Chip Boost

SAN FRANCISCO, May 6, 2014 (AFP) - Google's drive to put the future of personal computing firmly in the Internet "cloud" got a boost on Tuesday from chip titan Intel and hardware giants including Lenovo.







This is particularly appealing in the education market, where teachers prefer to focus on lessons instead of tech trouble-shooting and schools typically face tight budgets, according to Rodrigue.

"We saw today the tremendous amount of variety that is coming," Google product management vice president Caesar Sengupta said at the press event.

"I see people getting a lot more choice and differentiation among Chrome devices; it is a good thing for users.

" Google introduced the first Chromebook in mid-2010 in a challenge to Windows operating software at the heart of Microsoft's empire. Since then, the list of Chromebook makers has steadily grown and Chrome "boxes" designed for desktop computing have been added to the line-up.

Google is adamant that it remains devoted to its Android software for powering tablets and smartphones, following two paths when it comes to Internet-synched hardware.

The leading computer maker joined Acer, Dell, Toshiba, Hewlett-Packard, Asus, and LG Electronics