The latest Acer and Samsung notebooks running on Google Chrome OS were unveiled at the Google I/O conference earlier this week. But can they beat the iconic iPad?

Samsung released the new 12.1 inch notebook that will mainly focus on fast web browsing that allow users to quickly get online and start surfing within 8-10 seconds from bootup. Acer will be offering an 11.6 inch notebook with a 6.5 hour battery life. This makes it a purpose-driven device that will offer users a new experience in internet, apps, and data involved functions centered in the cloud. This explains for the somewhat limited 16GB Solid State Drive (SSDs) in memory storage.

The Samsung Series 5 Chromebook offers 2 versions, a WiFi model for $429 or 3G model for $499. You can expect to work with an ultraportable Chromebook device that will surely put some heat on the Apple iPad. Users looking to compare the two can start with its size and weight. The iPad is slimmer and lighter in this regards (9.5 inchesx7.3 inches and 1.3 pounds) sans the physical keyboard which the Chromebook (12.1 inch and a little over 3 pounds) offers.

Performance wise, it is still early to tell but with Apple's excellent user experience and fanbase, the Chromebook faces the challenge of marketing the device's ability using the cloud and matching that with traditional needs in both the tablet and laptop market. Can the Chromebook successfully introduce this new concept that is distinct from the tablet and laptop/netbook market?

Watch Google Unveil Chromebook

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