Google/ZDNET

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ZDNET's key takeaways

The new Googlebook looks promising, but questions remain to justify their cost.

Chromebooks had a clearly defined use case that reflected a real consumer need.

The brand I most expected to see was absent from Google's announcement.

Google just announced a new product line: the Googlebook, marketed as the successor to the Chromebook with more capable hardware and a compelling promise: the merging of Android and ChromeOS into something better.

This as-yet unnamed operating system has been cited as "AluminumOS" through various leaks , but has not yet been officially announced by Google. Details on the devices themselves are also sparse, but Google says they will be a more premium product with higher-end hardware.

Also: First look at Googlebook: A premium Chromebook alternative for Android users

So far, Google has shown off a limited set of features, but one of the primary is a re-imagining of the mouse cursor.…