There's a new Chromebook in town from Acer this week with the Acer Chromebook Spin 514. This device is the first Acer Chromebook with a new AMD Ryzen 3000 C-Series mobile processor inside and AMD Radeon graphics. The Enterprise version of the Chromebook Spin 514 includes a full-sized HDMI port and the full collection of Chrome OS "built-in business capabilities" like zero-touch enrollment.
Samsung is adding to its Chrome OS range, with a new notebook, the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2, joining the line-up as a more affordable option. Adding to, rather than replacing, the existing high-end Galaxy Chromebook launched last year, this second model trims the starting price to under $700 but introduces features like a QLED display for the first time.
Chromebooks, just like their Windows laptop counterparts, come in all sizes and prices. Google's Chrome OS platform, however, has traditionally been pushed to more "economical" devices aimed at academic institutions and workplaces. From time to time, there do come premium models, like Samsung Galaxy Chromebook that may have ended up being too premium for its own good. A sequel has been rumored to be on its way and, if the rumors are correct, it could be a better deal except in one particular aspect.
As a company deeply rooted in the Internet and Internet advertising, it isn't that surprising that Google is heavily pushing web apps, specifically Progressive Web Apps or PWAs. Even on Android where it has native mobile apps, it is still advocating for Web-based experiences that are almost as good as native. There are, however, still some things that PWAs can't do that are almost all too easy for Android apps but Google is slowly but surely bridging that divide, especially when it comes to PWAs running on Chromebooks.
2020 will definitely be remembered for the drastic, sometimes very negative, changes that happened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has affected all quarters and industries around the world, though not all in the same way. The PC market, for example, has found a bit of reprieve after years of slumping sales and profits. But while PC shipments have gone up, not all categories enjoy that same growth and the computers normally associated with the term "PC" are actually still in the red, perhaps even more than before.
Like it or not, and some definitely don't, Qualcomm's Snapdragons are pretty much the king of smartphone processors, especially more premium ones. MediaTek has traditionally been the choice for mid-tier to entry-level devices but Qualcomm has started to invade its turf, especially with mid-range 5G chips. MediaTek's strategy to fight back has been to flood the market with a confusing number of choices, including its latest MediaTek 700 aimed at giving mass-market phones some 5G capabilities.
There is one thing that has remained unchanged in computing over the decades and that is the venerable keyboard. While there have indeed been advancements in technologies, the layout of keyboards has mostly remained the same since the earliest days when they grew out of the typewriter. That also means that many of the conventions still used in keyboards today might already be outdated. The Caps Lock key and Google is continuing its tradition of changing that key's function and name, now known simply as the Everything Button.
Acer revealed new TravelMate laptops, a Chrome Spin, and a Chromebox machine all ready to roll for business in 2020. Three new TravelMate notebooks were revealed with with 11th Gen Intel Core processors, 4G LTE, and MIL-STD 810G military durability standards made with "commercial users" in mind. The Chromebook Spin 513 and the Chromebox CXI4 were revealed with both standard and Enterprise editions.
Parallels is bringing Windows apps to Chromebooks with its new Parallels Desktop product. The Chromebook Enterprise software enables Chromebook enterprise customers to run Windows apps directly on the Chrome OS machines, bringing software like Microsoft Office and other software that businesses often rely on. Among other things, the Windows apps and Chrome OS apps can be run at the same time.
A lot of modern technologies are designed for the vast majority of people with more or less capable vision and motor skills. Smartphones, for example, presume everyone has agile and accurate fingers, not to mention good if not excellent eyesight. Even laptops with larger screens take for granted that not everyone sees the same way. To make its web-centric platform more inclusive, Google is pouring some attention on accessibility features for Chrome OS that specifically target those who aren't able to see well.
Lenovo has introduced a new enterprise-tier Chromebook that packs a familiar ThinkPad design, but with one obvious exception: it features a striking Abyss Blue color instead of the typical black shade we've come to expect from the ThinkPad line. The new ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook packs the design of a ThinkPad, the flexibility of a Yoga laptop, and the lightweight Chrome OS alongside features tailored specifically for enterprise customers.
AMD today announced a collection of Zen-based mobile processors destined for Chromebooks. The new batch of processors includes three Ryzen CPUs and two Athlon CPUs that seem to cover the mid and high-range pretty well. AMD promises some big improvements over previous generation AMD-based Chromebooks, and we should start seeing Chromebooks featuring these new processors launching by the end of the year.