There’s movement in Chromebooks today with Acer and Asus announcing new devices with the Acer Chromebook Spin 11 and the Asus Chromebook C213, both of which include support for Android Apps, USB-C and stylus support.
There’s been an increased focus on Chromebooks of late with the inclusion of Android Apps on all Chromebooks being released from now on. These two new devices are education focused and will include not only Google Play support, but also support USB-C and Stylus input.
The stylus support will take advantage of Apps including Google Keep which recently included handwriting recognition. According to Google:
Both Chromebooks come with an intelligent, affordable stylus for student note-taking and drawing. The low-cost pens resemble #2 pencils with a unique eraser for correcting mistakes and don’t need charging or pairing, so they can be shared and easily replaced if lost.
The hardwware spec list for the Asus Chromebook C213 hasn’t been announced, but the Acer Spin 11 will include an Intel Celeron processor with options for dual or quad-core support. Up to 8GB of RAM will be available as will an option for either 32GB or 64GB of on-board storage.
The Spin 11 will include two USB-C as well as two more traditional USB 3.0 ports and the on-board storage can be expanded using a microSD card reader. Educators will also be pleased with a reported 10-hour battery life.
In terms of form factor it appears that both devices will be 2-in-1 with a tablet mode that can allow students to point the camera at the real world – a feature requested by teachers.
Neither Asus or Acer have announced pricing or launch dates for the Chromebooks, but we’ve asked their Australian arms about the possibility of them launching here.
Update:
Asus Australia have advised that at this stage, the C213 has not been announced for launch in Australia. Asus has advised that they will let us know if there are any changes.
I’d love to see Chromebooks edge onto school book lists rather than laptops and iPads.
I REALLY hope some manufacturers and retailers actually bring some of these new Chromebooks into Australia. They’re surely much more compelling for consumers here now.