Dell has unveiled its own Chromebook, the Dell Chromebook 11, with an emphasis on education.
The 11-inch Chrome OS laptop packs an 11.6-inch edge-to-edge 1366 x 768 display, an Intel Celeron processor, front-facing 720p webcam, solid-state hard drive and two USB 3.0 ports.
The new machine also touts Bluetooth 4.0, an HDMI port, up to 10 hours of battery life, and a choice of either 2GB or 4GB of memory.
Like many before it, Dell's new Chromebook is on the thin side; it's starting weight is 2.9lbs and it measures less than one inch thick.
The Dell Chromebook 11 (not to be confused with the HP Chromebook 11) is packed with features designed to make it an attractive option for educators looking to implement laptops in the classroom, including cloud services, remote management of applications and content across a whole family of devices, plus added security measures.
Dell's Chromebook has "an optimal combination of platforms, education content and secure IT efficiency" that make it ideal for use in schools, the company said in an announcement.
'Enriching the learning process'
"Dell believes that when implemented successfully, teachers, students and technology work together to enrich the learning process," said Dell's VP of the Tablet and Performance PC Group Neil Hand.
The Dell Chromebook 11 features a web-based console that will allow teachers and education administrators easily track students' activity, enforce safe browsing, and push apps to or remove them from students' devices.
The new Chromebook will also rely less on Google's cloud services than past Chromebooks while support for Dell's Wyse PocketCloud service, which lets users manage their files across devices.
Dell said its education products and services are now implemented in over 400,000 classrooms globally in grades ranging from kindergarten through higher education institutions.
Google and Dell, sitting in a tree
The Chromebook 11 "marries Google Apps for Education with Dell resources, services and support," the announcement said.
Google called the addition of Dell's first Chromebook to its "stable of devices" a "big milestone."
The 4GB Dell Chromebook 11 launches in January 2014 in the US and UK, and the 2GB model arrives sometime later in the first quarter of next year. The new Chromebook is expected to retail under $300 (about £183, AU$330).
- Read our in-depth Dell Chromebook 11 review
