If Android is Google’s mobile operating system, then Chrome OS is the company’s desktop OS… as in, it has a desktop-like user experience. But so far most devices that have shipped with Chrome OS have been laptops.

Now LG is shaking things up a bit with an all-in-one desktop PC that just happens to run Chrome OS.

The new system is called the LG Chromebase, and LG plans to show the computer off at CES in January. There’s still no word on when it’ll be available to the public or how much it’ll cost.

lg chromebase

The LG Chromebase features a 21.5 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel IPS display with wide viewing angles, an Intel Celeron processor based on Haswell architecture, 2GB of RAM, and a 16GB solid state drive.

It supports HDMI input, features 3 USB 2.0 ports and 1 USB 3.0 port, an Ethernet jack, and a 1.3MP webcam. The computer has 5W stereo speakers and comes with a keyboard, mouse, and cable organizer.

LG’s Chromebase isn’t the first desktop PC to ship with Chrome OS. Samsung has released a few Chromebox models over the past few years. But the Chromebase is the first all-in-one model. If the Samsung Chromebox is about the size and shape of a Mac Mini, the LG Chromebase is more like an iMac — you know, if an iMac had a Celeron processor, a tiny amount of built-in storage, and an operating system based on a web browser.

If you’re not sold on the idea of using Chrome OS as a primary operating system, the HDMI input means you could use the Chromebase as a display for a traditional PC… with the option of booting straight to a web browser when you’re too busy to load Windows (or another OS). But the Chromebase will probably be a bit more expensive than your typical display.

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7 replies on “LG Chromebase is an all-in-one desktop running Chrome OS”

  1. I do like that it can be a monitor for another computer. This and a Mini PC would work together pretty well

  2. I think Windows makes more sense, but – for less money – Chromebooks, etc. have much cooler form factors.

  3. Hmm, weird characterization but I can see where such a notion might occur to a non-developer. I see Android as a Windows alternative with high software openness that is only beginning to emerge as a desktop OS and currently only ships as such from a few vendors. Chrome OS is more of an Apple alternative for people who only need fixed function netbook usage (browsing, email, and a handful of other things), and now ONE manufacturer PLANS a desktop running it.
    Despite the current Google org chart, Android and Chrome OS teams are distinct in both products and goals. I’d expect the Chorme OS to be subsumed into Android eventually, but only time will tell.

    1. I don’t disagree with your assessment — but Google pretty much says Android is for mobile devices and Chrome is for laptop/desktops. That could change… and it’s likely the two will merge in many ways in the future.

      But since Google offers Android as open source, it can’t stop companies from building products that don’t necessarily fit Google’s world view. There were Android tablets long before Google officially supported tablets. And Google hasn’t yet acknowledged Android TV boxes, instead offering its own “Google TV” software (which is reportedly transitioning to the Android brand, but which still doesn’t quite look like the software you run on mobile devices).

      1. I guess we’ll just have to see how it all sorts out. Google clearly hasn’t put any effort into Android for desktops and the few Android netbooks look like a tablet with a keyboard in a clamshell form factor. Android-x86 doesn’t have the support needed to become a viable consumer alternative and Intel’s Android-IA is focused on mobile. I suspect that until the wider world becomes more aware of the closed nature of Microsoft’s direction with WinRT and the locked-down desktop we won’t see much action.

    2. I think Chrome OS is Google’s vision of the future of computing more so than Android. And they may be correct, maybe. I’m not the first to say this by any stretch, but Chrome may one day replace Android as far as Google’s investment goes. There have been rumors of a Google Chrome tablet.

      Chrome allows Google more control over their product identity and they retain their branding with it. Android does not provide that and was partly born out of a fear of iOS potentially shutting Google out of search. They wanted to insure an open mobile landscape. I don’t think they’re always going to want the openness of Android, though.

  4. I haven’t played with a straight Chrome machine yet but this looks pretty cool.

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