Another great thing came out of Google I/O last month, the almighty announcement that Chromebooks were going to receive Android apps! With the news meaning happiness for many, not all Chromebook users will be able to experience the adaptation, as only select models will get the addition. As an Asus Chromebook C300 owner, I am currently one of the sad ones, wondering when I might get the opportunity to use my favorite photo collage apps on my notebook. If you are happen to be an Asus Chromebook Flip owner, you are the first lucky winner to step right up! The Chromebook Flip is not only getting raving reviews, from its 360 design to its good amount of storage and RAM. As some Chromebooks lack in these areas, this Chromebook seems to be a good amount of bang for its buck.

First of all, owning a Chromebook will always mean you are making a few sacrifices in hardware, software, and power, yet for more and more consumers, living off of Chrome OS and cloud computing is A-OKAY. This new Chromebook Flip from Asus is a 10.1-inch device, sporting a 1280 x 800 IPS multi-touchscreen. That display is nothing to call home about, but with the exception of the Chromebook Pixel, most of these simple machines have about the same pixelization. One of the reasons we are loving the Flip is, because like many Chromebooks, whose operating system is so incredibly simple and light, battery life is significantly long. I remember the first time I opened my personal Asus Chromebook. I used it intermittently for three days at full brightness without having to recharge. The Flip, which is going to give you a good 9 hours of use at full brightness, means you could take this thing to work with you and use it for presentations, to share videos with others, or to get your workload complete for the day.

A quick list of other specs include: a stylish metal chassis, HD camera, ASUS touch-sensor technology for a more accurate and responsive display, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, a high-quality keyboard and “extra-spacious touchpad” (multiple reviewers have argued the touchpad to not be big enough for larger hands), plus a Rockchip 1.8GHz CPU, 2 to 4GB RAM, and 16GB of eMMC flash storage.

Since the Asus Chromebook Flip does do the 360 degree “flip”, there are many ways you can do your work plus enjoy media or presentations on this thing. It, like many hybrid and convertible devices, can bend all the way onto itself for tablet mode, can bend 45 degrees for tent mode and stand mode, as well as its normal laptop positions. As stated by Asus, notebooks like this are ideal for “communicating, sharing, and playing the way you want!”.

Speaking of playing, the big news for the Flip is that it’s the first to be Android app-ready! This is what I should’ve been talking about from the beginning! PC World claims the addition could be be responsible for completely transforming your Asus Chromebook into an entirely new device. Gaining access to Google Play, browsing the store and installing apps, then experiencing a far more entertaining and productive device is just some easy clicks away. Mashable says installing the Developer channel is easy enough that anyone can do it, yet, it’s not the stable version yet, so we’re still waiting on that. A complete list of steps are on Google’s Chromebook support page. So, if this happens to be the Chromebook you own, lucky you! You get the apps NOW! Me, I’m just going to sit here and rot until my device model is compatible.