Hasta La Gadget!

Sometime near the middle of this year, we did manage to spend some hands-on time with the Acer Aspire R7, but it seems that said hybrid device is due for a refresh. Acer has just announced a new version of the Aspire R7, where it will sport the version number R7-572, while featuring Windows 8.1 installed right out of the box to get you started, apart from a slew of new additions. Acer claims that this new version of the 15.6”Aspire R7 will be accompanied by an Acer Active Pen, a stylus that is said to work well with the touchscreen gesture controls that can be found in Windows 8.1.

This active stylus will rely on electromagnetic induction technology where it can respond to different degrees of pressure sensitivity just like an actual pen, resulting in it delivering a greater range of pen strokes and more natural writing. Not only that, the new Acer Aspire R7 will be accompanied by a set of Acer Touch Tools apps which will include MemoryBinder, a photo app that Acer claims allows users to add paint brush effects to images, while letting them arrange photos in order for one to convey a story in an unbroken manner.

Expect the new Acer Aspire R7 to roll out in Europe, the Middle East and Africa sometime before the end of this year with a starting price point of 999 Euros. Hopefully the full hardware list will be revealed in due time, too. [Press Release]

Revamped Acer Aspire R7 Announced original content from Ubergizmo.

At a press event held today in New York, Acer unveiled the Aspire R7, a revolutionary 15.6-inch notebook that will redefine the touch and type computing experience. Featuring a Full HD 1920×1080 touch screen, the Acer R7 was made for the new computing lifestyle, which increasingly combines touching and typing. With a repositioned keyboard and a revolutionary “Ezel Hinge” that moves the display forward and into different positions, the R7 makes the combination of touching the screen and using the keyboard more intuitive and natural. Its ergonomic design allows users to explore and determine their own preferred way to interact with technology.

he Acer Aspire R7 was introduced today with other new products, including the Acer Aspire P3 Ultrabook, Acer Aspire V Series touch notebooks and Acer Iconia Android tablets. The new line of Acer mobile products highlights the company’s focus on redefining the computing experience through progressive design.

As Acer’s Exclusive Retail Partner, Best Buy Customers who Pre-Order Will Receive the new STAR TREK: THE VIDEO GAME for PC for Free
Available May 17th, consumers who place pre-orders with Best Buy between May 3 and May 16, 2013 will also receive a free download of STAR TREK: THE VIDEO GAME for PC as part of Acer’s marketing partnership campaign with Paramount for the upcoming film, “Star Trek Into Darkness,” opening on May 17, 2013.

The Acer Aspire R7 lets consumers transform their notebook into the shape that best delivers an immersive content experience based on their usage needs. With four modes of operation, the R7 can easily be used as a traditional notebook, a table top pad, a display, or switched into “Ezel” mode, allowing the screen to float over the keyboard at various angles. This allows users to work where they want and how they want — seated or standing, at a desk or with it on their lap. The Ezel Hinge makes it easy to switch the display around, to touch or type while creating, browsing or sharing content. Dual hinge technology allows for single-hand switching between modes and keeps the display rock-steady when touched.

1. Ezel Mode – Reach out and pull the display closer, eliminating the need to reach across the palm rest and keyboard to use the touch screen. Just pull it up and out where it can be positioned in front of the keyboard, or float over it. By pulling the display close, switching between touchscreen, keyboard and touchpad is seamless.
2. Notebook mode – Slide the display back behind the keyboard, and you have a powerful, full featured Windows 8 notebook computer with a 15.6-inch Full HD(1) 1920×1080 touchscreen display, an Intel Core i5 processor, 6GB of memory, a 500GB hard drive(2), a 24GB SSD(3) and a full-size backlit keyboard. It also includes a volume control button, HDMI port, SD card reader, audio jacks, three USB ports, WiFi, Bluetooth and a convenient converter port supporting VGA, RJ45 and USB.
3. Display Mode – Flip the screen over and it’s positioned perfectly for watching a movie, showing photos or giving a presentation. Sharing and collaborating is simple, enjoyable and straightforward. With Acer’s proven dual-torque design, the screen flips easily yet remains rigid when touched.
4. Pad Mode – Simply pull down the touchscreen and lay it on top of the keyboard with the face up, and the Aspire R7 morphs into a pad, without giving up the robust performance of a notebook. The ergonomic 4-degree tilting angle makes it perfect for browsing, writing or drawing. It’s ideal for pure touch interactions like casual gaming, browsing, drawing, annotating and more.

Premium Sound
Offering a superior audio visual experience, the R7’s powerful features and high-definition display are complemented by a premium sound system with Dolby Home Theater v4 and four 8 watt speakers. Because of its transformative design, the audio channels automatically reverse when switching modes, so sound is always perfect.

In addition, Acer also relocated the placement of the dual microphones from the traditional notebook layout. Instead of positioning them on the LCD bezel near the webcam, they are placed along the front of the notebook, just under the spacebar. This provides for the best voice sound quality, and enhances the aesthetics of the touchscreen by eliminating the need for holes in the bezel.

Premium Design
In a manner befitting its revolutionary design, the Aspire R7 includes a unibody aluminum chassis, a beautiful brushed metal hinge, and an arched cover with very subtle curves and lines. The bottom features a soft touch finish for a secure grip, making it easy to grasp and carry.
Even the keyboard placement was reconsidered in the new design. Repositioning it closer to the body in front of the chassis makes typing more comfortable and as efficient and as fluid as possible. The keys fall naturally under the fingers, eliminating the need to hold the arms out and over the palm rest and touch pad in order to type. The travel of the keys was also considered in the design, ensuring it is deep enough to provide a perceptible tactile response when typing, so that using the keyboard is just as enjoyable as touching the screen.

Availability and Pricing
Best Buy is Acer’s exclusive retail partner. The R7-571-6858 has a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of of $999.99 USD(4). It will be available in stores and online for shipping on May 17th. Pre-orders can be placed now at www.bestbuy.com. Additional models and specifications will be announced in the following weeks.

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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Acer just announced the Aspire R7, a strange hybrid of a desktop all-in-one, laptop, and a tablet that was previously teased in some promotional Star Trek commercials. It’s honestly really, really weird.

We always expected that Windows 8 would lead to some really strange convertible touchscreen devices, but the Aspire R7 is a whole new kind of crazy. The first thing you’ll notice about the Aspire R7 is that Acer seems to have forgotten how laptops are made. The trackpad sits behind the keyboard, which is a bit perplexing until you realize that Acer doesn’t really want you to use the trackpad at all.

That’s because the Aspire R7 has something called an Ezel hinge that gives the 15.6 touchscreen display an amazing degree of flexibility. You can lie the 15-inch, 1080p touchscreen display completely flat with the device, turning the Aspire R7 into an oversized tablet. You can also angle the display so that it sits flush with the keyboard and covers the trackpad completely. I’m honestly not sure why the trackpad is there in the first place.

As a whole, the Aspire R7 seems to be incredibly well built. It’s made of some type of aluminum-like material, and there’s virtually no flex to the device. On the other hand, it’s very large and very heavy, which means that it won’t be very portable. It’s probably one of the nicest pieces of hardware Acer has ever built. But I don’t know who would use something as crazy as this.

Other key specs for the R7 include:

• Intel Core i5 1.8GHz processor, with Turbo Boost to 2.7GHz
• 6GB Of DDR3 RAM
• 500GB SATA HD, paired with a 24GB SSD
• Intel HD Graphics 4000
• HD webcam with dual mics
• 2 USB 3, 1 USB 2 ports
• 5.3 lbs and 1.1-inches thin

Acer also announced the Aspire P3, an ultra book convertible with a detachable display, and the Iconia A1, a 7.9 inch Android tablet. But it’s the Aspire R7 that stole the show here. It’ll be available for sale exclusively at Best Buy retail locations starting May 17th, and can be pre-ordered now at the Best Buy online store for $999.

(and a friendly shout out to Stefan over at LaptopMemo, who was kind enough to let me borrow his camera for these shots)

When Acer plans a global press event, asking journalists to fly in from twelve time zones away, you know it’s going to announce more than just some back-to-school PCs. The company just announced the Aspire R7, a 15-inch laptop whose display sits on a flexible “Ezel” hinge, allowing it to be pushed up and back so that it lies nearly flat — yep, just like an all-in-one desktop. Similar to the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga line, too, you can flip the screen all the way back so that it faces away from the keyboard, a feature that seems especially well-suited for giving presentations.

In terms of specs, Acer is being a little cagey, but we have learned the R7 has a 15.6-inch, 1080p display with a choice of Core i5 and i7 processors. The whole thing weighs in the neighborhood of five and a half pounds. Also confirmed: it’s up for pre-order now for $999, available exclusively at Best Buy in the US. We’re told it will ship May 17th. In the meantime, we’ve got hands-on photos below, and we’ll very shortly be adding some first impressions after the break.

Filed under: Laptops, Acer

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