Not sure how this can be viewed as anything other than a beta for a tablet OS which happens to have a keyboard. I seriously doubt that Google is suddenly entering the hardware market for anything other than a vehicle to deliver beta software prior to HW manufacturers coming up to speed. This is the same approach taken with the Nexus One but with a bigger screen running Chrome instead of Android. I can see that the upcoming tablets are expected to run some version of Android, but Google must see the need for an alternative OS on tablets, hence Chrome. And, since the unit seems extremely basic, it was an inexpensive way to get a portable unit into testers' hands without enlisting Motorola or HTC.
So, I wouldn't focus any serious consideration on the hardware itself...the OS and its reliance on connectivity to the 'cloud' is the issue.
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Not sure how this can be viewed as anything other than a beta for a tablet OS which happens to have a keyboard. I seriously doubt that Google is suddenly entering the hardware market for anything other than a vehicle to deliver beta software prior to HW manufacturers coming up to speed. This is the same approach taken with the Nexus One but with a bigger screen running Chrome instead of Android. I can see that the upcoming tablets are expected to run some version of Android, but Google must see the need for an alternative OS on tablets, hence Chrome. And, since the unit seems extremely basic, it was an inexpensive way to get a portable unit into testers' hands without enlisting Motorola or HTC. So, I wouldn't focus any serious consideration on the hardware itself...the OS and its reliance on connectivity to the 'cloud' is the issue.