ASUS Joins Google With Its First Chrome OS Based CT100 Tablet
ASUS is introducing a handful of Chrome OS devices at the Consumer Electronics Show, including its first Chrome OS tablet. The Chromebook Tablet CT100, as it's called, runs the same version of Google's Chrome operating system that is available on Chrome OS laptops and Chromebox desktops, but "fitted into a recognizable form factor" for younger kids.
In other words, ASUS is under the impression that kids are more interested in tablets (and smartphones) than laptops and desktops. ASUS also acknowledges that tots and pre-teens can be clumsy with electronics, and so the CT100 sports a rubberized chassis to "withstand life in the hands of children."
To account for smaller paws, ASUS kept the thickness of the chassis under 10mm. This, according to ASUS, makes it "easier for small hands to hang onto and less likely to take a tumble." If the tablet does end up in a free fall, it's rated for drops up to 100cm, "the height of most tables and desks."
The actual tablet sports a 9.7-inch QXGA (2048x1536) multi-touch display with a glass cover. It's powered by a hexa-core OP1 processor that was made especially for Chromebooks. The chip consists of dual ARM Cortex-A72 and quad Cortex-A53 cores, along with a Mali-T864 GPU for graphics.
Other specs include up to 4GB of LPDDR3 1866MHz memory, up to 32GB of eMMC storage, 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.1 wireless connectivity, and 2MP (front) and 5MP (rear) cameras. Physical ports consist of USB 3.1 Type-C (Gen1), a microSD card slot, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
ASUS also introduced a new clamshell Chromebook (C204) and a ruggedized convertible Chromebook (C214), both with an 11.6-inch display, and a larger 14-inch clamshell Chreombook (C403). All of these new Chrome OS devices will be available in the coming months, with specs and pricing to be announced at a later date.
