Dell has announced a new Chromebook today aimed squarely at the education sector of the operating system with the new Chromebook 11. I know, not that original of a name. As the name would suggest, it carries a 11-inch screen with a resolution of 1366 x 768. Under the hood we find the usual suspects with an Intel Bay-Trail-M Celeron processor clocked at 2.16GHz, offers 2 or 4 GB of RAM and comes with the more common 16GB of flash storage. The 2GB RAM model is coming in at $249 where the 4GB RAM model is set for $299.
There is one more model option available as well. It packs all the same goods above with 4GB of RAM, but also offers a touch screen. That model is set for $329.
According to 9to5Google, Dell put in some extra efforts with front facing speakers versus the more normal under the keyboard type of speaker configurations. They also were keen to make sure the keyboard and touchpad were spill resistant. That sure would have come in handy with my daughters Chromebook which recently took a cool down from a glass of water. Apparently Dell did some studis with students and discovered that they are most likely to grab their Chromebooks by the top part, the screen, to pick it up or move it instead of picking it up from under the keyboard. That puts all the hardware weight on the devices hinges. To combat this Dell gave the Chromebook 11 a 180 degree hinge that lets the Chromebook lay flat. Not quite as useful as the Lenovo Yoga line, but it certainly improves on the previous Dell Chromebook line.
There is one more addition that Dell inclided to the Chromebook 11 that is rather unique and could be handy during class/ They call it an LED “Activity Light” that is located on the back. The light can display any one of seven colors. It has the potential, depending on how it actually is accessed, to be used for silent multiple choice answers, alerting the teach that they need help or sending secret messages across the classroom for test answers. The last one is just my mind running a tangent, but I am sure someone somewhere will use it for cheating.
Dell says the Chromebook business is booming, and they seemed genuinely surprised about that fact too. “In Chromebook sales, we shipped something like 3 times more than projected,â€Â the company said. The new Dell Chromebook 11’s are all up for sale beginning today in black and blue. I found them on Dells website with various pricing options that are similar and even lower than the announced price tags. Check them out if you are a student or if you are a parent looking to keep your child connected and learning in class.
Source: Dell via 9to5Google
