Jul 08

New Acer and ASUS netbooks not coming until the middle of August, says Digitimes report

Posted in: ASUS, intel, Laptops, netbooks, Today's Chili

ASUS’s newest netbooks may just be hitting the US market, but Digitimes is reporting that both Acer and ASUS are currently in somewhat of a holding pattern in regards to their new mini-laptops. The report says that both companies are holding off on releasing new netbooks until current inventory is depleted, and demand has built up for new models. Though the reasoning is hazy, it does seem this has something to do with holding off until Intel releases its dual core Atom N550 CPU during the third quarter as the price delta between it and the weaker N455 / N475 processors isn’t much. That would actually make a lot of sense considering most — including us — would certainly opt for faster netbooks with the dual-core action over the same old single core Atoms we’ve grown tired of. Either way, this would mark somewhat of a new strategy for the companies, which have, in the past, often added new models so quickly that choosing between them could be difficult. All we can say is, we shall see.

New Acer and ASUS netbooks not coming until the middle of August, says Digitimes report originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 07

Acer Aspire One D255 netbook packs Atom N550 processor, subdued appearance

Posted in: netbook, Today's Chili

It’s been less than a month since Acer rolled out its Aspire One D260 netbook at Computex, but it looks like the company already has a followup (of sorts) lined up in the form of the Aspire One D255. That netbook is apparently mostly identical to the D260 in terms of specs, with the notable exception of a brand new dual-core Atom N550 processor — a first for an Acer netbook. About the only other changes are some minor design tweaks that ditch the chrome accents and flake paint options found on the D260 — but don’t worry, that impossible to miss Aspire One logo on the lid is still there. No word on availability just yet, but we’re working to get that information out of Acer.

Acer Aspire One D255 netbook packs Atom N550 processor, subdued appearance originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 03:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 06

Gateway LT32 to hit retailers soon for $450

Posted in: Today's Chili
We’re not sure why Gateway’s waited so long to release the details and pricing on the LT32 — considering it’s pretty much a rebadge of the Acer Aspire One 721 we just reviewed — but lo and behold the HD-capable, 11.6-inch ultraportable will be hitting the street soon for $450. Just like the $430 Aspire One 721, the LT32 is powered by AMD’s 1.7GHz Athlon II Neo K125 CPU, runs Windows 7 Home Premium, and packs a 250GB hard drive and 2GB of RAM. It also has ATI Radeon HD 4225 integrated graphics, which as we saw on the recent Acers handles 1080p flash and local video like a champ. From the looks of things the LT32 also seems to have a similar chassis to the 721, so we’re not totally sure why you’d choose it over the Acer when it’s $20 more, but perhaps there’s just some Gateway diehards amongst us. Hit the break for the full release.

Continue reading Gateway LT32 to hit retailers soon for $450

Gateway LT32 to hit retailers soon for $450 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 01

Acer Aspire One 521 and 721 review

Posted in: AMD, ati, netbook, netbooks, review, Today's Chili, ultraportable
On the surface Acer’s 10.1-inch Aspire One 521 and 11.6-inch Aspire One 721 appear to be fairly run-of-the-mill netbooks — or ultraportables for those that are morally opposed to calling a laptop with a 11.6-inch display a netbook. They’re rather small machines, measure just about an inch thick, and ring up at under $430. But there’s a lot more than meets the eye with this Aspire One duo – instead of Intel Atom or ULV processors, both are powered by a new AMD 1.7GHz Athlon II Neo K125 processor and promise 1080p playback thanks to ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics. We’ve certainly been pumped about these two systems since their French debut, but fear of AMD’s usually poor battery life and scorching temperatures have been holding us back from all-out excitement. Do we have nothing to fear but fear itself? We’ve spent the last few days with these two systems, and will reveal all in our full review after the break.

Gallery: Acer Aspire One 521 and 721 review

Continue reading Acer Aspire One 521 and 721 review

Acer Aspire One 521 and 721 review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Jul 2010 11:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 29

Acer Aspire 1551 hits retailers with 1.5GHz dual-core Turion II CPU

Posted in: AMD, laptop, Laptops, netbook, netbooks, thin and light, Today's Chili

Looking for a netbook with a little more oomph, or perhaps a thin-and-light laptop that doesn’t break the bank? We’re not quite sure which category the Acer Aspire 1551-5448 falls under, but we reckon it’s liable to satisfy both camps with an 11.6-inch LED-backlit display and a 1.5GHz AMD Turion II Neo K625 CPU. Like the single-threaded Aspire 521 and 721 cousins we’ll be reviewing later this week, this dual-core machine sports a ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4225 GPU for stutter-free 1080p playback, and extra memory to boot. Here, Acer crammed 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 320GB hard drive, 802.11n WiFi, HDMI-out and a six-cell, five-hour battery into a package weighing just over three pounds. If you’ve got $550 to drop, there’s an Aspire 1551 with your name on it, available now practically wherever laptops are sold.

Acer Aspire 1551 hits retailers with 1.5GHz dual-core Turion II CPU originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 28

Acer’s updated Predator gaming desktop swoops down from the trees to decapitate the competition

Posted in: CoreI7, intel, NVIDIA, Today's Chili
Acer's updated Predator gaming desktop swoops down from the trees to decapitate the competition

When launched back in 2008, Acer’s Predator desktop was a mean gaming rig — and we don’t just mean because it had a tendency to actually set things on fire. We’re pretty sure the new, just announced revision of the desktop won’t suffer the same ailment, a non-customizable update that sports a 2.8GHz Core i7 930 CPU, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 GPU, 1.5TB of storage, 12GB of DDR3 RAM, and an asking price of one buck under $2,000. That’s a solid deal, and the new black and orange case design looks solid too, every bit as loud as old orange and black one. It’s just perfect for showing your opponents just how serious you are about your gaming, though we’re thinking it might have been even more popular if the Stanley Cup had gone the other way.

Acer’s updated Predator gaming desktop swoops down from the trees to decapitate the competition originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 07:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 23

Acer rolls out space-saving Aspire X3, M3 series desktops

Posted in: desktops, Today's Chili
Sure, you can get an eye-catching all-in-one desktop or tower, or an especially small form factor PC (or Mac), but we’re pretty sure there’s plenty of folks just looking for a simple black box. Of course, there’s not exactly any shortage of those, but Acer has now added a few more options with its new Aspire X3 and M3 series desktops, which it says are designed to be “efficient in form and function.” That means each are small, but not too small, and pack the mid-range specs you’d expect, including your choice of AMD or Intel processors (Athlon II, Phenom II, Core i3 or Pentium E6600), ATI HD 5450, NVIDIA GeForce 9200 or integrated Intel graphics, up to 1TB of storage on the X3 or 640GB on the M3 and, last but not least, an illuminated blue power button that ensures the desktop “can be found even in a dark cabinet.” Head on past the break for the complete press release, and look for the systems to be available at all the usual retailers immediately with a starting price of $449.99.

Continue reading Acer rolls out space-saving Aspire X3, M3 series desktops

Acer rolls out space-saving Aspire X3, M3 series desktops originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 05:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 22

Acer Aspire 8943G hits US retailers, less glorious laptops in tow

Posted in: laptop, Laptops, Today's Chili

Hoping to get your hot little hands on those brushed metal keys and gorgeous LED touchpad? You’re in luck, as the 18.4-inch Acer Aspire 8943G (aka Ethos) has finally arrived stateside. $1,549 buys you a 1.6GHz Core i7-720QM and 4GB of RAM, plus a 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850 and Blu-ray drive to power that 1080p LED-backlit screen.

If you’d rather not lug around a 10.1 pound desktop replacement, though, or if the 8943G’s a little too rich for your blood, Acer’s got some other machines that might better match your style. The Acer Aspire AS7745 and AS5745 — incremental updates to these puppies — bring home Core i5 and Core i7 processors, with the $1,399 17.3-inch AS7745G boasting Radeon HD 5650 graphics and Blu-ray while the $899 AS5745PG comes with a 15.6-inch multitouch screen. There’s even a budget lineup starting at $429 next month if you’re looking for a netbook alternative. No matter which you choose, you’ll find details in the press releases after the break… but since you know you really want that 8943G (see the gallery below) you might as well hit Amazon at our more coverage link. You didn’t need that rent money, right?

Gallery: Acer Aspire 8943G and 5943G hands-on


Continue reading Acer Aspire 8943G hits US retailers, less glorious laptops in tow

Acer Aspire 8943G hits US retailers, less glorious laptops in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 22

Acer Aspire Timeline X laptops arrive stateside sans ULV processors

Posted in: CoreI5, hands-on, laptop, Laptops, Today's Chili

Acer’s Timeline X laptops have been popping up around the world for over three months now, but the thin and light machines are finally making their way to this side of the globe, and we can only hope they’re as excited as we are. The machines all shun ULV processors for standard voltage Core i3 or i5 CPUs, yet each of the models still ring up at under a grand. They also span the entire size spectrum — there’s an 11.6-inch 1830T, 13.3-inch 3820T, 14-inch 4820T and lastly the 15.6-inch 5820T. However, despite their full-power CPUs and ATI Mobiltiy Radeon HD 5650 graphics options, all the models continue to measure less than an inch thick — yep, even the Aspire 5820T and the Aspire 4820T with onboard optical drives maintain rather trim measurements. While there are plenty of deals to be had, the $800 Aspire 4820TG with its Core i3 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and 320GB hard drive sounds mighty tempting. Yet, there’s also the $600 1830T with a Core i3 processor, 3GB of memory and 320GB of storage. We told you we were excited. These should be hitting retailers soon, but if you’re dying for some more details hit the break for the full press release or the gallery below for some hands-on shots we stole at Computex a few weeks back.

Gallery: Acer Timeline X hands-on

Continue reading Acer Aspire Timeline X laptops arrive stateside sans ULV processors

Acer Aspire Timeline X laptops arrive stateside sans ULV processors originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 19

Acer expects to overtake HP as world’s biggest laptop vendor by year’s end

Posted in: Android, desktop, desktops, HP, industry, laptop, Laptops, PC, sales, Today's Chili

Ah, the inexorable rise of a once-small Taiwanese company. Acer chairman JT Wang has told investors in a conference call this week that his company is on track to overtake HP in worldwide laptop shipments before the year is through. That assertion is backed up by Gartner’s data, cited in the Wall Street Journal, which indicates that Acer shipped 9.49 million mobile computers in the first quarter of 2010, just ahead of HP’s 9.47 million. Positive vibes are also being felt on the desktop front, where Acer aims to shift 10 million units this year, while a decent $15 million is being invested into “developing a a smartphone platform based on Google Inc.’s Android.” We’ll be curious to see whether this thrifty strategy pays off against HP’s ebullient $1.2 billion acquisition of Palm, but one thing’s for sure: PC vendors are hungry for some of that sweet smartphone pie.

Acer expects to overtake HP as world’s biggest laptop vendor by year’s end originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Jun 2010 08:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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