( CNN ) -- HP and Google have rolled out an intriguing Chromebook today -- the 11-inch HP Chromebook 11 . Chromebooks , as you may recall , run Google 's web-centric Chrome Operating System consisting mainly of a web browser and promising simplicity and security . If you spend all your time in a web browser and do n't want to spend much on a typical computer , a Chromebook would be worth a closer look . I 've used several of them , I own one for quick tasks , my mom has one , Jared has one , Harry 's mom has one . You get the idea . They make for good secondary machines or as main machines for basic web browsing . There 's been a tradeoff between price -- Chromebooks start at around $ 200 -- and specs , but HP 's latest offering sets it apart from earlier Chromebooks in a few ways . For starters , while many other cheap Chromebooks feature so-so screens , HP 's model sports a nice-ish IPS ( in-plane switching ) screen for better viewing angles and more vivid color reproduction . Second , the Chromebook can be charged with a micro-USB cable -- the same kind used for most non-Apple smartphones . If you 've a got an Android phone , for instance , you could get away with packing a single charger before you leave the house . And finally , there will be a model available later this year with a built-in 4G/LTE cellular connection . With the exception of the $ 1,300-and-up Chromebook Pixel , previous Chromebooks have only had a cellular option that used aging 3G networks . Design-wise , the HP Chromebook 11 sports similar internal specs to an earlier $ 250 Samsung model ; both feature a mobile processor more commonly found in smartphones and tablets than portable computers . The idea is to offer better battery life , but there 's an associated performance tradeoff . The machine has a 16-gigabyte solid state drive , two gigabytes of memory and HP claims battery life will last up to six hours . Weight is 2.3 pounds . HP 's Chromebook is available now in a Wi-Fi-only version for $ 279 . The 4G/LTE model will be available later this year . That 's the one I 'm most interested in for use a mobile reporting computer . Hopefully the price is right and the cellular data plan options are n't too outrageous . & copy 2012 TIME , Inc. TIME is a registered trademark of Time Inc. Used with permission .
The Samsung Chromebook 11 , bundled with Samsung , costs $ 279 . The device can be charged with a regular USB cable . There may be a model available with a G connection .