Acer has launched one of the thinnest, lightest laptops available with the new Swift 7 model. This insanely svelte ultrabook sports a 14-inch display, two USB-C ports, and an impossibly slim design that demands attention. The laptop arguably sets a new bar for ultrabooks as far as portability is concerned, but how does it perform as an everyday work and play laptop?
It's been quite a while since Acer updated its Nitro 5 gaming laptop and its Swift 3 thin-and-light notebook but now that it is, it's making quite a bit change. Granted, these two new models aren't exactly the first of their kind to be powered by AMD's mobile Ryzen processors. But with the jump to AMD's latest Ryzen chips for portable computers, Acer is promising enough power for HDR visuals for streaming and gaming.
Acer held an event in New York City today where it announced a lot of new products, and its Predator line in particular got a lot of love. Not only are we getting a pair of new Predator Helios laptops, but we'll also see the company launch a new gaming desktop, a new display, and a collection of accessories. There are even more products aimed at gamers outside of the Predator lineup, as Acer is launching two refreshed Nitro notebooks as well.
Acer showed a collection of PCs this week and a whole load of newly empowered notebooks (or laptops, if you prefer) - plus a couple of new Chromebooks for good measure. These machines look a lot like they did in their otherwise most-recent iterations, with most changes happening under the hood. Included in the mix were the Acer Chromebook 715, Chromebook 714, TravelMate P6, Spin 3 (with stylus!), Aspire 1, Aspire 3, Aspire 5, and Aspire 7.
Today, Acer took to the stage in New York City to announce a slew of new products, and one of the most interesting machines it revealed is the Predator Helios 700 gaming laptop. On the surface, the Helios 700 might look like your garden variety gaming laptop, with its beefy build and its RGB keyboard. However, that seemingly straightforward design is hiding an interesting quirk: A slide-out "HyperDrift" keyboard.
Acer has revealed its new ConceptD line, looking to squeeze onto the desks - and into the hearts - of content creators who may be feeling abandoned by Apple. The new range will include desktops, notebooks, monitors, and Windows Mixed Reality headsets, putting top-spec processors, storage, and graphics into cleanly cohesive design.
Chrome OS was and always has been designed for use with a keyboard and mouse but its predominant form has been laptops. But just like Android, that has never stopped anyone, be it users or even OEMs, from taking the OS and putting it in other form factors. Many of those Chrome OS devices have all but disappeared but Acer had just announced two new Chromebase all-in-one computers to give the dying breed one last hurrah.
Like a couple of its competitors, Acer has showed up to BETT with a slate of new Chromebooks for education. Today the company announced four new Chromebooks altogether, and they all share a few key specifications. Chief among those shared specifications is an 11.6-inch display and a fair degree of ruggedness that comes with meeting MIL-STD 810G in tests for temperature, humidity, mechanical shock, rain, dust, and sand.
AMD is really pushing heavily into Intel territory. It is challenging its old-time rival in markets where Intel used to reign alone, and that includes the education sector. AMD has recently partnered with OEMs to start putting its A series of notebook chips into previously Intel or ARM exclusive Chromebooks. Now it’s spreading its wings even further with Acer’s latest TravelMate B114-21, the PC maker’s first education-centric notebook powered by AMD.
Today's most 2019 story is that the newest Acer Chromebook has a camera under its bottom. This camera is not below the display, and it's not hidden under a key in the keyboard. This is one of two cameras, the other of which sits above the display in the body of the machine, where a webcam usually sits. It's the one under the bum we're looking at right now.
This week at BETT, Acer revealed a pair of hardcore chromebooks for education customers. These devices are the first two 12-inch Chromebooks offered by Acer. One goes by the name Chromebook 512, the other goes by the name Chromebook Spin 512. Both devices are called "sturdy" and "safe for young students at school and home." Also one has a camera on its bottom.
In the mix today is a whole lot of Windows 10 devices for education plus a brand new Microsoft Classroom Pen. The Microsoft Education team announced a bunch of news at the annual Bett conference this week, starting with devices, complete with big fat discounts for schools. It's almost as if Microsoft wants to make a big dinger in Google's Chromebook business - the business that used to be unquestionably dominated by Windows machines.