Is Chrome OS the next Windows 8.1? Let's not get ahead of ourselves, but Google's Chromebooks have certainly inspired vendors with their low power, high impact approach to computing. Lenovo is next to jump in on the leisure Google laptop trend, but with a twist. This is the Lenovo N20p Chromebook, a multi-mode Chrome laptop with a 10-point, multi-touch display – the first of its kind, I reckon. Lenovo fans will immediately notice that this Chromebook is essentially a shrunken Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 14 with a new OS on top.
And Lenovo used that strategy to great effect, crafting one of the sharpest Chromebooks seen yet. However, talk about combining two of the most divisive technologies into a single machine, neither of which seem like much of a fit for Chrome OS. And to think that Lenovo brought even more primo hardware to Google's laptop spec. You might dig the stark angles and corners as much as I do
Only the coolest for Chrome
Many
of the components rattled off for the N20p could be copied and pasted
from an earlier Chromebook review. You have the 11.6-inch 1366 x 768
touchscreen, a quad-core Intel Celeron processor, 16GB of eMMC storage,
up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM and a 1MP webcam. This is all standard fare for
the Chrome OS notebook spec.
But Lenovo spared no expense
as far as connectivity is concerned. Not only did the company provide
the N20p with Bluetooth 4.0, but with 802.11ac Wi-Fi to match. That
could be a bigger deal than it sounds. Where
Acer looks to boost video conferencing and other more intense tasks
through the first Core i series-equipped Chromebook, Lenovo hopes to do
much of the same through the latest Wi-Fi standard. Honestly, both would
be nice, but since Chrome OS relies so deeply on an internet
connection, AC networking could give the N20p the edge it needs.
Touchy, yet flexible
And
if that doesn't do the trick, it looks like Lenovo in banking on the
N20p's touch control and stand mode grabbing your attention. Granted,
it's interesting to see folks trying new things with Chrome OS already –
this is as good a time for experimentation as any. Tent mode is more of an improvised mode, reallyBut
the prospect of touch control on Chrome OS is already dubious. Being a
largely browser-based operating system, Chrome isn't exactly tailored to
touch. And while the Flex-inspired stand mode will make for some nice
bedside Netflix viewing, I really doubt that it will make for much use
beyond that.
And the same goes for the improvised tent
mode. If there isn't much utility for these use modes on Windows 8,
which was developed with touch control and unique form factors in mind,
then what good will they do for Chromebooks? Perhaps it's a good thing
that the N20p has a touch-less cousin, known simply as the N20. While
I wasn't able to turn the device on at a preview event I attended, the
N20p keyboard appeared snappy enough with little flex. The clickpad
audibly clicked with a decent amount of force, a key sign of quality in
my book.
Early verdict
Don't get me wrong, the Lenovo N20p Chromebook is one of the most gorgeous Google-stamped laptops I've seen yet. Like the Dell Chromebook 11 before it and the Samsung Chromebook 2 to come, Lenovo has clearly applied its eye for style to the Chrome OS notebook. Plus,
with two USB ports (one 3.0), an HDMI port and an SD card reader, this
Chromebook is packing quite a lot for $329 (about £195, AU$354). On its
face, Lenovo just showed off the first multi-mode, touchscreen
Chromebook with 802.11ac networking and USB 3.0 – that alone is
impressive.
Here's to seeing whether it all holds up, and lives up to Lenovo's claim of 8 hours of battery life, in a full review.
