Sorry Microsoft, But Even HP is Interested in Chromebooks

You're not supposed to know this yet, but Hewlett-Packard is planning to launch a Chromebook model under its Pavilion brand. We wouldn't have known it either, had it not been for a short-lived document that inadvertently went live on HP's website. HP has since pulled it offline, but in the age of the Internet, once you put something out there, it's out there for good.

So, what do we know about HP's Pavilion Chromebook? For starters, it will be a 14-inch model, the first of its kind, according to HP, which advertises "full-size comfort without giving up full-on mobility." The world's first full-size Chromebook -- Pavilion Chromebook 14-c010us PC -- will sport an Intel Celeron 847 dual-core processor clocked at 1.1GHz. It's a 32nm chip with 2MB of L3 cache and Sandy Bridge DNA.


Other notable features include:

• 2GB DDR3 RAM
• 16GB solid state drive
• 10/100 LAN; 2x2 802.11n Wi-Fi; Bluetooth
• Altec Lansing dual speakers
• 3 x USB 2.0; HDMI; headphone/mic
• Multi-format card reader

HP's Pavilion Chromebook measures 0.81-0.83 inches (H) by 13.66 inches (W) by 9.37 inches (D) and weighs 3.96 pounds, putting it in Ultrabook territory. It totes a 4-cell battery that's good for up to 4 hours and 15 minutes, which isn't Ultrabook territory.

It's pretty interesting that HP is looking at Google's Chrome OS for an ultra-thin notebook. That doesn't mean HP has lost confidence in Microsoft or its Windows 8 platform, but clearly HP isn't willing to put all its eggs in one basket. With the recent price points introduced by Samsung ($249) and Acer ($199), perhaps the Chromebook category is emerging as the modern-day netbook,