Back in January 2012, Whitman embraced Windows 8 with open arms, saying that she was a believer, that HP will need to stick with the new platform. But now sixteen months later, she's talking about multiple operating systems, the $339 Pavilion 14 Chromebook, the $169 Slate 7 Android tablet and other non-Windows devices. Is it because its PC sales have tanked 20-percent year over year?

In the second quarter of Fiscal 2013, notebooks comprised of 49 percent of the company's revenue, followed by desktops (41 percent), workstations (7 percent) and other devices (3 percent). Personal Systems revenue was $7.6 billion, down 20 percent year over year. Even more, notebooks revenue and units were down 24 percent year over year, desktops revenue and units were down 19 percent and 18 percent respectively, and its consumer-based revenue was down 29 percent (all year over year).

Whitman's lack of Windows 8 talk during the call may have nothing to do with the company's plans for the platform. Instead, she was likely acknowledging that customers are more interested in multiple platforms, especially where their wallet is concerned. Android will always be more appealing because it doesn't come with a licensing fee, and its dominating both the smartphone and tablet markets. To be more appealing to both consumers and ODMs, critics say that Windows 8 licensing will need drop even more.

Google's Chrome OS has only ever been on specially-designed laptops and Chromebox desktops. Any touchscreen device produced by Google has run the company's mobile operating system, Android. However, it seems Google may soon bring Chrome to touchscreen devices.

The Wall Street Journal cites sources that say Google has developed the first touchscreen laptops powered by its Chrome operating system. These machines will apparently go on sale later this year and, to a certain extent, would compete with Google's own Android operating system. Though Android has never officially been put on a laptop, there are tablets that transform into netbook-like devices with the help of keyboard docks.

Announced in the summer of 2009, Google's Chrome OS was officially launched in December 2010 in the form of the Cr-48, a reference hardware design that Google gave to testers and reviewers beginning. The first retail machines did not go on sale until May 2011. The Wall Street Journal didn't mention when these new touchscreen Chromebooks would go on sale, just that 'people familiar with the matter' said it would be this year.

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Google I/O announcements just keep rolling on. Google has already announced offline editing, and the availability of Chrome and Google Drive for iOS, and it seems the search giant is eager to give its Chromebook notebooks a new push into the consumer market. The company has announced that the Chromebook will be going on sale in Best Buys around the U.S.

Google's SVP of Chrome and Apps, Sundar Pichai, made the announcement yesterday, revealing that the company's web-based laptops would be available in 100 Best Buy stores starting immediately. Not to leave our friends across the pond out in the cold, Pichai confirmed that UK retailer Dixons would also be getting the Chromebook in store.

Today's announcement covers Samsung's Series 5 Chromebook. Both Best Buy and Dixons will also get Samsung's Series 3 Chromebox, which is the desktop version of the computer. This represents the first time Google's Chrome PCs have ever been available in retail stores. Up until now, the company has only sold the devices through online retail channels. Having a physical presence in stores around the country should help spread the word about Google's laptop efforts.

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Last week brought reports that Google may charge a monthly subscription fee for using Chrome OS, ranging between $10 to $20. Although unconfirmed, it's believed that the subscription may be the result of a subsidizing plan to make the laptops more affordable for consumers. The plan reportedly covers laptop upgrades and the replacement of faulty hardware.

But now details of Acer's Chrome OS ZGB laptop have surfaced. Originally called the ZGA, the company started and then canceled the project last year. Now it's been re-launched as the ZGB, appearing in Chrome OS bug reports as of March 10. Unfortunately, details surrounding the hardware are slim at best.

According to the last line of the bug report, the Acer ZGB laptop will feature a display resolution of 1366 x 768. There's also mention of a LVDS to HDMI encoder by Chrontel, indicating that the notebook will be based on Intel's Atom processor-- AMD's Fusion platform natively supports HDMI, and doesn't need an external encoder chip. LVDS is the signal understood by LCD panels in notebooks.

"The CH7036 is specifically designed for Consumer Electronics Devices and Personal Computers that require High Definition (HD) Content video playback on the external displays," the report reads. "This IC implements an advanced LVDS receiver, a powerful video encoder, a flexible scaling engine and easy-to-configure audio interfaces which can seamlessly convert the LVDS signal source into HDMI /DVI formats as well as the analog RGB legacy display."

Chrome OS notebooks are expected to arrive in the June/July 2011 window, and will be sold in the same manner as Google's Android-based devices. Given the software's web-based roots, the rumored subscription fee may be a requirement for using the notebook outside the home network. Additional details should be revealed in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

Will Google be charging a monthly fee for using Chrome OS notebooks? That's the latest rumor based on unnamed sources close to the project. The news follows reports that the release of Chrome OS-based notebooks was pushed back to Summer 2011 due to last-minute bug squashing and to improve "compatibility with devices such as digital cameras on Chrome OS."

According to sources, the Summer 2011 window has now been narrowed down to "June/July 2011." Google will reportedly sell these notebooks at a possible subsidized price, requiring consumers to front a large chunk of money, create a Gmail account, and then pay a monthly "subscription fee" for an undetermined length of time. It's not clear if this subscription model applies to mainstream Gmail.com users, or to Google Apps premier customers. There's also no indication that 3G connectivity will be part of the subscription package.

Chrome OS subscribers will reportedly shell out between $10 and $20 per month. As part of the deal, Google will be responsible for hardware refreshes as they're released-- an automatic hardware upgrade if you will. Faulty hardware will also be replaced for free as part of the subscription package. Additionally, consumers wishing to bypass the subscription fees can actually purchase the laptop outright for the full cost through OEMs.

Google is expected to distribute the Chrome OS laptops much like it does with Android-based devices-- they won't be sold directly from Google itself. For now, the search engine giant is remaining tight-lipped about a definitive release date. But if the subscription model is indeed valid, this will be an excellent way for consumers to get a laptop without having to shell out loads of cash at the register. The hardware insurance and upgrades alone may be worth the monthly $20 fee.

Asus is a pioneer of the low-cost, small notebook made for internet consumption. That was the original concept behind the Linux-based Eee PC, but soon that grew into something bigger when Windows XP invaded and owned the segment.

Now Google has something that could be a very good alternative to Linux in the form of Chrome OS. We put Google's own Cr-48 through its paces and we came away impressed with computing from the cloud.

Reports from Taiwan now point to Asus as working on a low-cost netbook that could float around the $200 to $250 range that will run a Google OS. Interestingly, the report says that it could be either Android 3.0 or Chrome OS.

The Chrome OS would make more sense for a notebook form factor, but with the growth expected for Android tablets this year, having a netbook with a full hardware keyboard running Honeycomb could be interesting.

If you're one of the thousands who signed up for Google's Chrome OS Cr-48 notebook Pilot Program and are still waiting for the device to show up on the front porch, give it up. According to a tweet provided by Google’s VP of Product Management Sundar Pichai, all units Google planned to send out for the program have been shipped.

"The Chrome operating system is a work in progress," Google said when it launched the program in December. "We’re looking for the right users to try it out and tell us how we can make it better. Each participant in the Pilot program will receive a Cr-48 Chrome notebook; in return, we'll expect you to use it regularly and send us detailed feedback."

Google also warned potential users that it's designed for people who "live on the web," and that it's not for the faint of heart, meaning that it's prone to locking up, crashing, and any other type of havoc unstable software can bring to a laptop.

Backing up the tweet, the Pilot Program website currently reads that Google is no longer accepting new applications. "If you want to be notified when Chrome notebooks go on sale and stay up to date on the latest Chrome notebook news, please fill out this form."

Pichai also revealed in his tweet that partner devices will be out on the market "mid-year," indicating that the device may arrive sometime during June or July 2011.

Additional reports indicate that the current notebook received a huge update that brought some "positive changes" to the new OS including a fix to the trackpad and sensitivity setting, power optimizations, a fix to the Wi-Fi connectivity and audio CPU utilization improvements.

Back in December, Pichai said that Acer and Samsung will be the first manufacturers to produce Chrome OS devices. These will likely be laptops if recent rumors prove true. However, we expect to hear more about the results of the Pilot Program and Google's plans for Chrome OS during the Google I/O event taking place in May.

Less than a week ago, Google took the wraps off of its Chrome OS, the search giant's take on the modern, lightweight operating system. Along with it, Google launched a pilot program by sending out specialized hardware loaded with Chrome OS.

We finally got our hands on Google's "reference design" Chrome OS Notebook called the Cr-48. To be clear, the Cr-48 isn't ever going to be a commercial product like the Nexus One (or S) is for Android, but rather the notebook pilot program is for Google to gather feedback data in preparation for when Chrome OS hits stores in 2011 with products from Acer, Samsung, and others.

Even though it isn't a commercial product, the lack of the usual commercial design thought in the Cr-48 is one of its most attractive traits. There's no logo on the back of the lid – or anywhere else on the notebook – making it a stark, bare and arguably quite beautiful. It shares a few of the design qualities of the black MacBook from years ago, minus the glowing Apple logo on the lid.

Going hands-on, the soft touch plastic feels great. It's the sort of rubbery-feeling coating that we've felt on ThinkPads, which are great in this day and age where everything gets either scratched easily or is a fingerprint magnet.

The keyboard is the island-chiclet design, but Google has made several changes. One notable change is the replacement of the Caps Lock key. Instead of TOGGLING LETTER CASE, the Caps Lock by default is mapped to Search. For those who want the old way back, a systems setting will allow the key to be mapped back to Caps Lock, or even changed to control or alt.

Borrowing another Apple design, the trackpad on the Cr-48 is one big clickable surface. Right clicking is accomplished by putting two fingers on the trackpad and then pressing down. There's basic multitouch that is only used for a two-finger scrolling gesture.

As far as inputs and outputs, on the right is the charging plug, headphone jack, a single USB port, and an SD card slot. On the left there's a lone VGA-out and a fan vent. There are speakers on both sides of the notebook, but covering them up with our hands didn't seem to do much to muffle the tinny sounds.

The Cr-48 is a 12-inch notebook that has a footprint of 9.8" by 6.1" and is 0.9" thick. It's fairly portable in its weight too at 3.8 lbs.

Even before powering up the notebook, we knew that there was an Intel processor inside the Cr-48, which was made clear thanks to the "If you cracked this open, you'd find Intel" card inside the box. We appreciate that it was a card, rather than a sticker on the palm rest.

The Intel CPU inside is the Atom N455, which is a single core solution, on Intel's CG82NM10 PCH. It's believed that the market versions from Acer and Samsung will use dual-core Atom N550. For memory and storage there's a 2GB stick of Hynix RAM inside, plus a 16GB SanDisk SSD. Its Verizon 3G chip is the Novatel Gobi2000 PCI Express Mini Card, the Wi-Fi is handled by the AzureWave Atheros 9280 802.11 a/b/g/n part, and there's also Bluetooth thanks to the Atheros AR5BBU12 with V2.1 EDR. [Corrected with new information.]

Stay tuned for more about the software and in-depth experiences with Chrome OS Notebook.

Google, with Chrome OS, plans to move into the operating system in a bigger way that its Android software is taking over smartphones not called the iPhone. Speaking at the Atmosphere Cloud Computing forum, company CEO Eric Schmidt admitted that Google is rewriting some of its software so that it'll work with Chrome OS – so that Google can sooner start using its own software and not rely on tools from Microsoft or Apple.

Google figures that any challenges the company must go through to switch software will be experienced by other businesses planning on doing the same. In short, Google is using itself as a test case.

"At Google we're getting ready to deploy these essentially Android and Chrome-based devices that are in development, so we want, of course, to eat our own dogfood which is how we sit here and build things. … We found applications that were part of our business; operations, sales, accounting so forth… even at Google we have this problem. I expect everyone faces this problem."

Schmidt also answered questions relating to how much a Chrome OS-packing netbook will cost.

"It will be up to the manufacturers who do it, but the price points you should think about are the current netbook pricings which are 300 dollar, 400 dollar price points. … Those prices are completely determined, by the way, by the costs of the glass, the costs of the processor and things like that, but in our case Chrome OS and Android are free so there is no software tax associated with all of this."

Read more from TechRadar.

We all know that Google's got big plans, and one of them could be invading the business OS space. While there's no question that business computing is Microsoft's domain, Google intends to attack on the netbook front rather than take on Windows XP or Windows 7 Professional.

Although Microsoft levers Windows' compatibility, Google hopes to entice businesses with Chrome OS's security features. Will Drewry, a Google software security engineer, said that all of Chrome OS products will ship with the Trusted Platform Module as well as a "trusted bootpath," according to Network World.

Drewry says that Chrome OS is a "hardened" operating system with auto-updating and sandbox features that are designed to protect the OS from being infiltrated by malware.

While Chrome OS is still slated to be a consumer product first when it ships later this year, it should surprise few if the Internet giant isn't eye big business.

IBTimes reports that specs of the rumored Google Chrome OS-based netbook were "leaked," revealing a device powered by Nvidia's Tegra and an ARM CPU. Naturally, nothing has been confirmed or denied. However, reports indicated that Google has approached several hardware manufacturers and released RFPs (request for proposal) based on these specs.

In addition to the ARM and Nvidia hardware, the Chrome netbook will also provide a few other surprising features including a 64 GB SSD, 2 GB RAM, and a 10.1-inch TFT HD-ready multi-touch display. Wifi and 3G are also slated for the device, along with Bluetooth, a webcam, Ethernet and USB ports, and more. The netbook will even come pre-installed with a few Google-specific apps such as Gmail, Google Maps, Google Search by Voice, and more.

Google's Chrome netbook is slated for a Q4 2010 release with a sub-$300 pricetag. While the price seems highly unlikely, it's speculated that Google may provide the netbooks to 3G providers as part of a service bundle (which seems more likely to offer the cheap price). Google is expected to sell the netbook straight to consumers as well, however it may be that the pricetag will be a bit steeper.

TechCrunch cites a Q&A during which Google said it was working with a whole bunch of manufacturers who were interested in the Chrome OS. Among them are Acer, Lenovo, HP and Qualcomm.

A direct quote for those interested:

"The Google Chrome OS team is currently working with a number of technology companies to design and build devices that deliver an extraordinary end user experience. Among others, these companies include Acer, Adobe, ASUS, Freescale, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, and Toshiba."

TC then cites multiple sources who claim the search giant has been talking to at least one hardware manufacturer about building a netbook for Google directly. Arrington writes, "As in Google gave the company a request for proposal with quite detailed technical specifications and has begun discussions on building it."

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Digitimes today cites industry sources who say Acer has been planning since the summer a netbook running Google's Chrome OS and plans to launch the mini notebook in the second half of 2010.

The report is one of the first to surface about a vendor's plans to produce a netbook running solely on Chrome OS. Digitimes goes on to say that Acer chairman JT Wang also expressed his confidence that the company will be the first vendor to launch Chrome-based netbook in the market during a recent interview with Digitimes.

Read the full report here.

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