Google during its I/O day two keynote confirmed the launch details of the very first Chrome OS notebooks. Acer and Samsung will both have models on sale June 15 through Amazon and Best Buy and are promising roughly the same level of performance. Since they both boot to a browser from SSDs, they have eight-second boot times, “all-day” batteries, and the option of prepaid 3G data.
The Acer notebook is the smallest of the two and packs an 11.6-inch display and a 6.5-hour battery. Samsung’s is larger at 12.1 inches and a longer eight-hour battery. 3G on either will be available from Verizon in the US and from other carriers internationally. All versions will also be jailbreak-friendly to let users modify the OS.
Companies will have the option of a subscription plan at $28 per person with ‘free’ hardware upgrades, a centralized management console on the web and warranty replacements. Schools and other institutions will pay $20 per person, Google explained.
Prices for regular users may prove problematic for Google, which is starting the systems higher than netbooks and close to the prices of tablets like the iPad as well as full-size notebooks. Acer’s system will cost $349 for a Wi-Fi only version and an unmentioned price for 3G. Samsung’s will start at $429 for Wi-Fi only and $499 for a 3G version.
