The software behind Chrome OS and Android may remain separate, but a new report out of Digitimes suggests that Google may be launching Android notebooks in the third or fourth quarter of this year. Digitimes also speculates that Pichai is the one behind the move to bring Android to Notebooks.

Even if this rumor is true, it wouldn’t be the first time that Android has made its way into Notebook computers. A quick search of online retailers will bring up a number of cheap Chinese-made Android Notebooks that were made possible by Google making Android open source. There’s also pseudo-Notebooks, like ASUS’ Transformer Prime, that blurs the line between Notebook and tablet.

Like most of Digitime’s rumors, you should probably take this report with a massive grain of salt.Of course, there’s always the possibility that the next version of Android will introduce support for traditional computing environments, much like Android 3.0 introduced support for tablets. Still, it seems strange that Google would compete with its own Chromebook line by introducing Android notebooks.

If there is an Android notebook on the horizon, we might hear something about it at May’s Google I/O. It’s already rumored that the company will reveal the next Nexus 7 at the event, and an Android notebook reveal would not be out of place at an event where Google’s co-founder introduces a new product with skydivers.

[h/t: BGR]

On the Chromebook Pixel product page, Google now says that the Pixel is expected to ship by April 8. The LTE Chromebook Pixel comes in at $1,449, or $149 more than the Wi-Fi Chromebook Pixel, but the added LTE capability may be worth it to the consumer that desires more mobility out of their consumer electronics.

Before you dive headfirst into the LTE Pixel, though, you should probably be aware of what you’re getting into. For starters, the LTE Pixel exclusively uses Verizon’s LTE network. Those who purchase it will get 100 MB a month for the first two years. After that, you’ll have to start paying normal LTE network fees.

If you want more data, you’ll have to purchase a data plan with Verizon. Gigaom reports that Verizon will be selling Pixel LTE data by the gigabyte with 1GB a month costing $20, 3GB a month costing $35 and 5GB a month costing $50. If you want unlimited data for a day, that will cost $9.99. Gigaom also confirmed with Verizon that those already on a data sharing plan with the wireless carrier can add the Pixel to their existing plan for $10 more a month.

At the moment, the Pixel is tied to Verizon. It will be interesting, however, to see if Google starts offering it on other carriers in the future. If T-Mobile can build out its 4G LTE network even more, I could see some people flocking to the carrier for its unlimited data plans.

Google announced today that Chromebooks are now available for purchase in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland and The Netherlands. Consumers can go ahead and pick up a new Chromebook from Google itself or a licensed reseller today.

The Chromebooks available for purchase today include those from Acer, HP and Samsung. It’s not immediately clear if the $1,300 Chromebook Pixel will be available in these countries as well.

As for schools and businesses, Google expects that those organizations may have some questions. For schools, Google in Education will be hosting a number of Hangouts next week to address any questions or concerns schools may have with the Chromebooks for Education program:

Most of today’s news may be focused on Europe, Oceania and our neighbor up north, but Google has a small announcement for the U.S. Chromebook market as well. Starting today, Chromebooks will be available in 1,000 more Best Buy stores around the country for those who prefer to still buy computers at retail stores.

Google announced today that Netflix is now available via HTML5 streaming on Samsung’s latest Chromebook. It’s a pretty big deal as this is the first time Netflix has moved off of Sliverlight. It’s also one of the first major video providers to use HTML5. YouTube has been beta testing HTML5 support for a year now, but Netflix may really push it to its limits.

Netflix users who also happen to own a Chromebook will be pleased to know that there are no hoops to jump through to start watching video content. In fact, it’s just as simple as watching Netflix on any Windows PC or Mac. All you have to do is head over to the Netflix Web site and start watching whatever content currently pleases your eye muscles.

Looking at the bigger picture, it doesn’t appear that Netflix will be free of Silverlight on other operating systems anytime soon. What this really means is that we start seeing Netflix appear on more operating systems that don’t support Silverlight – namely Linux. Native support for Netflix via HTML5 would be a huge win for the open source community. Let’s just hope Netflix can find a way to make it happen.

[h/t: Engadget]

The latest Chrome OS beta contains a number of new features, enhancements and bug fixes. Here’s the full list:

If you don’t know how to switch from the release channel to the beta channel, you can read up on that here. If you happen to come across any bugs, you can submit those here.

The Chromebook Pixel is similar to what we saw last month in the leaked video. The screen is a 12.85-inch touch display with a resolution of 2560×1700. That’s a whopping 239 ppi, or 4.3 million pixels. Other hardware specs include an Intel Core i5 processor clocked at 1.8GHz, integrated Intel HD Graphics, 4GB of RAM and a 32GB SSD.

Another rumor regarding the Pixel that’s been confirmed by Google is that the laptop will come in two flavors. The basic Pixel will feature Wi-Fi connectivity only, while the other features LTE connectivity. The LTE connection allows for 100MB/month through Verizon.

Of course, some may be concerned about the paltry 32GB SSD storage on the Pixel, but Google has your back with its usual offer of extra storage via Google Drive. Those who purchase the Chromebook Pixel will get a terabyte of storage in the cloud for everything from videos and music to pictures and documents.

The Wi-Fi Chromebook Pixel is available starting today in the Google Play store, and will be on Best Buy’s Web site soon. It will retail for $1,299. Preorders will start shipping out next week. The LTE Chromebook Pixel will retail for $1,449 and ship out in April.

Myce, a computer storage community, recently ran a report claiming it found a number of hints in the code of Chrome OS that point to the existence of Chromebook Pixel. If legitimate, it could be the first solid proof we have that Google is finally introducing a Chromebook for the power user and hardcore media consumer.

So, where does this all begin? Myce says that there are traces of code in Chrome OS that point to the existence of HighDPI support. The current Chromebooks aren’t powerful to support HighDPI resolutions, but something like the Chromebook Pixel obviously can.

Next is where things get interesting. Chrome OS developers say that HighDPI will only be supported on something called “Google Link.” The folks at Myce think this is a codename for Chromebook Pixel, and it very well could be.

So, we can assume that the Chromebook Pixel is a real thing, but do we know anything about the hardware? After some more digging, it was found that Chrome OS developers are also working on adding in Ivy Bridge CPU support. Going even deeper, the Google Link name is brought up again as developer say they’re adding support for the “Link chipset” which could be in reference to the aforementioned Ivy Bridge.

Some final notes of interest include code that hints at support for backlit keyboards and LTE connectivity.

If all of this comes to fruition, we may have Google’s most ambitious piece of hardware yet. The Chromebook line is already an attractive alternative to Windows and OS X. The only thing holding it back has always been its less than impressive hardware. Granted, it didn’t really need it with Chrome OS, but the Chromebook Pixel, if real, could pose a real and serious threat to laptops and MacBooks.

Android Authority nabbed a fascinating teaser video that references a new Google project called the Chromebook Pixel. It features a 2560×1700 display. The only thing better would be the 15-inch MacBook Pro which sports a 2880×1800 retina display. Check out the leaked teaser video below:

The leaked video doesn’t tell us much about the Chromebook Pixel’s hardware, but we do know that it will sport a touchscreen. Adding to the legitimacy of the leak is that it originally came from François Beaufort, a developer who has leaked previous Google products on Google+.

Google hasn’t made any formal announcement in regards to the Chromebook Pixel yet, or even hinted that such a thing exists. The company only just recently partnered with HP for the Pavilion 14 Chromebook.

Still, the idea of a high-end Chromebook is exciting. The only thing holding the Chromebook back with power users, besides Chrome OS’s incompatibility with traditional applications, is that they’re usually underpowered devices. The Chromebook Pixel could go a long way in increasing adoption among power users, especially with that glorious screen.

HP announced the Pavilion 14 Chromebook this morning as part of its “multiOS approach to offer customers more choices.” HP’s new Chromebook fits snugly between Samsung’s and Acer’s offerings with an attractive $329.99 price tag and competitive specs.

“Google’s Chrome OS is showing great appeal to a growing customer base,” said Kevin Frost, vice president and general manager, Consumer PCs, Printing and Personal Systems, HP. “With HP’s Chromebook, customers can get the best of the Google experience on a full-sized laptop—all backed up by our service and brand.”

If you choose to go with the HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook, you can look forward to the following specs:

Compared to the other Chromebooks from Acer and Samsung, HP’s Pavilion 14 is probably the second best available. The downside to that is the increased cost. It’s not as ludicrous as Samsung’s Chromebook 550, which retails for $450, but $330 may still be a bit too much for those looking for something super cheap like Acer’s $199 Chromebook.

Regardless, it’s good to see more OEMs experimenting with Google’s Chrome OS. That being said, Chromebooks still have yet to break into the mainstream, but that’s more the fault of the OS being closely tied to the Internet. As access to broadband becomes more widely available, expect the Chromebook to grow alongside it.

Google announced today that it’s partnering with DonorsChoose.org to offer $99 Chromebooks to classrooms across the country. Not just any Chromebook, however, as Google is offering its top of the line Samsung Series 5 Chromebook. The computer usually retails for $429, but teachers can now get the computer, management console and support for only $99 each.

Teachers have until December 21 to post their request for new Chromebooks on the DonorsChoose Web site. From there, people from all over the world can contribute money to help buy Chromebooks for the school in question. Teachers are limited to only 30 Chromebooks, but that should be enough for any classroom.

Helping to bring cheap computers to classrooms in need isn’t the only way Google is celebrating the holidays. The company is also paying tribute to Festivus in its search results. There are sure to be many more holiday themed easter eggs from the search engine as it gets closer to Christmas.