Google opens pre-orders for $899 Googlebook laptops built around Gemini AI

Sept 21 (Reuters) - Alphabet's Google on Monday opened pre-orders for Googlebook, its new premium laptop category for Android users built around the company's Gemini AI tools.

Starting at $899, initial models from Acer, Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo will run on Intel or Qualcomm processors with up to 14 hours of battery life, the company said.

The launch comes as Apple moves deeper into lower-priced laptops with its $699 MacBook Neo, adding competition in a market where Chromebook makers have long targeted students and budget-conscious consumers on affordability and simplicity.

Googlebook extends that formula into premium laptops with more powerful hardware, AI features and tighter Android integration — Google's latest push for a flagship ChromeOS showcase after the Pixelbook in 2017 and Pixelbook Go in 2019.

The lineup includes Gemini tools that can help users draft and organize text, ask questions about content on their screens and resume tasks from an Android phone.

It is built on the Android technology stack paired with desktop foundations from ChromeOS, aiming to make switching between phones and computers more seamless.

(Reporting by Prathik Jayaprakash in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)