Google I/O Conference 2013 LIVE: Google Pixel Giveaway, Every Attendee Gets A Free Chromebook

Google I/O has become notorious for its developer giveaways. Attendees receive hundreds of dollars of free stuff and are often able to defray if not entirely recoup the cost of their tickets.  In 2012 Google gave away a staggering $1,176 worth of free hardware including the Nexus 7 tablet, Nexus Q, Galaxy Nexus phone and Chromebox. The giveaway is received by developers, the press and invited guests. It’s easy to see why Google does it, they get a lot of goodwill for it.

This year Google will be providing all attendees with the Chromebook Pixel. “Do you guys have any idea why we’re talking about this again? Why we’ve got a picture of it on the screen?” asked Sundar Pichai before announcing that the audience would all be getting one. Here are the specs of the free toy:

Tech Specs

Screen

12.85" display with a 3:2 aspect ratio 2560 x 1700, at 239 PPI 400 nit screen 178° extra-wide viewing angle

Inputs

Multi-touch screen Backlit Chrome keyboard Fully clickable, etched-glass trackpad

HD Webcam

Ports

2 x USB 2.0 mini display port 2-in-1 card reader supporting: SD, MMC

Industrial Design

Active cooling with no visible vents Machined from anodized aluminum ENERGY STAR® certified

Size

297.7 x 224.6 x 16.2 mm

Weight

3.35 lbs / 1.52 kg

CPU

Intel® Core™ i5 Processor (Dual Core 1.8GHz) Intel® HD Graphics 4000 (Integrated)

Memory

4 GB DDR3 RAM 32 GB Solid State Drive*

Audio

Headphone/microphone jack Built-in microphone array Integrated DSP for noise cancellation Powerful speakers tuned for clarity

Battery

Up to 5 hours of active use (59 Wh battery)*

Network

Dual-band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2x2

Bluetooth 3.0™

Goodies

1 TB of Google Drive Cloud Storage for 3 years* 12 free sessions of GoGo® Inflight Internet

The Chromebook Pixel retails at $1,299, so it already surpasses what attendees got last year. It’s possible that additional hardware may be handed out depending in the following days.

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