Toshiba Ships 13.3-inch Chromebook

As promised in January during CES 2014, Toshiba has launched its very first Chromebook, costing either $279.99 or $299.99, depending on where you look. This Chrome OS laptop, which is the first in this category to provide a 13.3-inch screen, can now be purchased from Amazon, Adorama, or directly from Toshiba.

"We see great potential in Chrome OS as it offers both consumers and educators a simple and easy-to-use computing experience," said Carl Pinto, vice president of marketing, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division. "We believe that bringing a more versatile 13-inch model to market will help drive the entire category forward."

The specs reveal a 13.3-inch TrueBrite LED-lit display with a native 1366 x 768 resolution. This screen is backed by an Intel Celeron 2955U processor clocked at 1.4 GHz, 2 GB of DDR3-1600 RAM and a battery promising up to nine hours on a single charge. Storage is provided by a 16 GB SSD, a microSD card slot, and 100 GB of Google Drive storage free for two years.

Toshiba's new Chromebook also includes two USB 3.0 ports, a full-size HDMI port, a security lock slot, Wireless N and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, and a full-size Chrome optimized keyboard. The "Sunray Silver" Chrome OS laptop measures just 0.8 inches thin and weighs a very light 3.3 pounds.

As a comparison, over on Google Play the HP Chromebook 11 shares the same $279 USD price tag. The device sports an 11.6-inch 300 nit screen with 178 degree viewing angles, backed by a Samsung Exynos 5250 SoC, 2 GB of DDR3L memory, and a 30 Wh li-Polymer battery promising up to 6 hours on a single charge. Other features include 16 GB of internal storage, Wireless N and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, a VGA webcam and more.

For another comparison, HP also has the Chromebook 14, which costs $299. This Chrome OS laptop has a 14 inch BrightView screen with a 1366 x 768 resolution, an Intel Celeron 2955U "Haswell" processor, 2 GB or 4 GB of DDR3L memory, 32 GB of internal storage, Wireless N and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, and a 4-cell 51 Whr battery promising up to 9.5 hours on a single charge. This Chromebook also has an HP TrueVision HD webcam and an island-style Chrome OS keyboard.

For more information about Toshiba's Chromebook that's now available, head here.