Here's what you thought you knew about Google's Chromebook laptops: They're designed for Internet computing and are known for plain designs and bargain-basement prices.

The former is still true. You're supposed to be connected to the Internet when using a Chromebook, at least a good chunk of the time. But the latter two are now only partially the case. You can still purchase an Acer Chromebook in the Google Play store for $199, or a Samsung for $249.

However, the Chromebook Pixel laptop that began shipping this week is not only beautiful, it fetches $1,299 for a Wi-Fi-only model. The Pixel that I tested is even pricier, a $1,449 model that complements Wi-Fi with fast LTE cellular service from Verizon Wireless. It ships in April.

With Pixel, Google is now competing in the high-rent computing district against Apple's MacBook Air and entry-level MacBook Pros, as well as some of the more expensive Windows 8 Ultrabooks.

My test unit was an immense pleasure to use, but I'm still hesitant to recommend the machine to everybody. Aside from its high price, Pixel has puny onboard storage, so-so battery life, and perhaps most important, is diminished when you're offline, since the Web-based Chrome operating system at its core mostly depends on a pipeline to the cloud. Sadly, you cannot watch a movie you buy or rent from the Google Play store when you lack an Internet connection.

There's certainly no mistaking Pixel's premium pedigree. The premium hardware is crafted from anodized aluminum. Pixel is a handsome, solidly built gray 3.35-pound machine with a high-resolution 12.85-inch Gorilla Glass touch-screen that is something to behold.

The computer is so named because of the stunning screen, which rivals the Retina displays on some MacBook Pros. It packs 4.3 million pixels -- more than twice as many, Google emphasizes, as a standard HDTV. In techie terms, it has a pixel density of 239 pixels per inch, a measure of sharpness that tops its laptop rivals.

An LED on the back cover lights up in different colors to add a nice aesthetic. A sturdy piano hinge lets you open and close it with a thumb. Google says the hinge dissipates heat and augments Wi-Fi antennas.

The back-lit Chrome keyboard is first rate, and so are hidden and surprisingly powerful stereo speakers. Vents and screws are also concealed.

The etched-glass trackpad is smooth and responsive. There's an HD webcam, a pair of USB 2.0 ports and a memory card reader. Inside, Pixel has a 1.8-GHz Dual Core Intel Core i5 processor. The combination of hardware and software led to a zippy experience.

While the onboard storage is quite modest -- just 32 gigabytes on the solid-state drive that is on the Wi-Fi-only model or 64GB on the step-up model, Google provides a complimentary 1 terabyte of storage on Google Cloud Drive for three years -- another recruiting effort for cloud computing. You also get a dozen free sessions of GoGo Inflight Internet.

Google says there are now hundreds of apps in the Chrome Web Store that work without an Internet connection. The current list includes Angry Birds, Kindle Cloud Reader and offline Gmail. You can use Google Docs offline, too. But while you can listen to songs you download when you're off line, purchased movies and TV shows from Google Play require that cyberconnection, a serious drawback.

By embracing a touch-screen, Google is following a path similar to the one Microsoft is taking with Windows 8. For the most part, you'll stick with the mouse and keyboard.

But touch made it simpler to navigate Google Maps and to travel through an interactive 3-D visualization of the solar system known as 100,000 Stars.

One snag: I couldn't play a few ".mov" video files that were on an inserted memory card, even though Google says ".mov" is a supported video format.

As with other Chromebooks, the computer boots up quickly, and Google can serve up regular updates to keep the operating system fresh and free of viruses.

One future update: integration with QuickOffice, an app that will let you open and edit Microsoft Office files within their native format, without having to rely on Google Docs. The computer also boots up quickly.

Google says you'll get about five hours of battery under "normal" use. In my own harsh test, in which I cranked up the brightness all the way and streamed a movie over Wi-Fi, the battery pooped out after 3 hours.

Is Pixel worth buying? I suspect those who buy it will be perfectly happy, at least when they have an online connection and a power source. Touch is a nice benefit, too, even if you don't use it much. The computer is fast, attractive and secure, with a display that's tough to match.

Pixel isn't for the mainstream, yet. But it is the kind of showpiece Google can use to make the case that it, too, can deliver pretty impressive hardware.

© 2013 USA TODAY. Syndicated here under contract with YellowBrix, Inc. All rights reserved.
 

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