Gadgetory

this is Steven Shanklin with CNET news in Paris and this is the Chromebook pixel from Google it's the first Chromebook from Google itself instead of from partners such as Samsung or Hewlett Packard and Google is starting off with a bang that's because the Chromebook pixel has a terrific 12.8 5-inch display at 2560 by 1700 pixels this screen edges ahead of the MacBook Air Retina display for resolution so text and graphics look glorious at 400 nits it's really bright and taking a cue from Microsoft in Windows 8 it's a multi-touch capable screen that means you can stab with your finger at textboxes when filling out forms swipe when scrolling and pinch to zoom on sites like Google Maps that support it the touchscreen isn't as responsive as I'd like but it's still natural to use Chrome OS is good for web apps like Google Docs Facebook and Gmail which means it works best with a network connection with today's web technology at least you can't run native apps like iTunes or Microsoft Office though that plus the price tag $12.99 for the Wi-Fi only version in $14.99 for the Verizon LTE version due in April means the Chromebook pixel is definitely not for a mainstream market it's got a nice and sleek exterior with no screws visible anywhere and no loud logo stickers the hinge lets you open the lid one-handed the trackpad is just as good as the screen and in another first for a Chromebook it's got a backlit keyboard for typing at night or in dark auditoriums Google clearly paid a lot of attention to the details here inside the Chromebook pixel is a dual-core 1.8 gigahertz Intel Core i5 processor integrated graphics and four gigs of memory the Wi-Fi model of the Chromebook pixel gets a 32 gig SSD and the LTE model gets a 64 gig SSD but both models come with one terabyte of cloud storage with Google Drive for three years on the outside the Chromebook pixel has two USB 2.0 ports a mini DisplayPort for external monitors an SD card slot and a combination headphone microphone Jack Google promises five hours of battery life with typical usage and that's a quick hands-on with a Google Chromebook pixel I'm Steven Shanklin for CNET in is