Why You Can Trust CNET Get a Google Chromebook Pixel for $399.99
From the Cheapskate: This seriously high-end laptop originally sold for $1,299. It features an ultra-high-resolution touchscreen and 1TB of cloud storage, among other things.
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Remember the Chromebook Pixel? Hard to believe it's been three full years since Google's super-lux laptop made its debut. Of course, it was pretty much doomed from the start, what with its $1,299 price tag.
Yep: $1,299. For a Chromebook! Those things are supposed to cost $200-300, right?
Granted, the Pixel had "premium" written all over it, with features and a design to rival high-end laptops from the likes of Apple and Microsoft. But was anybody really going to pay that much for a system that couldn't run Apple or Microsoft software?
Google's Chromebook PIxel has a high-resolution display that shows crisp text and graphics and good color.
Nope. Which explains today's deal: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Expansys has the Google Chromebook Pixel for $399.99, plus around $17 for shipping. I haven't seen this model priced anywhere near as low, ever.
Released in 2013 (and not to be confused with last year's replacement model), the Pixel features an anodized aluminum chassis, a backlit keyboard and a dazzling high-resolution Gorilla Glass touchscreen. That 12.85-inch display delivers 2,560 by 1,700 pixels, on par with what you'd get from a MacBook Pro.
You also get 32GB of onboard storage (expandable via USB or memory card) and 1TB of cloud storage courtesy of Google, though only for three years.
And from there I'm going to turn you over to Seth Rosenblatt's review, which, as you'll see, concludes with a pretty so-so score. His two big complaints: the sky-high price and the limits of Chrome OS. Well, you can scratch off the former, and I'd say Chrome has evolved (and improved) considerably in the last three years.
That said, I'm still not convinced the typical Chromebook customers needs or wants a premium Chromebook. Your thoughts?
Bonus deal: The Amazon Fire 7-inch tablet is already a stupid-good deal at $49.99. Now it's even stupid-better: Amazon has the Fire 7-inch tablet for $39.99 shipped. It's a slowpoke, no doubt about it, with a low-resolution screen and mediocre cameras. It's also the ideal tablet to give to younger kids so they can play games, consume content and so on. Plus, you can expand the onboard 8GB of storage with cheap microSD cards -- something you can't do with a lot of way-pricier tablets.
Bonus deal No. 2: Back in January I shared a pretty sweet deal on a 3D printer. Guess what: it's back! StackSocial is offering the Micro 3D printer and four extra filament spools (five total) for $399 shipped. I've really enjoyed this adorable little thing (warts and all), and at this price it remains one of the better 3D-printer deals you'll find.