If there's one thing you can say about IFA 2017, it's that the European uber-show isn't short on new products. Every year manufacturers bring the best TVs, phones, laptops, and more - along with more refrigerators, ovens, and robots than you could imagine - to demonstrate that, when it comes to consumer tech, CES certainly isn't the be-all and end-all. Here, then, is SlashGear's best of IFA 2017.
Acer has just taken the wraps off new products for pet owners, the Pawbo iPuppyGo, WagTag, and Munch. Each name corresponds pretty well to each product's purpose; the Pawbo Munch, for example, is a smart dispenser that dishes out treats to pets even if you're not home. The products utilize technology like 3G, GPS, connectivity with a mobile app, and more to give pet owners a modern hand in carrying for their dogs and/or cats.
Acer has a wide array of device updates and refreshes this week, all of which are being shown for the first time at IFA 2017. The three devices I'm rounding up here are the Acer Swift 5, the Acer Spin 5, and the Acer Chromebook 15. These devices add to Acer's already-expansive collection of versatile notebooks and 2-in-1 convertible products on the market today.
Acer is the latest company to launch 360-degree cameras for consumers, in this case the Holo360 and Vision360. The latter of the two is designed specifically for use in vehicles, whereas the Holo360 is something of an everyday camera, enabling anyone to record their life and events in 360-degrees. Unlike some competing 360-degree cameras for consumers, the Holo360 is a complete package, supporting the entire video process from a single device.
Acer showed up at IFA 2017 with a lot of new hardware and accessories in-hand. For gamers, Acer has a new series of desktops in its gaming line, along with a selection of new accessories like monitors, headsets, and mice. For everyone else, there's the new Acer Aspire S24, a new all-in-one PC that wants to add a "touch of functional elegance" to your office.
Amongst all of Acer's IFA 2017 announcements comes the Switch 7 Black Edition, a 2-in-1 detachable laptop with a slim build and what the company calls a world's first: a fanless design despite having discrete graphics. Such an achievement is thanks to Acer Dual LiquidLoop cooling tech, which keeps the Black Edition from overheating despite the lack of a fan. There's a lot to like about this model, not the least of which is its NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics.
Acer seems to be combining two popular aspects of the consumer laptops with its new Nitro 5 Spin notebook. Not only is this new notebook a convertible, allowing you to choose from a few different usage orientations, but it's been revealed as a notebook for those looking to do a little casual gaming. It also happens to be one of the first machines confirmed to use Intel's freshly launched 8th-gen Core processors.
Acer has announced its new Chromebook 11 C771 laptop, a model that will be available in both touch and non-touch iterations for schools and companies. According to the company, this is the first Chromebook to sport Intel's 6th-generation processors; on top of that, it is ultra-durable with MIL-SPEC standards, and it has a long battery life of 13 hours per charge. The Chromebook is primarily targeted at schools that need a portable, durable, and relatively powerful laptop that won't break the bank.
Microsoft is betting big on Windows Mixed Reality, and it turns out PC makers are rising to the challenge with a variety of designs shown off this week at Computex 2017. The software giant's decision not to make its own headset, following the Surface strategy, but throw the responsibility over to OEMs had led to some concern that we'd see plenty of me-too mixed reality visors clogging shelves come the holiday season. Happily, it looks like that's not going to be the case.
The age of ultrathin gaming notebooks is finally upon us. Or so that's what NVIDIA is promising with its newly announced Max-Q tech that slims gaming laptops down to 18 mm. It's no MacBook Air, but Acer's new Predator Triton 700 comes close at 18.9 mm. This is one of first promises laptops bearing that Max-Q promise that will give gamers less reasons not to take their laptops along with them and play whenever the urge hits them.
Computex won't be taking place until the end of May but Acer wants to get a head start from the flood of announcements that might come. The manufacturer has just announced four new devices that caters to different types of users and different needs. The Acer Nitro 5 is designed for "casual gamers" while the Acer Spin 1 offers a lightweight convertible for workers on the go. The Acer Iconia Tab 10 bills itself as the entertainment tablet with its Quantum Dot screen while the Iconia One 10 is made for serious business with its two micro USB ports.
Acer has announced the new 35-inch curved monitor for gamers, the Acer Predator Z35P. This monitor boasts a wide array of features, including an ultra wide 21:9 aspect ratio and a 3440 x 1440 WQHD resolution. Acer has packed a bunch of tech for gamers into this model, including NVIDIA G-SYNC and Ultra Low Motion Blur (ULMB) for sharper images and smooth graphics. The model is only available for preorder at the moment, but we've got all the details ahead of its launch.
