LG Preps Chrome OS All-in-One Desktop for CES

If you thought Chromebooks were all about mobility, think again. LG announced nearly four weeks before the 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas that it will showcase Chromebase, its new 21.5-inch all-in-one desktop running Google’s (GOOG) Chrome OS at the event.

Chromebase, which is LG’s first device to run Chrome OS, operates on an Intel (INTC) Celeron CPU, is equipped with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of iSSD storage, and features an HDMI port, LAN, USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports, and a 1.3 megapixel 720HD Web cam.

LG positioned the unit using the usual Chromebook accolades—it’s a gateway to thousands of Web apps at the Chrome Web store, in some cases you can work the apps offline as well as online, you can email, surf the Web, play games, edit videos.

The Chromebase is LG’s first Chrome OS-based unit—the vendor must be convinced, at least for now, that there’s a market for AiO Web-centric desktops, although there hasn’t been much noise from consumers about one. LG figures that Chromebase will attract interest not only from home users but also from schools, calls centers and some businesses such as hotels.

At this point, LG isn’t saying anything about price, perhaps waiting for CES to set a mark. Most Chromebooks sell for something around $300, so the expectation is the Chromebase, even in a desktop form factor, will follow suit.

“LG Chromebase is the wave of the future for desktops, expected to be widely adopted not only at home, but especially in schools, hotels, call centers and other business settings,” said Hyoung-sei Park, LG IT Business Division head.

You can mark LG among the growing crowd entering the price-conscious Chrome OS-based hardware market—albeit the only vendor with a desktop entry—joining Acer, ASUS, Dell, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Lenovo, Samsung and Toshiba.

“LG’s Chromebase is an exciting new form factor that expands the options available to customers who want a fast, simple and secure computing experience for the home, school or office,” said Caesar Sengupta, Google Product Management vice president.