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Google building Android-powered notebook for Q3 2013 launch, report claims

androidBuoyed by the success of its Android-powered Nexus tablets, Google is reportedly gearing up for a Q3 (or early Q4) launch of a so-called ‘Androidbook’ notebook powered by the company’s mobile operating system.

The news comes from Digitimes, meaning some of you will take it with a grain of salt the size of Uluru. However, the Taiwan-based tech publication does hit the target on occasion, so interpret the claim as you wish.

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When you recall that the Mountain View company recently appointed Chrome OS head Sundar Pichai as head of Android, it certainly makes a lot more sense that a product like this could soon hit the market. Some observers have been speculating that Chrome and Android will merge, and though this could still happen, Digitimes’ report suggests a move of this nature is much further down the road.

The Androidbook – if it exists – would likely come with a touchscreen and, being powered by Google’s mobile OS, would potentially have instant access to the huge library of apps on Google Play, making it for many consumers a much more attractive proposition than a Chromebook.

While Google launched a touchscreen Chromebook in February – the Pixel – it doesn’t of course have the ability to run Android apps and also comes with a hefty $1299 price tag (Wi-Fi only), or $1499 for the 4G LTE version. You can expect any Androidbook to be priced much more competitively.

If Google does have a new Android-powered notebook up its sleeve, the Web giant might make an announcement at this year’s Google I/O event taking place in San Francisco in May.

We’ll keep you posted.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
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