Google announces $249 Samsung Chromebook, available starting next week

Google has just announced that is releasing a brand new Chromebook next week hoping for viability in the laptop marketplace. Sundar Pinchai, SVP of Chrome and Apps, said that this new device will be available for $249 with orders beginning to take place next week. Additionally, the company will be opening up special kiosks in 500 of the most heavily trafficked Best Buy stores so consumers can actively experience the computer.

The new Samsung Chromebook is the search engine giant’s latest attempt to put together a laptop that will be used by family, schools, and those in business and offer something more cost-friendly and help foster Google’s idea of moving people to the Cloud. It will come equipped with an 11.6″ screen, 2 GB of RAM, weigh 2.5 pounds, have a battery life of 6.5 hours, run video at 1080p at 30 frames per second, bluetooth-enabled, be completely silent, and is being called “light and portable”. The device also has 16 GB of a solid-state flash drive and comes with 100 GB of space on Google Drive (for the first two years).

While most other Chromebooks may have 3G or 4G connectivity, the Samsung Chromebook will not have any data plan accompanying it. Instead, it will only be wi-fi enabled, which probably reinforces Google’s belief that this computer would be the one that you “leave on the kitchen counter or give one to your mom or dad” — it’s basically an alternate laptop.

Consumers will be able to easily use all their favorite Google apps seamlessly through this device. Pinchai says that Google worked hard to make sure that everything that you need was all one-click away. Whether you need Gmail, Google Drive, Play, Google+ Hangouts, etc., it’s available to you. And it’s also tied into other Android devices as the company demonstrated at today’s announcement:

If you are looking for pizza restaurants in San Francisco, you might pull up directions on Google Maps. Once you’ve found where you want to go, an automatic notification will go straight to your Android phone without you needing to do anything.

Another example is if you’re flying and you need to print out your boarding pass, you can “print it” via the Chromebook and it will print it to your Android phone.

The new Samsung Chromebook easily allows you to sign into all your Google services seamlessly — once you’ve logged into your laptop, there’s nothing else that you need to do.

Google is releasing its new device next week and it will be available both online and offline. In a first for the company, it is launching Chromebooks in 500 of the most trafficked Best Buy locations around the United States and will be training all its specialists to help consumers with their Chrome experience. You can also purchase the device online on Amazon and additional retailers. Lastly, Google will be making its Chrome or available for purchase through its Google Play store.

Pre-ordering is expected to begin today, but you can purchase one of these $249 laptops in a retail store near you starting on Monday.

Image credit: Adam Berry/Getty Images