As expected, Kogan has launched what it claims is the world's first laptop that's based on Google's Chromium open source operating system, which makes the product different from the real Chromebooks launched a few weeks ago by Samsung and Acer.
The laptop doesn't come with embedded 3G or a dedicated search button as its rivals do. It even has a Windows button which shows that the laptop was not originally designed to support Chrome OS natively. Sadly though, Kogan didn't go the ARM way which would have helped it save a few dollars.
Unlike current Chromebooks, the Kogan model comes with an Intel Celeron M ULV SU2300 processor clocked at 1.3GHz; this should allow it to comfortably outrun the competition although the 1GB RAM might be just a little too tight for comfort.
It also has a 30GB SATA SSD hard drive, a 11.6-inch WXGA LED Display, a 1.3-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, three USB, LAN, VGA, HDMI and microphone ports plus a 4-cell 4600mAh battery that can deliver an autonomy of up to 3.5 hours.
At £269, the Chromium-based Agora (opens in new tab) costs the same as its Ubuntu-based cousin (which has a 250GB hard disk) and £20 less than the Pro version which has twice the RAM and a 500GB hard disk drive. Kogan's Chromium laptop is expected to be available from the 7th of June in the UK.
