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The HP Chromebook 11 costs just $279 and runs Google's Chrome OS. Not just a consumption tool, the laptop can be a good work laptop, as long as you don't ask too much of the dual-core mobile chip inside.
Google provides quick paths to Chrome-based apps in a pop-up launcher.
The IPS (in-plane switching) display on the HP Chromebook 11 has impressive brightness and good viewing angles.
Like most Chrome apps, Gmail runs in the browser.
The microUSB port allows owners to use many cellphone chargers for power, but low-power plugs won't charge the Chromebook while it's turned on.
The keyboard on the HP Chromebook 11 looks and feels chic.
The microUSB port on the left side can double as a SlimPort connector to drive an external monitor, and there are a pair of USB 2.0 ports as well. There's also a headphone jack.
The right side is bare.
The bottom of the HP Chromebook 11 has colored rubberized sections to help the laptop grip the surface it's on.
The lid has a glossy white finish, and the strip of Google colors lights up when the monitor is on.
The HP Chromebook 11 weighs just 2.3 pounds.
You can buy an optional sleeve that's color matched to your Chromebook.
There's a VGA front-facing camera.
Boot-up time is about 10 seconds.
The Chromebook is a curious beast. The idea of a bare-bones laptop centered around the Google Chrome browser has merit: It could be very efficient at a few key tasks, such as email, web browsing and watching videos. And since it's "powered by the cloud," the machine wouldn't get slowed down by the multiple apps that creep onto our PCs and Macs.
However, we already have a device for convenient consumption of media and shooting off quick messages — it's called a tablet. The Chromebook can only justify its existence if it's good at other stuff, namely, doing actual work. Fortunately, that's exactly what the Chromebook's keyboard and productivity-facing Google apps enable. The only thing in question is how fast this thing can go.
In the case of the HP Chromebook 11, which debuted last week, it's a more than fair question. After all, this is an ARM-powered laptop, packing a dual-core Samsung Exynos processor, not a typical Intel-powered (or even AMD-powered) machine. You could argue it's "only" running Chrome, but have you opened your Task Manager/Activity Monitor lately to see what's slowing down your PC/Mac? Right, it's all those Chrome processes.
Given all that, I can't decide if I should have high or low expectations for the HP Chromebook 11. Most of the time you're only going to run one app, but it's the most important and demanding app you use (probably). It's meant for a few key tasks, but the "key" means those tasks need to run fast and reliably. Even the HP's price point — $279 — isn't much guidance; it's cheap as laptops go, but north of the $199 Acer C7 Chromebook.
One way the HP Chromebook 11 definitely exceeds expectations is with its hardware design. Putting aside the Chrome OS for a second, this is one good-looking, lightweight (2.3 pounds) laptop. The gloss-white outer shell is pretty, and the highlights on the bottom (available in Google blue, red, yellow or green) give the laptop a good grip on whatever surface it's on.
When you unfold it, you're treated to an excellent full-size keyboard with chiclet-style keys and fairly large trackpad. Although the keys and pad are "matte," the frame surrounding them retains the glossy feel of the exterior, which is friendly to the hand. Even friendlier: the slight curve downward of the palmrest, something your wrists will appreciate. Compared to Samsung's junky $249 Chromebook from last year, the HP's keyboard feels like a cocoa butter massage for your fingers .
The 11.6-inch screen isn't the biggest, but it's one of the brightest I've seen. Its display can supposedly go up to 300 nits, letting you use it even in bright sunlight. It certainly challenges other laptops in the size class and even kept up with my 15-inch MacBook Pro. The light from the Chromebook is just a bit warmer, too, adding just a hint more yellow to everything. A nice design touch: When the screen is active, the four-color strip on the back lid lights up.
As much as HP paid attention to the screen, it paid even more to the speakers. The sound emanates from the keyboard itself, a better design than front-facing speakers if you happen to use your laptop, well, in your lap. It can also play plenty loud if not super bass-heavy — I could rock out to some streaming Linkin Park even when I was in the next room.
The best hardware innovation of the HP Chromebook 11, however, is arguably the charger, which uses a microUSB connector. That means you can use pretty much any cellphone charger to juice up the HP. That's convenient, although you still have to pay attention to what, exactly, you're plugging into the wall: The supplied cable/plug is a 3-amp connector, but many phone chargers are rated at 1 amp. If you plug a low-amp charger into the Chromebook, you'll get the warning that it won't charge while it's turned on, and it'll be a trickle when off.

Judging from the hardware alone, HP has made a very nice, compact laptop here. But can it keep up when it's actually asked to do more than email and YouTube? I put the newest Chromebook through its paces by using it on a typical workday.
Booting up is fast. From a cold start, it took just under 10 seconds for the HP to get to the password-prompt screen. That beats most smartphones, Ultrabooks and even the MacBook Air.
The first thing you notice, if you're used to any full-power laptop that's been made in the last couple of years, is that the HP Chromebook 11 is a slowpoke. That's okay — after all, this is the laptop world's equivalent of a Smart Car — but you will notice the extra seconds it takes media-rich web pages to load, the checkered pattern that fills the browser whenever media is stalled and the response lag when you click something as you wonder, "Did I click it?"
In other words, this is a single-engine plane designed for short hops of work, not a jumbo jet built for extended journeys, carrying multiple browser tabs and apps. Still, it has the tools to get things done — you can save documents and photos to the 16GB solid-state drive, and of course Google services (such as Gmail, Google Drive and Google+ Photos) are fully integrated.
As long as you're connected, that is. It's not as if the Chromebook launches a local Gmail client when you click the icon — it just fires up Chrome and steers it to Gmail.com. Same with Maps, YouTube or Calendar. And all your Google Docs may show up in the in the file manager, but you can't open any of them unless you're on a network.
That's not a big deal for the "normal" Chromebook scenario — when it's in a classroom or office environment, strictly controlled and awash in reliable Wi-Fi — but in the real world, where connectivity is often not a guarantee, it can mean the difference between getting something done and near-total paralysis. At least the HP can still create Notes in Google Keep when offline, though not much else.
With reliable connectivity, though, the HP Chromebook 11 is a great work companion: Since it's not as fast as a full-featured PC or Mac, it can never be your primary workhorse, but it can help you get things done as long as you keep it focused on just one or two tasks. This isn't the machine for keeping several browser windows open, each with multiple tabs to cloud services. But it is the one to grab when you need to dive into your company's online CMS, immerse yourself in a collaborative document, or perform some detailed work that just wouldn't go over as well on an iPad.
What's Good
Beautiful design
Can charge via common microUSB port
Fast boot-up
What's Bad
Slow performance
Borderline useless with no connectivity
Images: Mashable, Christina Ascani