Google Launches PixelBook Laptop Embedded With its Services

(Bloomberg) -- Google unleashed a flurry of advanced gadgets on Wednesday, but the internet giant took time to announce a new take on an old-school device: a laptop called the PixelBook.

The Alphabet Inc. unit said the computer is 10 millimeters thick, making it one of the thinnest laptops on the market. It can fold over to turn into a tablet, has a 12.3-inch touchscreen, and a back-lit keyboard. The laptop runs on Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and comes with 16 gigabytes of RAM and up to 512 GB of storage, Google said. Its battery life is 10 hours and works with the Pixel phone's charger.

The new laptop integrates with Google services like Google Drive cloud storage and can automatically use a Pixel smartphone's cellular connection. The machine also has Google's voice-based Assistant built in. Google will also sell an optional $99 stylus for the laptop's touchscreen.

The new computer runs Android apps from the company's Google Play app store on small windows across the screen. That means popular mobile-focused services like Snapchat and Spotify will work on the device, Google said. The PixelBook starts at $999 and will be available in the U.S., U.K., and Canada beginning Oct. 31.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mark Gurman in San Francisco at mgurman1@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jillian Ward at jward56@bloomberg.net, Alistair Barr