If you want a hockey puck of a computer to easily deploy on a desk or behind a monitor, you'll find plenty on sale, from the Mac Mini to Intel's bare-bone NUC. The new Chromebox 5 will come with a built-in 15W wireless charge for your phone and/or ear buds.
There was a time when you could buy an aftermarket wireless charging "lid" for some Intel NUCs, and Intel added the feature to a few of them. This is the first time I have ever seen it on a browser. The chromebox 4 was advertised as being able to deliver power to a phone with a cable.
The lightweight ChromeOS makes it a good choice for computer stations where a lot of different users want to log in and not have to worry about updates. It has a 12th Gen Intel i7 processor, a PCIe Gen 4x4 solid state drive, two HDMI ports, a DisplayPort, 2.5Gbps Ethernet and a front 3.5mm accessory port.
When it launches in the first quarter, it will be at a starting price of $400.
The new gaming Chromebook is called the Chromebook Vibe. This one is particularly awkward because it is adorned in Stadia's orange and magenta colors, and it is still advertising that it can play Amazon Luna. This one also has a backflipping hinge, a four-zone backlit keyboard, HDMI 2.1 for 4K 60Hz output to a TV, a stylus with built-in garage, wi-fi 6e, and up to Core i7 and 512 MB of ram.
The intent is that gaming Chromebooks will be more interesting when they run steam. Just this November, steam for Chromebooks entered the alpha stage.
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