Google Unveils Chromebooks At $149 To Take On Microsoft Surface

(RTTNews) - Internet search giant Google (GOOG, GOOGL) on Tuesday launched its least expensive Chromebooks yet at $149 to take on Microsoft's (MSFT) Surface tablet in the niche school market for teachers and students as well as emerging markets such as China and India. Chromebooks were the best selling laptops on Amazon last holiday season.

The two versions of Chromebooks, Haier Chromebook 11 available at Amazon, and the Hisense Chromebook available at Walmart, are fast, lightweight, have long-life batteries and are available for pre-order today for $149. Haier and Hisense are companies that are hugely successful electronics makers in their home market of China.

According to a post on the official Chrome Blog Tuesday, these new Chromebooks, available for pre-order Tuesday and set to ship in April, run on quad-core ARM processors from Chinese semiconductor company Rockchip, with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of local storage. Both devices will have one HDMI port, two USB 2.0 ports, and a MicroSD card slot, with 11.6-inch, 1,366×768 pixel displays.

Chromebooks are laptops or flipbooks that use Web-based applications and do not have hard drives. It has a completely Internet driven operating system, which uses Google services. These devices are manufactured by Chrome partners such as Acer, AOPEN, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, LG, TRUE, XOLO and Nexian.

Chromebooks, running on the Google Chrome OS, were first introduced to the world in a 2011 Google I/O conference by Samsung and Acer, but have so far failed to arouse interest in business customers, and instead found their way into schools, which continue to be the largest market for the devices.

The Mountain View, California-based company also said ASUS will launch a new type of Chrome device called the Chromebit. The computer device, running full Chrome OS, will be smaller than a candy bar that will be available for less than $100. By simply plugging this device into any display such as a TV or computer monitor's HDMI port, you can turn it into a computer.

ASUS has also launched a Chromebook Flip, a premium, all-metal convertible, ultra-portable which is ust 15mm thin and weighing less than two pounds. It will be available later this spring for $249.

"Get more done and worry less." That's what teachers, businesses, and everyday people have told us they can do, thanks to Chromebooks. Since we introduced them four years ago, Chromebooks have made computers faster, simpler, and more secure, while eliminating everyday hassles like waiting for your computer to boot up, having to constantly charge it, and remembering to install software updates," Google stated in the blog post.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is also priming to take a shot at Chromebooks and is said to be working on a range of affordable laptops, which will sell at $149 to 179 and will run on its newest Windows 10 operating system. These laptops will reportedly be clamshell type notebooks, set to be launched in mid-2015.

Earlier in the day, Microsoft unveiled Surface 3, the thinnest, lightest and a more affordable version of its tablet, which is ideal for students, schools and businesses. Starting at just $499, Surface 3 is available for pre-order starting Tuesday and will go on sale in stores starting May 5. However, it is still priced higher to be of any competition to the newly launched low-priced Chromebooks.