HP debuts new Education Edition Chromebooks designed for classroom durability
HP on Tuesday announced new Chromebooks for the education market designed to be more powerful and durable for students and teachers.
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The HP Chromebook 11 G8 EE, HP Chromebook 11A G8 EE, HP Chromebook 11 x360 G3 EE and HP Chromebook 14 G6 are meant to withstand the rigors of a school environment, including falls from a desk, spills on the keyboard and strains on the power cord. Meanwhile, hardware and software advancements aim to support productivity, student-teacher collaboration and cloud-based mobile learning apps.
HP said the new Education Edition Chromebooks are the first in the Chromebook line to come with full-skirted anchored keys, delivering a new tier of durability for classroom devices. Keyboards on the HP Chromebook 11 G8 EE and the HP Chromebook 11A G8 EE can resist spills of up to 12 oz of water, and can be repeatedly wiped with common household cleaning wipes for easier cleaning. Both devices survived a 76 cm drop test on concrete and 122 cm drop test on wood, as part of HP's testing processes.
Hardware-wise, the HP Chromebook 11 G8 EE and the HP Chromebook 11A G8 EE come with either Intel or AMD processors as well as HP's Extended Range Wireless LAN for improved connectivity. The Chromebook 11 G8 EE is available now starting at $259 while the 11A G8 EE is expected to become available in February.
The Chromebook 11 x360 G3 EE features the latest Intel Celeron processors and a Corning Gorilla Glass scratch resistant touchscreen. The convertible device has duel cameras and a 360° hinge for use in tent mode, stand mode, clamshell mode or tablet mode. The device is available now starting at $299.
The Chromebook 14 G6 is HP's redesigned large-screen Chromebook. New features include improved battery life, faster charging, faster data transfer with WLAN and Extended Wide Range Antenna design, and Intel Celeron processors. The 14 G6 is available now starting at $289.
"All of these products are enhanced with learning and creating solutions and really built to withstand the tough handling wherever learning happens," said Blanca Avery, global education solutions manager for HP, in a press briefing. "In the market right now there are about 30 million educators and students worldwide using Chromebooks for learning today. And what's really impressive that we're extremely proud of is that HP is the number one Chromebook vendor in the world."