Google sure is slick with timed reactions! They’ve just debuted a Chrome OS tablet, the first of its kind: Acer Chromebook Tab 10. The device is priced at $329 and I mentioned Google being well timed because tomorrow Apple is speculated to unleash a new educational tablet. And what better weapon to fight it than a Chrome machine?
This newcomer, Acer Chromebook Tab 10 is basically a whole new form factor for Chrome OS, meant for the K-12 market. Chrome OS has been continuously expanding hardware formats ever since its debut in 2011. It has reached beyond laptops with Chromeboxes and all in on devices. Convertibles with touchscreen have also popped up, but this is a whole new beast. We’re talking about a real dedicated tablet this time around.
It runs the full Chrome OS already found on laptops and convertibles, with a dock at the bottom, which features touch tools for creating notes, taking screenshots and magnifying items. Just like the other Chrome machines, this one comes with Play Store and Android app support. There’s also Google Expeditions AR software on board, with lessons on biology, geography and astronomy. This feature will be coming soon.
The new device looks much like the already existing Android slates, with pretty thick bezels and the iPad-standardized 9.7 inch format. There’s a LED backlit screen here, with a 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution and an IPS panel. It has Wacom EMR stylus support and it doesn’t need a battery to make it work. Plus it can be seamlessly inserted into the tablet for storage. The device is pretty heavy, at 1.21 pounds, heavier and thicker than the iPad entry level unit from last year (9.98 mm).
Available with a textured back, the machine comes in cobalt blue and has a hexa core processor inside, 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage, plus microSD and 2×2 MIMO WiFi ac. There’s also Bluetooth 4.1, a 2 MP front camera and 5 MP back shooter. An USB Type-C port rounds up the list, together with dual speakers. The battery life is rated at 9 hours. The device launches in April in North America, priced at $329 and in EMEA it’ll cost 329 euros.
Your move, Apple!
