Laptops running Google's Chrome OS are gaining ground as the company widens access to the Play Store, making them suitable for a growing number of tasks. The browser-based OS is now spreading from its current home on laptops and small-form-factor desktop machines to tablets, and Acer's Chromebook Tab 10 is the first slate running Google's "other" OS.
The Chromebook Tab 10 has a large 9.7" IPS display panel with a resolution of 2048×1536. The screen accepts input through touch or the included Wacom EMR pen. Acer's Chromebook Tab 10 preview page is light on hardware specs, but Jacob Kastrenakes at The Verge says the machine has the same Rockchip OP1 ARM SoC found in some Samsung Chromebooks, along with 4 GB of memory and 32 GB of onboard storage. Users can store additional data on a microSD card. We can see that the Chromebook Tab has front- and rear-facing cameras, but Acer didn't provide any specs for the pair of peepers.
Google's Chrome OS isn't known for its enormous collection of applications, but the Chromebook Tab 10 has support for the Google Play Store. The OS has made inroads in the education sector due to low hardware prices and the ability to streamline management of tens or hundreds of devices through a web-based console. We imagine the management tools were the main reason Chrome OS was chosen over the search giant's more popular Android.
The company says the the Chromebook Tab 10 will last for 10 hours on a single battery charge, though there's no word on the juice pack's capacity. The charge can be replenished using a USB-C cable.
The Verge goes on to say the Chromebook Tab 10 will go on sale in April for $329, the same price as the current bottom-rung iPad. Analysts expect Apple to unveil an iPad for $259 tomorrow, though it could lack the Tab's included stylus. Apple's current stylus pens must be charged independently, while the Tab's Wacom-based unit doesn't have a battery.
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