Jul 11

Packard Bell debuts updated ixtreme desktop PC

Posted in: desktop, Today's Chili

Packard Bell already rolled out its updated line of imedia desktop PCs earlier this month, and it’s now done the same with its higher-end “ixtreme” desktop, which gets some upgraded specs and a sleek new look. While that exterior is certainly a step up for Packard Bell, it’s not quite as eye-catching as the specs, which include your choice of Core i7, Core 2 Quad, or AMD Phenom II X4 processors, up to 12GB of DDR3 memory, a max 3TB of storage space, your choice of a few NVIDIA graphics options (including the 1GB GeForce GTS 250), an optional Blu-ray combo drive, and ten USB ports for anything that won’t fit inside. No word on a release ’round here, of course, but folks in the UK will be able to pick this one up this month with a starting price of £599 (or just under $1,000).

[Via Randomly Accessed, thanks Steve]

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Packard Bell debuts updated ixtreme desktop PC originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Jul 2009 04:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 07

CE-Oh no he didn’t! Part LXI: Acer chief says Japanese PC companies “the weakest today”

Posted in: hewlett-packard, HewlettPackard, HP, merger, sony, Today's Chili, Toshiba

We’re pretty sure we’ve heard Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci say PC industry consolidation resulting in fewer players and lower component prices would be a good thing before, but he dressed it with a side of smackdown today: speaking to the New York Times, he said that Toshiba and Sony’s PC businesses would the first targets, since “the Japanese for sure are the weakest today.” Ouch. It’s especially harsh since Sony just broke down and released its first netbook this morning after claiming that the low-cost machines were a downward spiral, but that wasn’t enough blood for Gianfranco: he also said that ASUS and Lenovo need to “think long and hard” about remaining independent companies. Yow — sounds like someone’s planning to do a little shopping, don’t you think?

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CE-Oh no he didn’t! Part LXI: Acer chief says Japanese PC companies “the weakest today” originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 07

Acer’s 11.6-inch Aspire Timeline 1810T: a netbook we can finally embrace?

Posted in: intel, netbook, Today's Chili

We’re doing our darnedest to keep our expectations in check, but it looks like the long, painful wait for a halfway potent netbook may be drawing to a close. With Windows 7 just months away, laptop makers are finally able to skirt around Microsoft’s Windows XP-netbook limitations in preparation for a better, more refined OS. The just-leaked Aspire Timeline 1810T, for example, shares the same chassis as the underpowered Aspire One 751, though the innards are similar to those found in the Timeline series. We’re talking an 11.6-inch display (1,366 x 768 resolution), Intel’s 1.4GHz ULV SU3500 processor, GMA 4500MHD graphics, hardware accelerated decoding of HD video, up to 4GB of RAM, an HDMI socket, gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, optional 3G / Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and an 8-hour battery. Naturally, this one is slated to ship with Vista Home Premium, but that free upgrade to Win7 makes said pill entirely easier to swallow. C’mon Acer — dish out the price and release date, won’tcha?

Continue reading Acer’s 11.6-inch Aspire Timeline 1810T: a netbook we can finally embrace?

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Acer’s 11.6-inch Aspire Timeline 1810T: a netbook we can finally embrace? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 03

Packard Bell imedia lineup gets an Acer-inspired refresh

Posted in: AMD, blu-ray, intel, NVIDIA, refresh, Today's Chili

Packard Bell recently overhauled its logo in an effort to keep up with the times, but are its offerings up to the same task? The new imedia lineup immediately recalls the recently announced M-series desktops from Acer, and that’s no accident. The innards are remarkably similar too, with the top models sporting Core 2 Quad or AMD Phenom II X4 processors, a 1.5GB GeForce GT230, HDMI out, Blu-Ray combo drive and a maximum of 8GB DDR3 memory and 1TB of storage. While none of the specs are on the blistering edge of innovation, there’s plenty of power there and keen pricing could make them an attractive proposition. The entry-level Celeron-based units start at £299 ($490) in the UK.

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Packard Bell imedia lineup gets an Acer-inspired refresh originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 28

Acer poised to beat Dell, become number two PC maker

Posted in: hewlett-packard, HewlettPackard, HP, laptop, Laptops, netbook, netbooks, sales, smartphone, Today's Chili

Interesting piece in the New York Times today about Acer — the company is about to ride the tidal wave of netbooks and other el-cheapo computers straight to the number two spot on the PC sales chart. That’s a big deal — no non-US company has ever made it so high — and it’s interesting that the strategies Acer took to get there are the same things Dell’s been trying to do lately: it’s heavy on low-cost, stylish laptops and netbooks, it keeps inventory extremely lean, and it relies on an extensive set of retail partnerships in Europe. What’s more, the Aspire One has been the best-selling netbook for a while now, and we’d say Acer’s way out in front of the CULV thin-and-light race with the Timeline — in fact, we’d say the only open question here is whether the company can take all this computing success and translate it to something worthwhile in the smartphone space. Based on what we’ve seen so far, we’ve got our doubts, but we’ll see what those super-secret Android sets look like before we place our bets.

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Acer poised to beat Dell, become number two PC maker originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 28

Acer introduces Aspire M5800 and M3800 desktops, H235H display

Posted in: LCD, Today's Chili

Acer’s been on a tear with the new gear lately, and while we’re not going to say we’re as hot for the new Aspire M5800 tower as we are for, say, the Timeline, it’s still a pretty nice little machine — you’re looking at a 2.66GHz Core 2 Quad with 8GB of RAM, 1.5GB GeForce GT230 graphics, a 740GB drive and HDMI out for $800. Not bad at all. Little brothers Aspire M3800 and X3810 are far less interesting, with a 2.5GHz Pentium and integrated X4500 graphics for $450 in a tower or $529 in a low-profile case. Not exactly mindblowing, but you’ve still got HDMI out, so they could make for reasonably cheap HTPCs if you don’t need much more than Flash support. Acer’s also got a new display out, the 23-inch H235H, which offers 1080p resolution, 2ms response time, a 160-degree viewing angle, and 100,000:1 contrast ratio for $239.

Gallery: Acer Aspire M5800, M3800, X3810, H235H

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Acer introduces Aspire M5800 and M3800 desktops, H235H display originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 28 Jun 2009 17:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 27

Acer Aspire One AO751h reviewed — sweet battery life, sad CPU marks

Posted in: laptop, Laptops, netbook, netbooks, review, Today's Chili

Acer’s 11.6-inch netbook — the Aspire One 751h — has been available Stateside since mid-May, and Laptop’s spent some quality time with it, delivering a full review. Overall, they found the nice, large screen to be welcoming, and the battery life (on their 6-cell configuration) was fantastic — clocking in at over seven hours. They were, however, pretty disappointed in the 1.22-GHz Intel Atom Z520 CPU, finding it to really slow the unit down. They note that other similarly priced models boast better processors, and might be a smarter choice. The Aspire One 751h runs $399 with a 3-cell battery, and $449 for the 6-cell version. Hit up the read link for the full review. One more shot after the break.

Continue reading Acer Aspire One AO751h reviewed — sweet battery life, sad CPU marks

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Acer Aspire One AO751h reviewed — sweet battery life, sad CPU marks originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Jun 2009 10:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 24

DeviceVM Ships SplashTop Linux Shell in Acer, Sony PCs

Posted in: sony, Today's Chili

splashtop.JPGAcer’s AspireRevo nettop and the Sony Vaio NW series notebooks will each use the DeviceVM SplashTop software, DeviceVM said Tuesday.

SplashTop is a quick-boot Linux shell that quickly allows access to surf the Web upon booting up. its higher-profile rival is probably Phoenix Technologies’ HyperSpace, which allows Web surfing as well as multimedia and basic office applications, and has won design wins with Acer, among others.SpalshTop’s counter to this is an argument that you can do all this within the browser.

DeviceVM claims that millions of PCs already ship with SplashTop installed; a list may be found here.

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Jun 23

Gateway’s AMD-packing LT3100 netbook unleashed

Posted in: AMD, netbook, Today's Chili

Last time we saw Gateway’s 11.6-inch LT3100 it was buried in a heap of other Acer / eMachines netbook reveals, including the Timeline. Now it’s gone official, and the big surprise here is that the self-proclaimed netbook is sporting a processor from AMD — you know, the company who has largely shunned netbooks while later looking to differentiate with the “ultra-portable” Athlon Neo processor. The 1.2GHz Athlon 64 L110 is what’s packed in here, in addition to integrated ATI Radeon X1270 graphics, WXGA resolution, up to 2GB RAM and 250GB HDD, card reader, 802.11b/g, webcam, three USB 2.0 port, and a 6-cell Li-ion battery. Not sure if it’s because they shied away from Atom or not, but instead of XP we’ve got Windows Vista Basic for the OS. Available in NightSky Black and Cherry Red, it should be out soon-ish with prices starting at $400.

Update: Now with even more officialness.

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Gateway’s AMD-packing LT3100 netbook unleashed originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 18

Tweetlog: Acer Aspire One (D250-1165)

Posted in: netbook, Today's Chili

Acer_Aspire_One_D250-1165.jpgIn the netbook market, Acer has a light and thin winner with the Aspire One (D250-1165) (http://tinyurl.com/nvl39j)

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