Over the weekend, an interesting product appeared at the FCC from Sony. The VAIO VCC111 which like all VAIO units sports a catchy number is different from other notebooks from Sony in that unlike those which run on Windows, this machine is powered by Google, your friendly neighborhood  search giant. The Chromebook is a separate project from Google’s Android efforts and is instead designed to give notebook owners and alternate option to Windows. The VAIO Chromebook, power by ‘Chrome OS’ is reliant on the web and Google’s many different services like Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Docs. As the name would suggest, the entire system is than based on this cloud based OS which is perfect for those who deal only with Google web content and horrible for just about everybody else who needs additional programs like Microsoft Office, iTunes, and Photoshop.

Despite its shortcomings and reliance on the cloud (though files can be cached locally for offline access), Chromebook is suppose to be an alternate for those who need simple computing and thus will fetch a lower price than a traditional Windows machine. Announced in 2011, we’ve yet to see any real machines appear in stores, despite support from Samsung and Acer. Now, Sony’s machine has appeared at the FCC which tends to reveal the products final form and release. While it’s still not written in stone that Sony will release this product, one has to wonder if it even makes sense for Sony to enter this market.

Sony in the past tried to enter the once growing and now dead Netbook market and failed miserably when they introduced a $1,000 unit which came in at nearly triple the competitors price. The Chromebook, much like that is meant to be a lower cost alternative (between $300-500) and it remains to be seen if Sony is able to provide a unit with a proper entry price. Some specs for the Sony Chromebook VAIO VCC111 include (those marked with a ‘?’ indicate unconfirmed specs):

• Nvidia Tegra 250 T25 1.2GHz ARM based processor (?)
• 11.6-inch screen
• OS: Chrome OS
• Memory: 2GB RAM (?)
• USB 2.0 (2x)
• SD card reader
• Headphone in
• Microphone out
• HDMI out
• 802.11 b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.1
• Storage: SSD – 16GB (?)

Eagle eyed readers will also  notice the lack of the Windows and caps locks key on the Apple MacBook like keyboard and instead, the placement of a dedicated search key. Even if Sony is able to offer the Chromebook with an affordable price, I’m still skeptical of the products success, mainly due to the lack of knowledge and interest from the great public and the growing power and functionality of tablets.

Discuss:

Can you see yourself making the transition to a Chromebook?

[Via FCC]