Dell delivers its first Chromebook — and gives Google another big hardware partner

Dude, you’re gettin’ a Dell (Chromebook).

Dell today announced the Chromebook 11, the company’s first foray into Google’s take on laptops. Aimed at schools and students, the sub-$300 device features 16GB of internal storage, a 11.6-inch, 1366 x 768 display, and 1o hours of battery life.

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It also has the exact same name as HP’s own Chromebook 11, which the company announced back in October.

While Dell has been testing Chrome OS in its computers since 2010, the company’s first Chromebook is fairly late to market. Since Samsung introduced its first Chromebook in 2011, Lenovo, Acer, HP, and Google itself have all done the same. Dell, in that respect, is playing catch-up here.

Either way, Dell’s entry is hugely symbolic for Google, which now has the four biggest PC makers signed onto its Chromebook effort. Considering the tepid consumer response that’s greeted Windows 8 so far, the manufacturer enthusiasm for Chromebooks shouldn’t be the biggest surprise.

Th 4GB Dell Chromebook will be available next month, while the 2GB version is pegged for a “first quarter 2014” release.