First look at the HP Chromebook 11

Text and photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

The Chromebook is a bona fide product category. The inexpensive (relatively) browser-based and cloud-powered notebooks have all but replaced netbooks as the lower-end option for users. The evolution of the Chromebook and Chrome OS has been steady but consistent. Create an affordable notebook that requires an always-on connection to the Internet and let the cloud servers do the heavy lifting. 

The latest Chromebook 11 is made by HP and it is a marked improvement over the Samsung made Chromebook Series 3 we checked out a year ago. With a shiny, white polycarbonate casing (supported by a magnesium frame) the new Chromebook 11 look and feels like a polished product even if the CPU is similar to last year's model

Canada will be getting the Chromebook 11 on November 8 for $299 (plus tax) and we will be getting white with blue accents version from the Google Play Store, HP Online and Best Buy. Things that stand out about the Chromebook 11 is the weight (2.30 pounds), it uses microUSB port for charging and while it comes with a stingy 16GB of onboard storage, Google will give 100GB of cloud storage for two years.

That said, while there's a definite market for such a device and HP has done an outstanding job with this particular version. The Chromebook is still a device I wouldn't personally buy nor is it something I can recommend to anyone but the most avid Chrome OS user. It features last year's hardware on a newer body and still has the same limitations in terms of storage and processing power. Any tablet plus keyboard combination would be a better use of $299.

Video: Apple's iPad Air launch in downtown Toronto

There was a steady line of 80 to 90 people at the Eaton Centre Apple Retail Store early this morning when we arrived shortly befor the doors opened at 8:00 am. There was the usual excitement from Apple's staff and many of the buyers who were waiting to get their hands on the new iPad Air.  

Apple Smart Cases and Covers for older iPads reduced to dark grey

Apple's iPad 2 ushered in the magnetic Smart Covers  which were either polyurethane or leather and did a decent job of customizing the device as well as protecting the screen and doubling as a stand. Suceeding models like the iPad 3 with Retina display brought in Smart Cases which wrapped entirely around the iPad. It seems the colourful options are now being discontinued by Apple for the older iPad 2, iPad 3 with Retina display and iPad 4 with Retina display in favour of single dark grey Smart Cases and Smart Covers. This means if you want some of the brighter hues (including the lovely PRODUCT(RED) covers then it might be worth racing to retailers to catch leftover inventory. Buyers of the iPad Air won't have this issue as Apple is introducing a bunch of colours for Smart Covers and Smart Cases. 

Moto X camera app update finds its way to Google Play

Seems that Motorola has made the smart decision to offer updates to its Moto X camera directly to users via Google Play. This method avoids the software update logjam because of the carriers. I received the update on my AT&T Moto X (unlocked) earlier this evening. The update promises brighter viewfinder display, bug fixes plus Quick Capture for Enterprise users' IT policies.