Chromebox

Chromebox

A connected Samsung Chromebox
Manufacturer	Samsung; Asus; Hewlett-Packard; Acer; Dell; Google (as a bundler)
Introduced	29 May 2012
Cost	$179-$999
Processor	Intel Celeron, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7
Memory	2, 4, or 8 GB
Ports	USB 2.0/3.0, Ethernet, HDMI, DisplayPort++

A Chromebox is a personal computer running Google's Chrome OS operating system. The device is a desktop variant of the Chromebook laptop.

Chromeboxes, like other Chrome OS devices, primarily support web applications, thereby relying heavily on an Internet connection for software functionality and data storage. That connection, via a local area network, can be wireless or through an Ethernet port.

The machines are classed as small form-factor PCs and typically feature a power switch and a set of connections to support a keyboard, pointing device and one or more monitors. Solid state drives are used for storage, and only wireless printers are supported. The first Chromebox, released by Samsung on May 29, 2012, ran a dual-core Intel Celeron Processor 867 at 1.3 GHz, and featured six USB 2.0 ports and two DisplayPort++ slots compatible with HDMI, DVI, and VGA.

In February 2014, Google bundled an Asus Chromebox with a business video conferencing package, 1080p high definition camera module, external microphone/speaker and remote control. The system retailed for $999 plus a $250 annual management fee, waived the first year—a cost thousands of dollars less than other unified videoconferencing systems, including those from Cisco and Polycom. The Chromebox system employed a Google Hangouts-like interface for up to 15 participants, a dedicated URL for sharing screens, and management accounts for scheduling meetings.