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Acer's Aspire One gets official
Just in case you're not already totally sick of all these tiny laptops, Acer's Aspire One is finally official. You saw our hands-on from the show floor at Computex, now the full specs: 8.9-inch 1024 x 600 LED-backlit display 1.6GHz Atom N270 512MB DDR2 SDRAM (expandable) 1.3 megapixel camera, SDHC and multi-format media readers 802.11b/g, Ethernet, three USB 2.0, VGA, and 3.5mm audio out One free mini PCI slot for WWAN 80GB hard drive (with XP) or 8GB solid state (with Linux) 2.5 or 5 hours on 3 or 6-cell batteries in XP model, 3 or 7 hours on Linux 1kg (2.2 pounds) It should be available overseas this month in blue or white (with black, red, and pink models coming soon), and supposedly US release later this year. At the outset you'll be ponying up £199 (~$400 US) for the Linux model, and £299 (~$600 US) for XP.[Thanks, Garry, via El Reg]
Acer's Aspire Predator gaming PC gets previewed
Look out, Alienware -- your fancy new Area-51 ALX has a carnivore hot on its trail. The Acer Aspire Predator, which was officially unveiled yesterday, has already found its way into the loving arms of Bit-Tech. Over there, folks were able to spend a good bit of time with the rig, snap a smattering of photos and dish out some initial impressions. There's some pretty interesting tidbits to be had (for example, every single part possesses its own bar code, the motherboard is a customized MSI nForce 780i SLI, etc.), so be sure and tap the read link to get their view on how this beast will likely shake out.[Thanks, Daren]
Acer Predator gaming rig: Faster. Deeper. Harder. Further.
Hey, that's Acer's overtly compensating tag line, not our take on this totally over-the-top gaming rig. Acer's new Aspire G7700 Predator desktop offers options such as an overclocking quad-core, Core 2 Extreme proc, up to 8GB of DDR2 800/1066 memory, and 3x NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX graphics cards kept in check by a liquid cooled core. It features what Acer calls a "world's first optical bay mechanism" revealing a pair of 5.25-inch drive bays which you can stuff with a DVD drive, Blu-ray/HD DVD drive or both. The box can be configured with up to 4x, 3.5-inch SATA hot-swappable hard drives (including 10k RPM raptors) with RAID support. No street date or pricing yet, but we've got plenty of pics in the gallery.%Gallery-23364%
Acer Aspire 8920 / 6920 Gemstone Blue laptops now available in North America
You already know full well what these buggers look like, and you've even had ample time to roll that 8920 review around in your noggin. Now, the moment of truth has arrived. Both of Acer's Gemstone Blue lappies -- the 16-inch Aspire 6920 and 18.4-inch Aspire 8920 -- are finally available in North America. Prospective buyers can snatch either up starting at $849 / $1,299, respectively, though real hardware junkies will insist on paying more for those high-brow components. Shamelessly, at that.
Acer's 18.4-inch Aspire 8920G laptop gets reviewed
First things first: just in case that headline didn't really sink in, this is an 18.4-inch laptop. In other words, those of you with even the slightest of back problems should probably just pass this one right on by. If you're still with us, however, you'll likely be totally engrossed by Laptop Mag's review of the Acer Aspire 8920G. The larger of the two second-gen Gemstones was said to feature a "gorgeous" Full HD display, impressive audio output, a respectable webcam and plenty of power under the hood. They also found the unique CineDash Media Console to be quite effective, save for accidentally activating the multimedia hub on occasion. Overall, critics deemed the lappie a "stellar" machine, but we'd certainly recommend browsing through the review just to make sure you're really interested in picking up a slab this gigantic.
More details on Acer's Eee PC-competing laptops trickle out
We'd already heard a few tantalizing details about Acer's forthcoming Eee PC competitors, but now thanks to some unspecified "sources at notebook ODMs" speaking to DigiTimes we have a few more tidbits on the low-cost laptops. If this latest report is to be believed, Acer will be shipping both the 8.9-inch Aspire and 12.1-inch Slim Gemstone Aspire in the second half of 2008, with at least the 8.9-incher unsurprisingly based on Intel's budget-friendly Atom processor. That model will also apparently be available with your choice of Linux or Windows XP, and your choice of SSD or regular hard drives (no word on capacities), with it setting you back between $300 and $450 depending on the configuration (that's a slight change from the $350 to $400 we heard earlier). Details on the 12.1-inch model are considerably lighter, unfortunately, although DigiTimes says that Acer ordered a million of the 12.1-inch panels in March, and that they cost between $40 to $50 less than other "high-end" panels of the same size. It also looks like Acer is trying to match Asus in the boasting department, with it reportedly declaring that it'll ship a hefty 5 to 5.5 million of the 8.9-inch models in the second half of 2008 alone.[Via Electronista]
Acer Aspire 6920 and 8920G hands-on
We got a good long look at those new Gemstone Blue notebooks from Acer, the Aspire 6920 (16-inch) and 8920G (18.4-inch). We can't say we're crazy about the "CineTouch" controls to the left of the keyboard, and both laptops -- while certainly thin for their class -- are still bulky enough to make our chiropractor take pause. That said, Acer is certainly working a lot more design polish into its product, and the specs are, as ever, quite lovable. Hit up the read links below for official PR from Acer.%Gallery-18228%Read - Aspire 6920Read - Aspire 8920G
Acer offers Ubuntu pre-load for kiwis
Well here you have it. After the rumors surfaced back in July, Acer is offering Ubuntu 7.10 as a pre-load on their 14.1-inch Aspire 4315-100508C model with 1,280 x 800 resolution, 1.86GHz Celeron M 540, 512MB memory, 80GB disk, and DVD optical drive. Better yet, the price is just NZ$699 -- that's $553 in US greenbacks. The offer appears to be good in New Zealand only for the moment. Toe dipping the consumer waters are we Acer?[Via Geekzone]
Acer intros "Panoramic" Aspire 7720-6844 laptop
We're not quite sure what makes Acer's new Aspire 7720-6844 any more "panoramic" than your average widescreen laptop, but that's not to say system should be ignored, with it boasting some pretty decent specs at a more than reasonable price point. That includes that aforementioned widescreen display (a glossy 17-incher), a Core 2 Duo Processor T5450 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS graphics, all of which comes wrapped in Acer's usual Gemstone design, as you can see above. If you think that's enough to get the job done for ya, you should be able to grab one of these right now from "select retailers" for $1,049.
Slew of Penryn laptops shown off from Acer, Sony and Fujitsu-Siemens
We already saw the Amilo Xi 2550 from Fujitsu-Siemens, but if you thought that was the only mobile Penryn-based lappie you'd see prior to January 6th, you've got another a few more things coming. Spotted over at Notebook Italia, we've got five new Acer Aspires (2920, 4920, 5920, 7720 and 9920), a pair of new Acer Travelmates (6492 and 6592G), a couple of Fujitsu-Siemens (the aforementioned Amilo Pi Amilo Xi 2550 and the 2428) and four new Sony VAIOs (FZ31, SZ71, CR31 and AR61) -- all of which will be housing that Penryn goodness when they launch. As you can imagine, there's far too many specs between the 13 new machines to cover in this space, but feel free to tag the links below for all the details on each.Read - Fujitsu-SiemensRead - Acer AspiresRead - Acer TravelmatesRead - Sony VAIOs
Acer's 23dB Aspire iDea media center specs revealed
There's one other notable on that Acer product sheet we peeped earlier: a new iDea media center. The specs go a little something like this: Vista Home Premium, Core 2 Duo T5500, 2GB memory, 500GB 7,200RPM SATA disk, DVD burner, NVIDIA MXM7600 GO graphics, dual MCE tuners, a wireless keyboard and mouse, 802.11b/g WiFi (shame, no Draft-n), and multi-format card reader all operating at just 23dB. A decent bump for their iDea lineup but nothing to get fussed about.
Acer's next Aspire desktops to sport Blu-ray and HD DVD players
You didn't think Acer's recent deal with the Blu-ray camp was an exclusive arrangement did you? No sir-e, not if this product sheet is to be believed. Though the details are hard to make out, those Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD logos make it pretty clear that the Aspire line-up of multimedia desktops are about to go both ways. The desktop will feature what Acer calls "Blu-ray Universal" which reads Blu-ray and HD DVD discs while burning DVDs and CDs. Sounds like an LG Super Multi Blue player to us. It's all said to be going down on October 1st, in Australia anyway. Do your best to make out the full specs in the images below.%Gallery-7617%[Thanks, Adam P.]
Acer's Aspire 5520 laptop looks suspiciously familiar
If you're checking out the new "Porsche designed" Acer Aspire 5520 and thinking it looks a little bit familiar -- take heart -- you've seen this guy before, when it was called the Gemstone. Apparently, Acer has axed the Gemstone's (AKA AS5920) Intel processor, dropped in an AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-58 (at 1.8GHz), and badged this baby up with a new number sequence. The system still rocks Vista (of course), features a 15.4-inch display, integrated NVIDIA GeForce 7000M graphics chipset, 1GB of RAM, a 120GB hard drive, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth, and an ExpressCard 54 slot. Although it seems like the 5520 has been kicking around for a bit, there's no word on price or availability (especially for the States).[Via AVING USA]
Acer's 4710 and 5920 Gemstones officially available in North America
Yeah, we already knew the 5920 was making its way out, but Acer has finally (read: officially) cast two new Gemstones into the North American market. As you so very well know, the 5920 offers up a 15.4-inch display and an HD DVD drive for high-definition film watching on the go, and the slightly smaller (14.1-inches for those counting) 4710 packs a Core 2 Duo processor, a Dolby-certified sound system, built-in CrystalEye webcam, and Vista Home Premium. 'Course, these two readily available machines are certainly geared toward very different budgets, and while you can snag an Aspire 4710 for a mere $599, the far more potent 5920 touts an entry fee of $1,999.[Via MobileWhack]
Acer's AS5920 Gemstone hits US retail
Acer has begun quietly introducing its Gemstone laptop to the US market by slipping the design-minded Aspire into Best Buy's retail catalog, thus marking the debut of the company's stylized new computer on these shores. The 5920, which we mentioned back in May, is officially on sale now at the chain stores for $1299 (but they'll want you to get that extended service plan too). To refresh your memory, the system is based on the seemingly-ubiquitous Santa Rosa chipset, with a Centrino Core 2 Duo turning the gears, a 15.4-inch, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT-powered display, an HD-DVD drive, and 802.11a/g/n. Other bells and whistles include Bluetooth, a 5-in-1 media reader, built-in webcam, and Acer's amazing V.92 high speed modem.[Via TGDaily]
Acer fleshes out Aspire / TravelMate portfolios
While Acer did make a quick stop to confirm that this Gemstone brouhaha was indeed becoming a reality, the firm has apparently gotten around to fleshing out the rest of its healthy Santa Rosa lineup. On the consumer side of things, the the Aspire 5720 touts a 15.4-inch CrystalBrite display, integrated CrystalEye webcam, Dolby Digital Live audio, and a choice of ATI graphics cards. The 7720 steps it up by packing more powerful Core 2 Duo processors, a 17-inch widescreen display, an ATI graphics card with up to 512MB of RAM, webcam, and an optional DVB-T tuner, while the 9920 takes things to the extreme with a 20-inch screen, NVIDIA's DX10-capable GeForce 8600M-GT, and an HD DVD drive to boot. Meanwhile, the TravelMates are also seeing updates, as the 6592 packs a Core 2 Duo CPU, 802.11a/b/g/n, dual-layer DVD burner or HD DVD drive, ATI's Mobility Radeon X2300-HD graphics, and a 15- or 15.4-inch display. The 6492 loses an inch of screen space, steps down to integrated X3100 graphics, but sports up to 8.5-hours of battery life with a secondary cell installed in the media bay, and the 6292 wraps things up with a 12.1-inch display, WiFi, ezDock II compatibility, and a lightweight design. No word just yet on pricing or availability, but at least you've got a smattering of choices on the Acer horizon to decide upon.Read - Acer TravelMate lineupRead - Acer Aspire lineup
Acer casts the first Gemstone, the Aspire 5920
Well, that must have been all the buzz Acer could take -- just a week after cryptically teasing the "Gemstone" concept and five days after "officially" unveiling the new design, it's announced the Core 2 Duo-powered Aspire 5920, the first machine to feature the new look. Acer's bizzare PR campaign notwithstanding, there's a lot here to distinguish the top-of-the-line 5920 from the rest of the thundering Santa Rosa herd: a 15.4-inch screen powered by 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M-GT graphics, Intel's Robson cache-to-flash technology, an HDMI port, an HD DVD drive, a DVB-T tuner, and Acer's Bluetooth VoIP phone, which charges when it's stored in the 5920's ExpressCard slot. No word on pricing or availability, but at the rate Acer's going, we wouldn't be surprised if they unveiled a new design concept to replace this one tomorrow.
Acer, BMW team up for Aspire laptop refresh
There's no need to fix it if nothing's broken, and apparently Acer isn't deviating from the lucrative automotive partnerships anytime soon. While the Ferrari lineup tends to cater to the high-end laptop buyer, the company has now partnered with BMW to provide stylish, automotive-inspired machines to "the average consumer." The team will collaborate to refresh the Aspire series (dubbed Gemstone), and while specifics aren't entirely clear, we do know that users can expect a curvaceous design and a dash of Santa Rosa under the hood. Additionally, the BMW lappies will offer up WiFi, Dolby surround sound, and HDMI, and there was even a hint of a 17-incher and an option for HD DVD. Best of all, it sounds like users will have a choice between an AMD or Intel processor, and although pricing information wasn't divulged, Acer did state that "no premium for the extra design work" would be tacked on.
Acer finally gets sucked into Sony battery recall
You've got to hand it to Acer for holding strong while lesser manufacturers folded in the face of cries over "consumer safety," but the Taiwanese giant has finally caved and issued a voluntary recall of about 27,000 Sony-made laptop batteries over eight months after Dell pulled back the first four million,and half a year following its initial consultations with Sony. Affected models include a slew of TravelMate and Aspire notebooks sold between May 2004 and November 2006, so Acer owners should hit the Read link to match up serial numbers -- and then shutdown immediately in favor of AC power if they do happen to sport one of the explosion-prone packs. As usual, the company will replace your battery for free as long as you visit the proper site or dial the toll-free blah blah blah...can we finally put this meme to bed already?
Acer Aspire L320 mini PC touts Viiv certification
Every time you think the Viiv hype is dying down, Acer brings it back up, as just a few months after kicking out the "world's first" Viiv-certified LCD TV, the firm is now unveiling its Aspire L320 mini PC with -- you guessed it -- a shiny Viiv sticker adorning its case. Hot on the heels of its xSeries displays, this machine sports a slim, silver / black case designed for living room placement, a variety of Intel Pentium processors, up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, up to 400GB of internal hard drive capacity, an Acer-branded digital / analog hybrid TV tuner, DVD writer, flash card reader, and a bevy of included ho hum software that you'll likely replace immediately upon bootup. Additionally, it sports 7.1-channel audio, Intel's GMA 3000 graphics set, VGA / DVI outputs, an option to add Windows Vista, FireWire, audio in / out, and a pair of USB 2.0 ports to round things out. No word just yet on price or availability, but this ought to be a fairly inexpensive alternative for those eying a very basic (and fairly attractive) pre-fab HTPC.[Via RegHardware]
