Acer further bolsters Timeline lineup with new 8000 Series
By Donald Melanson 
posted July 30th 2009 3:31PM
posted July 30th 2009 3:31PM
It may seem like only yesterday (or a couple of months ago) that Acer was rolling out its very first Timeline laptops to much fanfare, but it's now already turned things around and kicked out a whole new addition to the line-up: the 8000 series. Apparently aimed at both business users and average folk, this one will be available in 13.3-, 14- and 15.6-inch variations, and pack the usual Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Solo ULV processors, 4GB or 8GB of RAM, a 160GB or 500GB hard drive (or even an 80GB Intel X25-M SSD, for those looking to go all out), and either some basic Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics or a ATI's 4330 dedicated GPU -- not to mention some bonuses like a multitouch trackpad and optional 3G (at a later date, it seems). No word on pricing or availability just yet, but it seems safe to bet that at least the entry-level models will be sub-$1000, if the current Timelines are any indication.
Nice, keep pricing in line with the current models and you've got some really nice low cost laptops there.
eeeeh, testing, did someone say 20" LCD notebook?
Meh.
Reminds me of a dell latitude
lookin good ... any word on whether they'll modify the keyboard into something usable, rather than the giant, hard-to-press flat plastic plates for ogre ham-fingers setup they've got now?
crossing my normal-sized, non-ham human fingers ...
2ghz core2duo plz! if it's that 1.4ghz i'm gonna scream!
It is the same processors as the other. Pentium SU2700, Core 2 Solo SU3500, or the Core 2 Duo SU9400.
scream.. yes babe scream
and there'll hopefully be an SU9600 as well
im waiting to see a 11.1" coming out next time.. no to 11.6
i don't do multimedia editing or video encoding so the extra battery life in the culvs compared to a core2duo is welcomed.
Yay! YAY! Yay!
I just want one with ATI graphics and a dual core processor. Get this to Canada before fall and you have yourself a sale Acer.
It does seem like Acer is already milking the Timeline series for all its worth. We are going to need a Timeline just to keep track of all these updates and spinoffs.
+1 to @massive_98's comment. i want this now now now!!!
They're already out in Germany and the first reviewers seem to be very pleased with what you get -- for a machine translated review of the 13 inch Core2Duo Modell, look here: http://translate.google.com/translate?prev=hp&hl=en&js=y&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.notebook-treff.de%2Fboard%2Ftechnik-allgemein%2Ferfahrungsberichte%2F8993-test-acer-travelmate-8371-944g32n%2F&sl=de&tl=en&history_state0=
oh and for pricing, the 13 incher has an official price of € 750 excl. VAT (~ USD 1050), street price is about 800 incl. VAT.
Read the whole thing (German speaker here) and it's pretty incredible what you get for the price. Performance is pretty OK, battery runtime 7 hours, for less than $1000, probably more like $800 in U.S. prices. Matte (!) display. So no DVD but in my book that's a bonus, and a version with optical drive will come out later.
All in all: Solid.
Nice. Go Acer!
With back to school season, it's safe to say people are able to choose what's best for them.
C2D timeline series? my ears just perked up alot, asus. we'll see if your build quality still leaves a lot to be desired
If this is a true successor to the 800 and 8000 "business" class travelmates, build quality would be awesome. I had both a 803 and a 8204. The rest of the Acer lineup had crap quality at the time, but these were a totally different class. The 803 still has the distinction of not having a single (even minor) flaw during the whole time I owned it. Like - nothing! No trackpad rattle. No slight screen flickering from time to time (UMBP 17 I am looking at you). The battery didn't die. It was perfect.
So the 8000 name has me excited. I hope they can be hackintoshed.
No HDMI... @@
I'm pretty sure Apple is going to turn around and come out with the new iPod touch right after that promotion is over.
what does that have to do with anything?
My last comment @ the "i"
I just got the 14 inch Timeline this week after reading a ton of reviews and absolutely love it. Battery life is 8 plus hours and performance is way better than my netbook. Even got it retail at Staples for $599. Movies over HDMI play perfect and Media Center works well. It's about as good of a deal as you can get nowadays for this price range. The LED backlit screen is pretty bright too.
@hawkeye1977 u mean the acer 4810T? i know its just been a day but whats the build quality like (does it really feel of lower standard as some reviews have claimed?)..i also read that the keys are a bit too slippery or sticky to accurately type with..
i've read so many reviews i'm wondering if having a core 2 solo with a good batt life (like the 4810T) is better than a core 2 duo with a crappy-poo batt life (read: 2 hrs). for a non-gamer/occasional photo-shopper/many-firefox-tab-opener, 1.3 ghz works i think.
no?
Yes, it's the 4810t and I'm writing this post on it now. I also have a 15" MacBook Pro unibody which was damaged last week bringing it out with some friends. I bought the 4810 for only $600 out the door at Staples so I didn't have to bring the Mac out like that any more. For the price I can't see ANY other laptop giving the value, features, performance, or battery life. First, the processor performance is great for general use and way better than the 2 netbooks I own (1.6Ghz atom with 2gb memory on both). Battery life is 8+ hours. It's great just turning it on and always having hours and hours of battery life. LED screen is bright enough for outdoor use, speakers are decent, HD webcam, multitouch trackpad (2 finger swipe left for browser back, right for browser forward, circle for scrolling down or up). Build quality isn't as good as the $2,500 MacBook but I wasn't expecting that. It is better than most of the other C2D laptops I've used at that price range though and it's way slimmer and lighter than I thought it would be. Run in to a Staples if you want to mess with it. It took me 6 stores in Chicago to find one with it in stock though but at least they have displays if you want to buy from Newegg or something. Keyboard is fine too. Yes the keys are shiny and a bit slippery but it doesn't cause any issues for me at all. Good luck.
I agree that this thing has no competition. It's amazing. Acer is going to sell zillions of those.
@hawkeye 1977: awesome! i am definitely becoming a fan of Core 2 Solo processors after reading reviews like yours :) I'm not in the US (in India actually) so can't pop into a Staples, but I did get a change to fiddle with one, so thats cool. thanx again
this is tight!!!
yes yes yes!
Yea
My first day back today, count me in!
Awesome, really hope I win this. Going into HS....
Great GiveAway.
wow
This would assist greatly in completing business research and more for obtaining my master.
hiiiii
one time!
Cool.
best of engadget
Me Please
Does anyone know when this is going to be released in the US? I'm int he market for a new laptop and I was prepared to purchase the Asus UL80vt, but I'm a bit worried about its build construction and the glossy palm rest is a turnoff. I purchased the Acer Timeline 4810t for my wife and I love it myself. If Acer is releasing the Timeline with an ATI GPU, I will pick this up in a heartbeat.