Google's Chromebooks are no-frills laptops. They're light, simple, fast and cheap.
They're not meant for business executives who rely on Microsoft's PowerPoint presentations, or video artists who use the Mac's suite of editing programs.
They're meant for people who use laptops for simple things - like email, surfing the net, watching videos, listening to music, and working on the odd word document.
If the kids need a computer to do their homework, or if the grandparents need a computer for email and simple web browsing, for example, they're perfect.
Chromebooks run on Google's pared-down operating system, which is based around the company's ecosystem of services, such as Gmail, Google Docs and Google Maps.
All these things require a steady internet connection, though, meaning Wi-Fi is the Chromebook's lifeblood.
Deprive it of internet, and it all but dies. While you can keep working on documents, for example, you won't be able to save them.
Documents, photos, music and movies are all online, too, meaning the Chromebooks themselves offer little on-board storage.
In Silicon Valley, where the Chromebook was thought up, there's plenty of public Wi-Fi around. In Australia, it's a slightly different story.
Take the Chromebook out of the house or the office here, and you'll be fortunate to find an internet connection.
Much like tablets, therefore, Chromebooks can't yet match the functionality of a traditional Windows or Mac computer. But they do the simple things well and are great as a secondary device.
And the price makes them attractive. Samsung offers one for $380, Acer's costs $400, and a Hewlett-Packard model costs $500.
The cheapest laptops running Microsoft Windows start at around $500, while Apple's models start at more than $1000.
