Google Releases New Chrome-Related Devices

Chromebit is one of several new devices to join the Google line of products that operate on Chrome, the tech giant’s operating system. All in all, there are four new Chromebooks available if you count Chromebit, but we’ll get to that in a minute.

First of all, let’s look at the new full-metal Chromebook from Asus. The Flip weighs less than two pounds and is less than 0.6 inches thick, which makes it one of the most portable laptops available on the market today. Flipping the keyboard around allows the user to turn their Chromebook into a tablet with a full onscreen keyboard.

Hisense and Haier, on the other, have produced two of the most economical of all the current Chromebooks, and that is saying something considering the shockingly low price tags on these devices. They are both 11.6 inch devices and have tremendous battery life at 10 hours each. They are inexpensive models that you can grab for about 9 a piece at Walmart, making them a great tool for an on-the-go student or business person who does not need the extra computing power and accessibility of the Flip.

Now let’s get back to the Chromebit, perhaps the most exciting of Google’s new releases. This is basically a Chromebased computing system on a stick that is not much bigger than a flash drive (think small candy bar size). You simply plug it into the HDMI port of a TV or monitor and blammo! You’ve turned it into a Chromebook. Initial reports from Google are that you will be paying less than 0 for the device.

Obviously the effectiveness of the Chromebit will depend on the features of the screen it is plugged into. A touchscreen device or one that can also be hooked to a mouse or keyboard will be optimal. In lieu of those options, it will still give a standard TV Internet accessibility and access to the limited number of Chrome apps on the market.