LG joins the Chrome OS party with 21" all-in-one Chromebase
LG is joining the small but growing list of companies offering Chrome OS devices. Rather than going with an inexpensive Chromebook laptop like most of its peers, however, the company is putting Google’s cloud-centric operating system into a 21.5-inch all-in-one computer it is calling the Chromebase.
The device will be shown off at CES 2014 but LG has already made some details available. In terms of specs you’ll find an unnamed Intel Celeron processor, 2GB of memory, and 16GB of solid state storage alongside the aforementioned 21.5-inch IPS display running at full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution. That’s more or less in line with the rest of the Chrome OS lineup -- a little short on RAM but perhaps LG will offer a step up version.
Elsewhere the LG Chromebase will have three USB ports, one of them USB 3.0, Ethernet, HDMI-in, a 1.3-megapixel webcam and microphone for video calls, two 5W speakers, mouse and keyboard. The inclusion of an HDMI input around the back suggests you’ll be able to use this as a monitor for another PC as well.
Although it’s interesting to see Chrome OS making its way onto new form factors it’s also hard to see this picking up much traction in the consumer market. That said, LG writes that it expects the Chromebase to be especially well received in schools, hotels, call centers, and other businesses settings. Pricing details are still unknown.
