Think Google's ambitions to take over the laptop market with Chromebooks are over? Maybe the cloud-based notebook concept will be getting some fresh blood soon, as America's FCC-approval website reveals a Chrome OS-powered Sony Vaio model.
The recently declassified FCC listing for the Vaio VCC111 series features a number of photos, including one of a keyboard lacking a Windows button. It also has a copy of a user manual explaining how to use Chrome OS.
One can only take a guess at the specifications though-- a photo lists the processor as a "T25," so maybe it carries an Nvidia Tegra 250 T25 chip? If that is the case, the VCC111 will also be the first Chromebook to carry a non-Intel processor (other Chromebooks run on Atom processors).
Chromebooks were meant to be small and lightweight notebooks running on a modified version of the Chrome browser-- with the key idea being of the OS storing everything (including the actual user session) on the cloud. However the first Chromebook generation (from Acer and Samsung) failed to impress, while the OS lacked a built-in online storage system as well as general polish.
However some hopes remain for the OS-- Samsung is also releasing a second Chromebook (running on a Celeron processor) sometime this year, while Google is reportedly testing Chrome OS on Ivy Bridge processors