The Chrome OS ecosystem continues to get more diverse. LG has just announced the Chromebase, a 21.5-inch all-in-one PC that will join the various Chrome laptops and mini-desktops when it is released in 2014.

The form factor is different and the 21.5-inch, 1920×1080 display is larger, but otherwise the specifications of the Chromebase are nearly identical to most Chromebooks we've seen recently. It's powered by an unspecified Haswell-based Intel Celeron CPU, includes 2GB of RAM and a 16GB SSD, and has the integrated speakers you'd expect from an all-in-one. Ports include one Ethernet jack (whether 100 megabit or gigabit is not specified), three USB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.0 port, and an HDMI input in case you'd like to use the machine as a monitor. The fact that the screen is an IPS display makes this use case sound palatable.

The apparent absence of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is curious, but perhaps not crippling in a desktop computer. LG says the computer is "ideal for both personal and business use," but it seems especially well-suited to be an Internet kiosk or public workstation—cloud storage means users with Google accounts will see most of their data and apps no matter where they log in from, and Chrome OS devices are reasonably easy to secure and manage with Google's device management console. More capable operating systems like Windows and OS X are usually overkill for this sort of thing, so the idea of a Chrome-powered kiosk is appealing.

Pricing and availability have not been announced, but given the specs and the fact that Chrome OS usually lives on low-cost systems, we'd expect it to be relatively inexpensive. LG will have working units on the floor of its CES booth next month, and we'll get some hands-on time with the system there.