Google to offer Chromebook free trials on Virgin America flights

Google on Thursday announced that it is teaming up with Virgin America to offer passengers in- flight trials of its cloud-based Chromebook computers for free. From July 1 through September 30, passengers fly Virgin America between San Francisco and Chicago O'Hare, Dallas-Fort Worth or Boston can check out a Chromebook for free in the "Chrome Zone" near their departure gates and get free Wi-Fi in the terminal and onboard, said Google in a blog post. Passengers will have to provide their credit card information for deposit purposes and the Chromebooks can be returned at their destination gate. Meanwhile, Google is also partnering with the Ace Hotel in New York to offer Chromebooks in hotel guests' rooms. Google unveiled Chromebook in May, a series of laptop computers based on its Chrome operating system. Users' applications, documents and setting will be stored in "the cloud," which allows users to always have access to their personal things on any Chromebooks they log into. Google has been partnering with Virgin America since 2009 to offer passengers free in-flight WiFi around the holidays.