Google-Intel Chrome OS event

In San Francisco, Google and Intel kick off a special event for Chrome OS, which I assert is come of age with the matchup. Ahead of the 1 pm Eastern start time, Lenovo announced new Chromebooks and Google unveiled "Classroom", preview of a new education app.

Unquestionably, Chrome OS-devices are primed for the education market, and many of the newest Chromebooks are directly marketed for schools, students, or teachers. Dell jumped ahead of today's event touting Chromebook 11 adoption in schools.

The Event

1:59 pm -- I know lots of people pined for Chromebook Pixel 2 announcement. It's not here, and I don't expect there ever to be one.

1:55 pm -- The live stream ends. There is no real news here, just blah, blah, blah talk about things shipping in the future but largely not available now. No question, Google and Intel on the same stage thumping Chrome OS devices should scare the crap out of Apple and Microsoft, however.

1:54 pm -- For the second time, Sengupta dodges a question about Chrome OS tablets. He basically says that the company will "innovate" based customer response. In plain English: A tablet isn't in the near future, if ever.

1:51 pm -- The Lenovo exec answers the Pixel Q by touting the ThinkPad for education. She boasts about durability and higher pricing but misses the point of the questioner.

1:49 pm -- Question about when systems will look more like Pixel and less like Cr-48. The non-answer response is worthless.

1:45 pm -- Question about screen sizes and resolution. Lenovo exec claims HD screens (cough, cough).

1:43 pm -- Q&A starts. First question is about Chrome devices being much the same. Sengupta sees "people getting a lot more choice" and software as differentiator.

1: 41 pm -- OEM execs take the stage. Yawn.

1:39 pm -- "A lot of new news" is Shenoy's claim. A lot of new PR for things coming but not immediately available, I say.

1:36 pm -- Shenoy announces Intel's first conflict-free processors. "Every device we showed you today".

1:34 pm -- "We are absolutely thrilled with the momentum around Chrome", Shenoy says. Number of designs will increase from four in 2013 to 20 this year.

1:32 pm -- First Bay Trail Chrome devices will be fanless, 15 percent lighter, and have Wi-Fi AC.

1:31 pm -- Lenovo Yoga Chromebook will be Bay Trail. Shenoy shows off Intel reference design for education Chromebooks. CTL will bring it to market first.

1:30 pm -- Video of Dell Chromebooks in Philadelphia school.

1:28 pm -- Shenoy shows off Bay Trail-based systems from ASUS, Acer, Lenovo, and Toshiba.

1:26 pm -- "We're taking things to the next level", with Core i3 models; the newer Acer (for $349) and another from Dell, Shenoy says.

1:24 pm -- Demo time: Intel versus a non-Intel system. It's the older ARM-based Samsung -- not exactly a fair comparison.

1:23 pm -- Intel is second to Google, in terms of Chrome OS development.

1:22 pm -- Shenoy also announces LG Chromebase, for $349. It's an all-in-one computer, available this month.

1:21 pm -- He announces HP Chromebox, available in June, running Haswell, in various colors.

1:20 pm -- Shenoy shows off existing Chromebooks.

1:18 pm -- The Intel exec is back.

1:17 pm -- Google Play movie app will offer offline viewing -- coming in a few weeks.

1:16 pm -- "Chromebooks keep getting better over time" -- updates every six week, the Google exec says.

1:15 pm -- Chrome devices are available in 20 countries. Nine more will come this year.

1:15 pm -- Businesses use Chromebooks "to get off their XP systems", Sengupta says.

1:14 pm -- Since September the number of schools using Chromebooks doubled to 10,000.

1:13 pm -- "The top-rated six laptops at Amazon are all Chromebooks", Sengupta says. He touts the $199 Acer C720 as the retailer's top-rated laptop.

1:11 pm -- "Seven of the 10 best-selling laptops are Chromebooks" at Amazon, Sengupta says.

1:10 pm -- Google's Caesar Sengupta is on stage. "Chromebooks are easy to use, and they are built around the cloud". He touts flexibility of moving among devices.

1:09 pm -- Shenoy: "We have been involved with Google from Day One" on Chrome OS.

1:07 pm -- Intel's Navin Shenoy is on stage. "We will embrace multiple operating systems".

1:06 pm -- We're underway.

Chromebooks Aplenty

Major manufacturers -- many of them long-time Windows loyalists -- break rank and offer Chromebooks. Among the new and available models announced before today's event:

Acer C720/C720P: 1.4GHz Intel Celeron 2955U Haswell processor; 11.6-inch display with 1366 by 768 resolution, 200-nit brightness; touchscreen (P model only); 2GB or 4GB memory; 16GB or 32GB SSD; webcam; SD card slot; one each USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports; HDMI port; Bluetooth 4; WiFi A/N; and Chrome OS. Weighs 2.8 pounds. Price: $199,or $329, depending on RAM, storage, and screen.

Last week, Acer announced new C720 with Core i3 processor but not full configuration, pricing, or availability. Intel says summer for $349.

ASUS C200: 2.42GHz Intel Bay Trail N2830 processor; 11.6-inch display with 1366 by 768 resolution; 2GB RAM; 16GB SSD; webcam; SD card slot; one each USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports; HDMI port; Bluetooth 4; WiFi AC; and Chrome OS. Weighs 2.5 pounds. Price: $249 (tentative), available in June.

ASUS C300: 2.42GHz Intel Bay Trail N2830 processor; 13.3-inch display with 1366 by 768 resolution; 4GB RAM; 32GB SSD; webcam; SD card slot; one each USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports; HDMI port; Bluetooth 4; WiFi AC; and Chrome OS. Weighs 3.1 pounds. Price not announced, available in June.

Dell Chromebook 11: 1.4GHz Intel Celeron 2955U Haswell processor; 11.6-inch display with 1366 by 768 resolution, 200-nit brightness; 2GB or 4GB RAM; 16GB SSD; webcam; SD card slot; one USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports; HDMI port; Bluetooth 4; WiFi A/N; and Chrome OS. Weighs 2.9 pounds. Price: $279 (2GB); $299 (4GB).

HP Chromebook 11: 1.7GHz 5250 dual-core processor (ARM); 11.6-inch display, 1366 by 768 resolution, 300-nit brightness; 2GB RAM; 16GB SSD; webcam; two USB 2.0 ports; WiFi A/N; Bluetooth 4.0; Chrome OS. Weighs 2.3 pounds (1.04 kg) and is 0.7 inches thick. Price: $279.

HP Chromebook 14: 1.4GHz Intel Celeron 2955U Haswell processor; 14-inch display, 1366 by 768 resolution, 200-nit brightness; 4GB RAM; 16GB SSD; SD card slot; webcam; one USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports; HDMI port; WiFi A/N; Bluetooth 4.0; Chrome OS. Weighs 4.08 pounds. Price: $299.99; $349.99 with LTE.

Lenovo N20/N20p: Intel Celeron processor; 11.6-inch display, 1366 by 768 resolution; touchscreen (P model only); 4GB RAM; 16GB SSD; webcam; SD card slot; two USB ports; HDMI port; Wi-Fi AC; Bluetooth 4.0; Chrome OS. Weighs 2.8 pounds (N20); 3.1 pounds (N20p). Price: $279 (N20) and $329 (N29P), available in July and August, respectively.

Samsung Chromebook 2: 1.9GHz Samsung Exynos 5 Octa 5420 (ARM) processor; 11.6-inch display; 1366 by 768 resolution, 250-nit brightness; 4GB RAM; 16GB SSD; SD card slot; Google Hangout-certified webcam; one each USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports; HDMI port; WiFi AC; Bluetooth 4.0; Chrome OS. Weighs 2.65 pounds. Price $319.99, available this month.

Samsung Chromebook 2: 2GHz Samsung Exynos 5 Octa 5800 (ARM) processor; 13.3-inch display; 1920 by 1080 resolution, 250-nit brightness; 4GB RAM; 16GB SSD; SD card slot; Google Hangout-certified webcam; one each USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports; HDMI port; WiFi AC; Bluetooth 4.0; Chrome OS. Weighs 3 pounds. Price $399.99, available for preorder.

Photo Credit: Federico Rostagno/Shutterstock (top)