HP-Google Chromebook sales paused after overheating complaints

New York: Search engine giant Google and PC maker Hewlett-Packard (HP) have paused sales of Chromebook 11 due to reports of some chargers getting damaged due to overheating. Chromebooks are laptops powered by Google’s Chrome OS operating system. HP’s Chromebook 11 was introduced globally last month eyeing the holiday season demand. “Google and HP are pausing sales of the HP Chromebook 11 after receiving a small number of user reports that some chargers included with the device have been damaged due to overheating during use,” Google VP (Product Management) Caesar Sengupta said on the official Chrome blog. [caption id=“attachment_1235959” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Chromebooks[/caption] In the meantime, customers who have purchased an HP Chromebook 11 should not use the original charger provided with the product, he added. It is, however, not clear whether Chromebook 11s, which have been sold in India are also facing the same problem. HP Chromebooks start at around USD 299 in the US, while Chromebook 14 is available in India for Rs 26,990. Google said it is working on rectifying the problem. “We are working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to identify the appropriate corrective action, and will provide additional information and instructions as soon as we can,” Sengupta said. In the interim, customers may continue using their HP Chromebook 11 with any other Underwriters Laboratories-listed micro-USB charger, for example one provided with a tablet or smartphone, he added. PTI