Demonstrating the new Pixel, Chrome head Sundar Pichai said Google's aim had been to make a device to satisfy developers and early adopters."This is about power users. Some of them buy Mac, some buy Windows 8. We wanted to make sure Chrome OS is in that segment," said Pichai. The high resolution touchscreen is designed to help developers build apps and services that work with ease across multiple devices. "This is the future – high resolution and touchscreen, and we're behind in the laptop world," he said. "We want to push the ecosystem and web development forward, so this can be thought of as a reference device, in the same way as the Nexus, that will inspire a whole new generation of devices."
Lets go through the main attractions of Chromebook Pixel:
Screen
The main key factor of Chromebook Pixel is its high definition screen. As the name indicates, the device has a pretty high pixel density of 12.85-inch screen and 239 pixels per inch. This is more than Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display, which has a pixel density of 227 ppi. The screen has the usual aspect ratio of 3:2. Google explains it as most of the content on the web is still horizontal, it has decided to go on with the usual ratio of 3:2 other than 16:10 ratio.
The screen is touch and swipe enabled. That means you can just swipe through the applications. The screen has Gorilla Glass-covering with a 12.85-inch, 2560×1700 touchscreen panel.
Design
Google has commented that the body of the Pixel is made from an anodized aluminium alloy. The design ensures a smooth and durable surface. It has got its vents and screws covered or rather made almost invisible and the stereo speakers are tucked away beneath the backlit keyboard. The touchpad itself is made from etched glass, analysed and honed using a laser microscope to ensure precise navigation. The dimensions for this Chromebook Pixel are 297.7×224.6×16.2 mm and it weighs 1.52 kg.
Other Features
The device features a 1.8 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, and 1 terabyte of free storage on Google Drive for three years. The device has 4 GB DDR3 RAM and a 32 GB solid state drive. There will be 64 GB for the version that supports mobile communication.
The Chromebook Pixel has a 720p webcam, and three microphones designed to cancel out surrounding noise. Other than Wi-Fi and LTE support, the device comes with Bluetooth 3.0, 2 USB 2.0 ports, a mini-display port, and a 2-in-1 card reader that supports SD and Multimedia cards. Google is tying up with Verizon for 4G LTE network in the US. The Operating System of Chromebook is Chrome OS, with apps like Google Search, Gmail, YouTube, Maps and Google+.
Definitely the Chromebook Pixel has as costly specs as matching with its high end price tag. The Wi-Fi model will be starting its shipping in the next week, whereas the LTE model will take more time. It will be shipped only by April, according to the company.
