Many of the participants of the Chrome Pilot program today received an email granting them early access to purchase a Samsung Chromebook Series 5. It is for sale at Gilt.com but as of right now, with a sticker price of $499.00. It currently only comes in Artic white, and comes with a custom chrome sleeve (not really that nice). As of right now, only people that participated in the Chrome Pilot program are eligible, which to me makes no sense, because if you already have a Chromebook (and know that it is not as powerful as a full featured laptop), then why would you buy a $500 laptop? I am not sure why Google is doing this, but it is a slap in the face to the people who applied to the chrome pilot program and didn’t get one.

Here are the specs on the Samsung 5 Series:

With your Chromebook order from Gilt, you’ll also receive a limited-edition Chromebook sleeve designed by Rickshaw. Sleeve will be shipped separately.

• 12.1″ (1280×800) Display
• 3.26 lbs / 1.48 kg
• Up to 8.5 hours of continuous usage*
• Intel Dual-Core Processor
• Built in dual-band Wi-Fi and World-mode 3G**
• HD Webcam
• 2 USB 2.0 ports
• 4-in-1 memory card slot
• Mini-VGA port
• Fullsize Chrome keyboard
• Oversized, fully-clickable trackpad

*Engineering specs can change without prior notice. Battery times are estimates, depend on lots of different factors, and may decline over time.

**All Chromebook Series 5 3G models include up to 100MB per month of Mobile Broadband service included with device for 2 years, provided by Verizon. Also available are an unlimited day pass for just $9.99 and pay-as-you-go rates that don’t require any long-term contracts.

Brand: Samsung

Color: arctic white

Here is the email that was sent out:

Be the first to get a Chromebook.
Since we announced the Chrome Notebook Pilot Program back in December, we’ve been humbled by the amount of interest that we’ve received from users like you.We’re excited about the brand-new Samsung Chromebook that goes on sale on June 15. Fortunately, we’ve managed to get our hands on a few machines a little earlier, and we’d like to make these available to you, our biggest enthusiasts.When you buy your Chromebook, you’ll also be getting a limited edition, custom-fit Chrome sleeve designed by Rickshaw so you can carry your new Chromebook in style.

Our good friends over at Gilt, the premier invitation-only shopping site, have agreed to put these Chromebooks up for sale — but only for a very limited time.

Click here to join the sale on Wednesday, June 1 at 9:00 am PT / 12:00 pm ET.

*Remember, you must use this email — [email protected] — to access the sale.

And, if you were curious, below is what the sleeve looks like. Not the most expensive looking sleeve I have seen if I do say so myself..