HP announces two new Chromebooks and the Chromebox G2 desktop

CES is almost upon us, but a few companies aren't waiting to make announcements. HP just unveiled two new Chromebooks, one 11-inch and one 13-inch, targeted towards the educational market. The company also announced the Chromebox G2, a successor to the 2014 HP Chromebox.

HP Chromebook 11 G6 EE

First up is the Chromebook 11 G6 EE, an 11-inch laptop designed for students. It's built using industrial co-molded rubber with reinforced corners, and HP says it can handle bumps and drops from 2.2 feet (0.7 meters) onto bare concrete. The keyboard is spill-persistent as well. Here are the full specifications:

The hardware varies greatly depending on what configuration you get, but the design is really the only interesting aspect of this machine (the world could always use more orange laptops). This seems to be a direct competitor to the ASUS Chromebook Flip C213NA, which is also a durable 11-inch Chromebook aimed at students.

HP says the Chromebook 11 G6 EE will be available in February, but pricing is unknown at this time. The laptop will be available in black or orange.

HP Chromebook 14 G5

As the name implies, this is the fifth generation of HP's 14-inch Chromebook. The silver and black design of the previous model has been replaced with matte black, and like the above 11 G6 EE, the keyboard is spill-resistant. The laptop also has a wide-angle webcam. Here are the full specifications:

I'm still amazed that HP is making 14-inch laptops with 1366x760 displays. Pricing information isn't available yet, but it will go on sale in February.

HP Chromebox G2

Possibly the most interesting announcement is the Chromebox G2, the sequel to HP's original Chromebox from 2014. It's an Apple TV-shaped device running Chrome OS, which you can use with the keyboard, mouse, and monitor of your choosing. Here are the specs:

The Chromebox G2 looks like a great desktop, especially with the higher-end config options. To my knowledge, this is also the first desktop Chrome OS machine to support Android apps. Google has yet to give Play Store access to other similar products, like the ASUS Chromebit and original Chromebox.

Again, no pricing information is available, but it will go on sale sometime in April.

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