Google’s Chromebook Pixel Reviewed, Streaks of Greatness

Earlier this year, Google did something almost ground-breaking when it introduced the Chromebook Pixel. Sure, the Chromebook line as a whole has existed for a few years, but the entire premise of such a range of notebooks revolved around only a couple of design goals. One of those was accessibility, and almost by default, the other was affordability. The original Chromebooks were priced at $500 or less — in some cases, far less. The reason seemed obvious: Chrome OS was a great operating system for those who did little more than browse the Web and connect to cloud-based services such as Evernote, but it served less of a purpose in the productivity-minded “real world.” The Chromebook Pixel on the other hand, is perhaps the most curious gadget launch of the year. It’s an extreme combination of premium parts and design coupled with a fledgling operating system. It’s an odd melding of premium and basic features rolled into a single device. And this time around, Google priced out an expensive offering to be sure