Acer’s Chromebook Is The Chrome OS Budget Computer
Ready for this? The Acer Chromebook will cost $349 with options like 3G (available for slightly more; unknown price) and will be available for pre-order on the same day as the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook — June 15th from Amazon and Best Buy. Specs include an 11.6″ HD Widescreen CineCrystal LED-backlit LCD, weighs 2.95 lbs., 6 hours of usage on a single charge, an Intel Atom dual-core processor, dual-band WiFi and World-mode 3G (optional), an HD Webcam with noise-canceling microphone, HiDef Audio Support, 2 USB 2.0 ports, 4-in-1 memory card slot, HDMI port, the Chrome keyboard and an oversized fully-clickable Chromebook trackpad.
It’s the first true Chrome laptop meant for the consumer markets, the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook. It launches on June 15th (in 7 different countries, online) for $429 (WiFi version) and $499 to add a Gobi2000 modem for worldwide 3G usage. The specs include a 12.1-inch, 1280 x 800, 300 nit screen, weigh 3.26 pounds, dual-band 802.11 WiFi, optional global 3G, two USB 2.0 ports, 8.5 hours of battery life, and an HD webcam with a clickable trackpad (new design, not the Cr-48′s).
From Google’s I/O came some uncertainty: When will WiFi Motorola Xooms get the Android 3.1 Honeycomb update? Well, Motorola answered that question this very morning: “Within the next several weeks”.
Android Ice Cream Sandwich is here. The focus of this new version of the Android operating system is that it will be unified OS on all devices, deemed by Google as “one OS that works everywhere” — tablets, phones, and everything else (essentially no more “fragmentation”). A new framework and UI will be present, which automatically resizes and scales itself to the screen size device in question, and the entire gig launches in Q4 of 2011. The new age of Android at its high-point is near. Via: 
According to a report from advertising firm WPP’s “BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands” study, Apple has surpassed Google as the mast valuable brand in the world, with their brand value exploding to an unbelievable 859% since 2006 and increased 84% to $153.3 billion this year alone. AT&T, China Mobile, IBM, and Microsoft all are in the top-10 most valuable brands list, while McDonald’s is the only non-tech company in the top-5. This ends Google’s four-year reign as most valuable brand in the world, while Amazon passed Walmart by as the No. 1 retailer overall. Check past the break for WPP’s official report.