14 DAY TRIAL // As promised, Google has started selling Chromebooks, the small laptops designed to run its Chrome OS. A couple of models, from Samsung and Acer, are now available online in several countries. What's more, Google is also launching the enterprise and educational program, which enables companies and schools to rent Chromebooks for a fixed monthly fee.
"Chromebooks were built and optimized for the web to give you a faster, simpler and more secure experience without the headaches of traditional computers. In the U.S., you can now order a Chromebook from Amazon and BestBuy.com. In other launch countries, visit google.com/chromebook to find a local retailer," Felix Lin, Director of Product Management at Google, announced.
Chromebooks had already started being made available online, as a pre-order, but now anyone can purchase a Chrome OS-powered notebook and have it delivered at their door soon enough.
Google Chrome OS holds a lot of promise, but it's still too early to know how the market will evolve and the devices are better suited for early adopters and mostly for more tech savvy people.
For enterprises and schools though, Chromebooks are a very interesting proposition even now. For a monthly flat rate fee, they get a reasonably powerful and portable device, with eight hours of battery life for the Samsung model, and no need to worry about software patches, antivirus licenses and updates, stolen devices and so on.
The hardware, software, cloud backup and support services are all included in the same price, starting at $28 per month for companies and $20 per month for schools. You'll have to contact the Google sales team if you want in though.
"We’re officially open for business. For businesses and schools, we’re offering a subscription that includes the Chromebook, a web-based management console and 24/7 support from Google starting at $28 per month/user for businesses and $20 per month/student for schools," Google announced on its enterprise blog.