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Acer launches budget 64-bit Aspire 3103 WLCi laptop
It seems Acer is letting the rubber cool just a bit on its feverish Ferrari releases, and looking to add another (relatively) run-of-the-mill option to the long standing Aspire lineup with the 3103 WLCi. While certainly not as potent (or ginormous) as the 20-inch Aspire 9800, Acer is apparently aiming for the value-conscious crowd with this offering. Sporting a not-exactly-flashy silver and black enclosure, this 64-bit notebook packs a 15.4-inch 1,280 x 800 display, 1.8GHz AMD Sempron 3400+, 512MB of RAM, 5,400RPM 60GB drive, DVD burner, and the ATi Radeon Express 1100 graphics chipset. The conventional array of ports and connectivity options are included as well, such as VGA out, 56k, Ethernet, WiFi, a trio of USB ports, and a 5-in-1 flash card reader, while more savvy add-ons -- Bluetooth and FireWire, for instance -- are (understandably) omitted. The conservatively-styled (and priced) 3103 WLCi should be hitting Japanese streets soon for just under ¥80,000 ($680).[Via Akihabara News]
Acer throws down 13 new Merom-based laptops
Acer isn't really messing around with their rollout of Core 2 Duo laptops. They've got 13 new ones, including six TravelMates and seven Aspires, and they've even managed to get Blu-ray or HD DVD drives into a few of them. The headliner of the bunch is the new TravelMate 8210, which runs the full range of Core 2 Duo chips, boasts of the Windows x64 OS, and tops it all off with a Blu-ray drive. You can upgrade the RAM to a max 4GB to really get the use out of the 64-bit Windows, and there are plenty of other perks like 802.11a/b/g WiFi, ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics with 256MB of VRAM, a built-in 1.3 megapixel camera, and even an option for a Bluetooth VoIP phone. As for the rest of the TravelMates, it's just model number soup, with the 14-inch 3270 and 3290; 15.4-inch 8210, 4230 and 4280; and the 17-inch 5620 all rocking the Merom. The Aspires include three HD DVD capable laptops in their midst, the 9120, 9520 and 9810. The bottom of the barrel is the 14.1-inch 5590, followed by the 15.4-inch 5630, 5680 and 9120. Finally there's the 17-inch 9420 and 9520, along with a 20.1-inch monstrosity, the 9810. As generous as Acer is with laptop releases, they're a bit stingy on prices and release dates, but we expect to be seeing most of these laptops -- at least the ones that don't get stuck waiting around for a blue laser -- before long.Read - Acer's Merom lineupRead - Acer TravelMate 8210
Report: Acer to offer both Blu-ray and HD DVD-equipped laptops
We knew Acer was going to be one of the first vendors after Toshiba to roll out an HD DVD-equipped laptop, and now it looks like the company is ready to be one of the first out of the gate (after Sony, of course) with Blu-ray as well. Although Acer is refusing to comment, reports out of Taiwan are that the company will introduce both Blu-ray and HD DVD-equipped portables at the upcoming Computex 2006 trade show. We're ready to see it happen -- though what we really want is one box with both drives in it. Maybe they can follow up with that.
Acer Aspire 9800 to be next HD DVD-equipped laptop
Toshiba's Qosmio G30 may be the first laptop to launch with a built-in HD DVD drive, but it certainly won't be the last. And as of now, it looks like Acer will be next to market with the Aspire 9800, a media-centric semi-portable due to hit Europe next month. The Acer laptop, in addition to its HD drive, will feature a mammoth 20-inch 1680x1050 display, NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600, digital/analog hybrid tuner, 1.3 megapixel webcam, DVI-D out and up to 240GB of storage. No official pricing yet, but word on the street puts this baby at over $2,600. Oh, one more thing. Acer has three asterisks next to its claim that the box will include HD DVD, leading to a footnote indicating the drive will be an option "when available." So, depending on whether or not the drivemaker (which may well be Acer itself) gets the units in on time, this may arrive next month sans HD DVD.[Via Stuff]
