Chromebase: LG's all-in-one desktop that runs Chrome OS

LG's upcoming Chromebase will run Chrome OS.

(Credit:LG Electronics)

LG Electronics has officially jumped into the Chrome OS market. The electronics giant announced Tuesday that it would be unveiling its all-in-one Chromebase desktop computer during the upcoming 2014 Consumer Electronics Show.

"Simple to operate for all types of users, the award-winning LG Chromebase computer represents the successful combination of simplicity, power and great design," LG's head of IT Business Hyoung-sei Park said in a statement. "LG Chromebase is the wave of the future for desktops, expected to be widely adopted not only at home, but especially in schools, hotels, call centers and other business settings."

The Chromebase will have a full HD IPS display on its 1080p 21.5-inch screen. It will come with 2GB of memory, 16GB of storage, and an Intel Celeron processor. Also included will be a 1.3-megapixel webcam and microphone for video calling, 5-watt speakers, keyboard, and a mouse.

The fact that LG has been working on a device to run Google's Chrome OS isn't that surprising. In January 2012, the company signed a deal with Microsoft allowing it to use operating system patents for devices running Android and Chrome OS. LG has also already teamed up with Google to create the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 smartphones.

Related storiesSprint may offer LG G Flex, according to leaked picLG's 5.5-inch Gx gets Korean launchLG TVs join the Spotify ramp-up, but only premium users can applyIs LG cooking up a 5.5-inch Gx?LG's G Pad 8.3 offers Google Play Edition with Android 4.4 "LG's Chromebase is an exciting new form factor that expands the options available to customers who want a fast, simple and secure computing experience for the home, school or office," Google's vice president of product management for Chromebooks Caesar Sengupta said. "LG Electronics makes great devices that customers love, and we're glad to welcome them to the Chrome family."

There were hints in October that LG was planning some sort of Chrome OS device. It had filed for trademarks on three names that contain the word Chrome -- ChromeOne, ChromeDesk, and ChromeStation. The three trademarks were listed in the device class as "Laptop computers; Computers; Convertible computers; Tablet computers."

It's still unclear when Chromebase will hit the consumer market or how much it will cost. Given the lower prices of other desktops and laptops that run Chrome OS, like Chromebooks, chances are the Chromebase won't be over-the-top expensive.

Topics: PCs Tags: computer, Chrome OS, Chromebase, desktop, Google, Chrome, LG

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LG's 21.5-inch Chromebase all-in-one puts ChromeOS on the desktop

Besides Samsung's Chromebox series ChromeOS has appeared mostly on laptops, but now LG will put its new Chromebase up against Apple's iMac and Windows-based all-in-one desktop PCs. According to the spec sheet, that 21.5-inch 1080p IPS LCD hides an Intel Celeron CPU, 2GB of RAM and a 16GB SSD inside, along with an assortment of ports (including HDMI-in so you can use it as a monitor) in the back and on the sides. It won't compete with high-end PCs on horsepower or internal storage, but it's ready to play a part in Google's vision of network computers that run mostly web-based apps, are hassle free and require no real maintenance. We're not expecting to get Steam loaded on here, but when we're playing IT for relatives over the holiday something like this may seem like a better option. Without a pricetag it's hard to judge properly, so we'll look for that and more information -- including other devices that might use some of the Chrome-related trademarks that leaked in October --next month at CES.LG Chromebase

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Hub Launches To Become The All-In-One Calendar And To-Do App For Your Family

Organization within families — or even within teams — has never been easy. Different people use different calendars and tools for to-do lists, which means that it’s tough to stay on the same page. Well there’s a new app called Hub that is designed to allow family members to share calendars and lists with one another.

Hub was created by the same team behind SimplyUs, one of the many couples apps that popped up during the spring and early summer of last year. But in building that app, the team realized that couples apps weren’t really sufficient for all the people involved in family decisions.

While sharing calendars and lists definitely helped facilitate communications between couples, there were other members of the family who were left out.

For instance, grandparents who take care of kids might want to share schedules with the parents. And children who are old enough, like teenagers for instance, could have their chores assigned via the app direct to their own smartphone. And there’s also the ability to add babysitters, daycare providers, and other service providers to facilitate scheduling.

With that in mind, the team built the new app to enable easier calendar and list sharing. It’s especially good for wrangling calendars from various different services and making them accessible to each other. That’s because it supports any calendar your phone does, including Google Calendar, Outlook, Yahoo, iCloud, and Exchange.

Users can also create multiple hubs with different participants. So there can be like a kid’s chore hub, a babysitter hub, a romantic couple hub, whatever. Hub operates on a freemium model, where free hubs get 5 event shares and 10 task shares per month.

To upgrade, pricing is $35.99 annually or $4.99 monthly for unlimited hubs and event shares and task shares. And once one person in a hub has upgraded, everyone he or she shares with gets unlimited shares in the hub.

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