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Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook with Intel Core i7 can be yours now, SSD in tow
If we got your Spidey senses tingling when we put the Core i5 powered Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook through the wringer, you can now snag an i7 model. Need a quick refresher? The 13.3-inch beaut tips the scales at just about 3 pounds, awakes from naps with haste (in about two seconds) and features a 240GB SSD. Should you splurge for this speedy Intel Core i7 model, prepare yourself to part with $1,299. If you're looking to spend a little less -- it is the holidays, after all -- you can opt for the version we reviewed for a mere $899. Head on over to your favorite retailer to grab yours now, but don't go far without your charger... that battery life is nothing to write home about.
Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook review
Until now, Windows fans have had precious few alternatives to the MacBook Air. Sure, there's Samsung's Series 9, but just like the original Air, it's far from cheap. Since then, of course, Apple has cut the Air's starting price to $999, while the Windows options -- now marketed as Ultrabooks -- are about to mushroom in number. And so far, they're all starting in the (more reasonable) neighborhood of a thousand bucks, making these pinch-thin, long-lasting laptops accessible to the budget-conscious masses. Acer's Aspire S3 was the first to hit the market here in the States, and with an entry price of $899, it's currently the least expensive. That it's skinny (just 13mm thick, to be exact), should be a given, but it also claims to wake from sleep in two seconds flat and reconnect to known networks in two and a half. But, as the least pricey Ultrabook on the shelf, it also forgoes some specs you might have liked to see -- namely, all-flash storage and USB 3.0. But does that matter much when you're potentially saving hundreds of dollars? Let's find out. %Gallery-136411%
Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook hits the US and Canada this week, rings in at $899
And the Ultrabooks have arrived! We just got word that the Acer Aspire S3 will go on sale in the US and Canada this week for $899 -- making it the first pinch-thin, MacBook Air competitor to hit the market, landing ahead of competing models from Toshiba, Lenovo and ASUS. To recap, this 2.98-pound aluminum beaut has a 13.3-inch (1366 x 768) panel, is rated for six hours (or 50 standby days!) of battery life and promises to wake from sleep in a mere two seconds. For the money, you'll get an ultra low voltage Core i5 CPU, 4GB of RAM and 20GB of solid-state storage combined with a 320GB HDD. No word yet on how many additional configs will be available, though Acer did confirm that this $899 version will be followed by models with Core i3 and i7 processors and beefier storage capacity. Intrigued? Have a gander at our hands-on preview if you missed it the first time around, and find some fancy press shots below. %Gallery-135994%
Acer Aspire One 522 and 722 hit the gym with faster processors and beefier graphics
Acer's Aspire One 522 and 722 were among the first netbooks to pack AMD's Fusion Ontario APU, debuting with the 1GHz C-50 model and its built-in Radeon HD 6250 graphics inside. However, Acer wanted to outfit both with some new silicon on the sly, and now each can be had with a 1GHz (with turbo boost up to 1.33GHz) C-60 APU packing upgraded Radeon 6290 graphics. The catch? Those aspiring for one with the upgraded internals must cross the pond to grand Europa, as the powered-up pair isn't available in the US. What gives, Acer?
Acer Aspire Ultrabook S3 hands-on (update: video!)
If you haven't heard, Acer's gone and (officially) jumped on the Ultrabook bandwagon, announcing the 13mm-thin Aspire S3. We're here live at IFA in Berlin and just got some much-anticipated hands-on time. At the press conference that just wrapped, we were treated to a raft of promises -- seven-hour battery life, 1.5 seconds to resume from sleep, two to connect to a wireless network and "no compromise" performance courtesy of ultra low voltage Core i3, i5 and i7 processors. So did our first impression come anywhere near matching the hype? Read on to find out. %Gallery-132465%
Acer's Ultrabook S3 up for pre-order on Italian site, is this the Aspire 3951?
We caught a sneak peek of Acer's Aspire 3951 Ultrabook in the wild a few days ago, and now we have some unofficial specs and pricing to complement the svelte laptop. A report over on Notebook Italia points to an Italian retailer's live pre-order page for an Ultrabook S3 -- naming that matches the Aspire S branding on the company's IFA booth. The notebook, listed as retailing for around 786 euros (or $1,133), is purported to include a Core i5 processor, 4GB RAM, 320GB of storage and an additional 20GB SSD. Much has been made of ASUS' and Intel's desire to hit the Ultrabook market at a sub-$1000 price point and, currency conversion aside, it's looking like Acer could also hit that target for its planned 13.3- and 11-inch ultraportables. With the Taiwanese electronics maker's official IFA presentation just two days away, expect to get the full skinny on these anorexic notebook entries.
Acer Aspire 3951 photos leaked, new Ultrabooks to launch in September
We don't mind eyeballing a few impossibly clean renders when we get wind of a new toy, but there's nothing like the real McCoy. Today's bones slipped out of a (now pulled) HDblog hands-on of the Acer Aspire 3951 Ultrabook, possibly leaked ahead of an IFA 2011 embargo. The genuine article looks nearly identical to its rendered counterpart, albeit a bit thicker and more plasticky. The unveiled 13.3-inch MacBook Air competitor reportedly sports a second generation Intel Core processor, boots from sleep in under two seconds, and is only 13mm thick. The price? While there is no official word on this exact model, Acer head-honcho JT Wang mentioned last week that the outfit was prepping to launch a new Ultrabook in September for about $800. Lines up nicely with the Acer 3951's rumored $770-960 price range, doesn't it?
Acer's Aspire 3951 leaks with MacBook Air-like specs, available in October?
It looks like Acer may be dropping down to the lightweight laptop division, now that images of its so-called Aspire 3951 have leaked out of Vietnam. An ostensible rival to the recently refreshed MacBook Air, the 13.3-inch 3951 reportedly boasts a similarly slim design, measuring 13mm thick and weighing less than 1.4 kilograms (about three pounds). According to Sohoa, the aluminum-cased device is powered by a second generation Intel Core processor, features an optional 160GB SSD, and offers more than six hours of battery life, along with Bluetooth 4.0 support. Much like the Air, this Aspire can purportedly boot up pretty fast, as well, rousing from sleep mode in just 1.7 seconds. It's rumored that Acer will release this new line in October within the curiously affordable price range between $770 and $960, but we'll have to wait and see whether that actually comes to fruition. In the meantime, you can check out an extra image of the Aspire 3951 below, or hit the source link for the full collection. [Thanks, @tranquochuyvn] Update: Oddly enough, it appears that we've caught a glimpse of this exact same laptop before, except it was portrayed by M.I.C. Gadget as a Thunderbolt MacBook Air leak. Perhaps the folks received some bad intel, be it intentional or not.
Acer Iconia Tab A100 finally available in August for $300
It's been a long and twisted road for Acer's 7-inch Honeycomb tablet, but after all the starts and stops, we've finally got an ETA for the Iconia Tab A100. According to an email sent out to Acer retail partners today, the slab should land in stores sometime in early August with a suggested price tag of $300. The Tegra 2-powered device was originally slated for a mid-May launch, but was reportedly held up by Honeycomb compatibility issues. Also arriving early August, is a pair of new Aspire notebooks: the 15.6-inch 5750Z and the 17.3-inch 7739Z, ringing in at $475 a piece. Both laptops rock 4GB of DDR3 RAM (upgradable to 8GB), 500GB of storage, and Intel Pentium processors. Given the extra three months Acer's had to get the Iconia Tab A100 to market, that Honeycomb better taste extra sweet when it finally makes its debut. [Thanks, Anon]
Acer debuts WiDi-equipped Aspire 5755 laptop
Intent on buying a new Acer laptop but not satisfied with the just-announced TravelMate 8481 thin-and-light? Then perhaps you'll find the company's new and slightly larger Aspire 5755 model more to your taste. This one packs a 15.6-inch display with a rather lowly 1366 x 768 resolution, but it at least boasts some built-in WiDi so you can easily view movies (or anything else) on a larger display without the need for any pesky cables. Otherwise, you'll get your choice of Intel Core processors (up to a Core i7-2820QM), up to 8GB of RAM and a maximum 1TB of storage, NVIDIA's Optimus-enabled GeForce GT 540M graphics, and either a Blu-ray or basic DVD drive -- all for a starting price of £899 (or roughly $1,440). Still no word on a North American release, but this one's available in the UK right now.
Acer unveils two new Aspire Ethos laptops for multimedia enthusiasts, street fighters
It's been more than a year since Acer first launched its Aspire Ethos line of laptops -- a family that got a bit bigger today, with the announcement of the 8951G and 5951G. These rambunctious little extroverts are powered by the latest generation of Intel's Core i processors, offering Turbo Boost speeds of up to 3.4GHz. Big bro 8951G boasts a 18.4-inch display that transmits images in Full HD, 1920 x 1080 resolution and 220-nit brightness, while spunky little 5951G struts around with a 15.6-inch HD 1366 x 768 screen of its own. They also support NVIDIA GeForce GT500 and DirectX 11 graphics and sport Dolby-approved surround sound, aluminum-magnesium alloy shells, glossy matte finishes and back-lit chiclet keyboards. Acer plans to unleash the pair sometime in mid-June, though they won't come for cheap, with prices starting at £1,000 (about $1,643). Aspiring owners can find more information in the full PR, after the break.
Acer announces redesigned Aspire TimelineX Series laptops, prices start at $599
If Acer's current Aspire TimelineX notebooks look a little too dull for your tastes, have a peek at that industrial-looking number in the picture above. The company just redesigned its line of skinny laptops, and refreshed them with Sandy Bridge processors while it was at it. The 13.1-inch 3830T, 14-inch 4830T, and 15.6-inch 5830T all have that two-tone aluminum design (also available in black), along with USB 3.0, a choice of Core i3 and Core i5 CPUs, and Acer's clear.fi software for sharing media among DLNA devices. The 14- and 15.6-inch versions have onboard optical drives and number pads, and, on select models, you can choose a discrete NVIDIA GeForce GT520M or GT540M card. However, the screen resolution is going to be 1366 x 768 regardless of which you pick. The 3830T, 4830T, and 5830T are available now, starting at $799, $699, and $599, respectively, and you can find specs for a handful of models after the break. %Gallery-125362% %Gallery-125345%
Acer Aspire Z5763 all-in-one comes with 3D screen, promises Kinect-like gesture control over movies
Sure, it may look just like any of Acer's other all-in-one desktops, but this one's got a few tricks up its sleeves -- the Acer Aspire Z5763 spits out stereoscopic 3D images to a set of NVIDIA 3D Vision specs, and uses its 2 megapixel webcam for a Kinect-like gesture recognition system that Acer's calling "AirControl." As you'll probably know if you've recently spent any time considering a 3D-ready computer, that means it's got a 23-inch, 120Hz LCD screen that displays content at 1080p, and here you'll find it accompanied by Intel's latest Sandy Bridge processors, NVIDIA GeForce GT 440 or 435M graphics, a Blu-ray drive, up to 2TB of storage and 16GB of DDR3 memory, as well as built-in stereo speakers with several flavors of virtual surround sound, an optional TV tuner and loads of connectivity. What you won't find is any pricing or availability for the USA, but if you're living in merry old England you can pick up the rig next month for £999 (about $1,650).
Acer Aspire AS5745 and AS7745 pick up NVIDIA Optimus, Aspire AS5742G nabs some 3D Vision
You know who may have been a bit inspired by NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang's GPU muscle? Acer! Okay, that's not exactly what happened, but Acer does have quite a few new laptops that tap the graphics-chip maker's latest. First up are the 15.6-inch AS5742G and 17.3-inch AS7745, which still have the same design and Intel Core 2010 CPU options as the previous models, but now have the brand spankin' new GeForce 400M GPUs along with Optimus technology for automatically switching between the integrated and discrete graphics options. Both will be available for less than $800, though there's no word on exact availability of the mainstream machines. Those a bit too 2D for ya? There's also the Core i5-powered, GeForce GT 420M-packing Aspire AS5745DG, which is one of the first machines to have NVIDIA's updated 3D Vision. The IR receiver is integrated into the 120Hz LCD's bezel and it supports 3DTV Play, which lets you reap the laptop's 3D benefits on a larger 3DTV. For $1,000 (active shutter glasses included!) that's not a bad deal, but don't get too excited about ordering one today -- it'll hit e-tailers in late October. Oh, and there's one more! The 18.4-inch Aspire AS8943G has been updated with a Core i7 quad-core processor, 8GB of RAM and ATI's newest Mobility Radeon 5850 graphics for $1,499.99. That's a lot to digest, but hit the break for the press release if you're up for even more details on all the new rigs. %Gallery-103380%
Acer Aspire 1551 hits retailers with 1.5GHz dual-core Turion II CPU
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 rolls out space-saving Aspire X3, M3 series desktops
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.
Acer Aspire 8943G hits US retailers, less glorious laptops in tow
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-94344%
Acer launches 11.6-inch Aspire Timeline 1825PT netvertible
If you've suddenly found yourself torn between a tablet and netbook, Acer wants you to know you're not alone. It also wants you to know there are options, one of which would benefit said company's bottom line should you choose to accept. The new Aspire Timeline 1825PT is an 11.6-inch netvertible at heart, boasting a swivel-screen multitouch panel (1,366 x 768 resolution), up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a 1.3GHz Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor, integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics, HDMI / VGA outputs, a 250GB or 320GB hard drive, integrated media card slot, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, a VGA webcam, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, gigabit Ethernet and a 6-cell battery that can reportedly last up to eight solid hours under ideal conditions (read: no chance). There's even a multitouch trackpad and gobs of bloatware to really cap things off, with color options including diamond black, sapphire blue and ruby red -- all of which sound seductively awesome. A 64-bit copy of Windows 7 Home Premium gets you going, but it'll take at least £599.99 ($886) to get one headed your way.
Acer Aspire 5553G showcases AMD's quad-core Phenom II N930 in early review
As with most good things, this comes from Bulgaria. Laptop.bg have finagled themselves a prototype unit of Acer's forthcoming Aspire 5553G and taken it on a benchmarking adventure to see what it's made of. Their first impressions relate to the case, which comes in a familiar Timeline-inspired design, including a fingerprint-loving glossy lid and Acer's particular take on the island keyboard, but they quickly move on to analyzing the quad-core Phenom II N930 heart beating within. Sadly, this particular unit was held back in gaming by its anemic Mobility Radeon HD 4250 GPU, but the news wasn't all that flattering in CPU-isolating comparisons either. Cinebench 10 found the N930 outperforming Intel's previous generation chips in multicore workloads, but falling behind on single-threaded tasks. AMD seems intent on pricing its latest Phenoms aggressively, and if you're not too hung up on getting great battery life these will look appealing, but we can't help feeling disappointed that Intel's Core i7s aren't being given more to worry about. Hit the source for the full review.
Acer Aspire 5551G, 5553G and 7551G keep the Phenom II X3 and X4 leaks flowing
Ah, now we get it. Clearly AMD has a few mobile chips in the backroom that it has yet to inform us about, and unfortunately for the fine folks in Sunnyvale, it seems as if their partner firms aren't being quite so hush-hush. Just hours after discovering a quad-core Phenom II X4 within Dell's new Inspiron M501R, along comes a spate of Acer Aspire machines with -- you guessed it -- Phenom II X4 and X3 chips within. The 15.6-inch 5551G / 5553G and 17.3-inch 7551G are all listed now at Amazon's German portal, with the X3 N830 clocked at 2.1GHz and the X4 N930 chip humming along at an even 2GHz. The cheapest of the bunch is listed at right around €668 ($870), though you'll have to dig into that source link for specifics. Fret not -- we get the impression that each of these will be headed stateside just as soon as AMD sees fit to officially unveil its not-so-secret stash of new silicon. [Thanks, TheLostSwede]
