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Tech Report: Google And Samsung's New Chrome Book

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— Google and Samsung are teaming up on a fairly inexpensive cloud-based PC and laptop that would use Chrome as its browser-based operating system.

A browser-based operating system is increasingly familiar. Even though people using PC's and Macs are using a different operating system, they're spending more and more time in the browser.

The browser is becoming much more of a platform with apps that run within them. Google Docs is the perfect example of such an instance.

But the disadvantage is that you don't get the full-fledged flexibility you get with a PC-based operating system which can run thousands of software programs.

So you give up some flexibility for some simplicity and you'll be less likely to crash because it's a less power-hungry device.

KCBS Tech Report:

The pricing is between $330 and $450. Not that long ago that would have been enough to get people out to buy something like this, but the prices are so cheap for XP netbooks and some tablets that they may not go for this.

For people that do mostly web-based things and still do some things offline, it's going to have some appeal as a niche product.

Google already has Android tablets, but are now talking about Chrome tablets as well, which is a bit confusing. I wonder myself is it wise for Google to have two separate operating systems.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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