The Acer Iconia W3 has been leaked yet again, but this time through Acer itself, and confirming it as having an 8.1-inch 1280x768-resolution display. The company's Finnish website shows the Intel Atom-powered tablet, complete with an optional keyboard dock and Windows 8 Pro pre-installed, after previously being shown by mistake on Amazon before being pulled from view.
Acer Chairman J.T. Wang has said that Microsoft is starting to listen more closely to its OEM partners following the troubled launch of Windows 8, reports the Wall Street Journal. Wang indicated that he thought that that Microsoft has had its head in the clouds until recently, “But now the go down to earth and they start to learn how people living on earth think.” Acer President Jim Wong also added that Microsoft is becoming more “considerate” to its partners and has been baking in their suggestions into Windows Blue, the first major update to Windows 8 due later this year.
The leaked Acer Iconia W3, which first surfaced on the weekend has been confirmed for June 4 launch in Russia. The launch date was revealed by Acer’s general director of the Taiwanese company’s Russian office, and provides an indication for its global rollout. The device briefly appeared on the Amazon store, before it was quickly pulled.
Acer is preparing to release an eight-inch Windows 8 tablet in the near future, according to a leak. A page listing the Acer W3-810 tablet on Amazon appeared far earlier than planned, revealing images of the mobile device as well as its internal specifications, shortly after the company presented a number of new notebooks and a 7.9-inch Android tablet to the media.
Aside from unveiling the Aspire R7 with the "Ezel" hinge, Acer also revealed a number of other mobile computing options at its media event. The Aspire P3 is billed as a slate computer that can convert to a notebook with its keyboard case, while the Aspire V5 and V7 notebooks are said to bring thinner and lighter designs to the company's notebook ranges.
Acer is taking on the Google Nexus 7 by shipping a budget-ranged Android tablet with a marginally bigger screen. Housing a larger-than-normal 7.9-inch IPS display running at a resolution of 1024x768, the Iconia A1 follows on the design aesthetic provided with the Iconia B1, shown earlier this year, measures just 0.44-inches thick and weighs in at 0.90 pounds.
Acer has revealed a new notebook with a floating touchscreen, one that it previously teased alongside Star Trek footage. The Aspire R7 holds its 15.6-inch 1080p multitouch display on an "Ezel" hinge, allowing it to be viewed in the normal notebook way, lying flat on a table, flipped to face away from the user, and also closed with the display facing out and making it resemble a tablet.
Apple's iPad is the best tablet on the market in terms of consumer satisfaction, according to J.D. Power and Associates' new 2013 U.S. Tablet Satisfaction Study. The survey looked at the opinions of 1,857 tablet owners who've had their devices for less than a year, and Apple's bestselling tablets came out on top for the second time in a row. Apple devices hold the top spots in J.D. Power rankings for both tablets and smartphones.
Acer has unveiled a follow-up to the Liquid E1 smartphone, revealed earlier this year. The Liquid E2 retains the same general appearance of its predecessor, though its 4.5-inch screen is a qHD IPS display, its processor is bumped upwards from a dual-core 1GHz processor to a 1.2GHz quad-core version, but keeps the same 1GB of RAM.
Acer is using its tie-in with the movie Star Trek: Into Darkness to tease a notebook with a sliding-hinge screen. The clip, which intersperses clips from the film with that of the notebook sliding down a textured wall, calls it "A Unique Notebook" that will be revealed on May 3rd, ahead of the movie's own release on May 17th.
Ultrabooks abound. Just about every major manufacturer makes them, and too many look like the MacBook Air. The 2011 Intel spec for ultrabooks is very detailed, and gives guidelines for performance, enhancements, and even battery life. As defined by Intel, ultrabooks are designed for reduced bulk without a corresponding hit on performance and battery life. Nearly all of them are "inspired" by Apple's ultralight notebook, and feature solid-state drives and specific engineering to keep the laptop strong and durable. Does the new 11.6-inch Acer Aspire S7 Ultrabook live up to the lofty goals set forth by Intel? Check out Electronista's review to find out.
Google has expanded the reach of notebooks running its cloud-centric Chrome OS. The company has revealed on its blog that it has worked with its partners including Acer, HP and Samsung to rollout their low-cost devices to new consumer markets in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands. Google is also targeting business and schools in the same countries with special online promotional events scheduled for late March.
Acer is one of a few companies that has partnered with Intel for smartphone hardware, despite the overwhelming popularity of ARM-based chips. We already took a close look at the company's Liquid E1 and Z1 handsets, which are aimed at the entry-level and midrange market, and today we tried out top of the Liquid lineup, the C1, which is powered by a Lexington Atom processor.
Acer was among several computer companies with a presence in Barcelona this week to promote their latest mobile electronics. The Liquid Z2 and Liquid E1 represent the Taiwanese company's push into the entry-level and midrange smartphone markets, respectively. We had a chance to try out both devices at Mobile World Congress, ahead of their official arrival later this month.
Apple's dominance in the mobile industry became less pronounced in 2012, according to tracking data compiled by mobile ad network Millennial Media. Millennial notes, for instance, that while the iPhone continued to generate the most ad impressions amongst phones, growing 72 percent year-over-year to a 15.59 percent share, Samsung's Galaxy S series grew 182 percent to hit a 4.24 percent share, pushing BlackBerry Curve phones down to third place at 3.91 percent.
Acer has released details relating to the European rollout of two smartphones. The mid-range Liquid E1, launched last month, and the entry-level Liquid Z2 will both be made available in Europe at the same time, with France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the Ukraine being the first to receive it, followed by the UK, Italy, and Russia.
Acer America is now offering the H6 Series LED-backlit displays to consumers in the United States. The new monitors feature near zero frame construction and are available in two sizes - 21.5-inch and 23-inch. Both models have Full 1080p HD IPS panels, which allow for wide viewing angles up to 178 degrees. The new line of monitors can also tilt from -5 to 15-degrees, so users can adjust them for the most comfortable fit.
It turns out that we're not quite in the "post-PC" world just yet. While the cheap, poorly-performing netbook trend has died -- some would say thankfully -- the burgeoning market in the industry besides tablets is ultrabooks. As defined by Intel, ultrabooks are designed for reduced bulk without a corresponding hit on performance and battery life. Nearly all of them are "inspired" by the MacBook Air, and feature solid-state drives and specific engineering to keep the laptop strong and durable. Does the new 11.6-inch Acer Aspire S7 Ultrabook live up to the lofty goals set forth by Intel?
A new mid-specification smartphone in the Acer Liquid line has surfaced, this time with a 4.5-inch, 540x960 IPS display. The Liquid E1 follows on from the Liquid E and Liquid Glow, but this time runs on Android 4.1.1 and has an improved specifications list compared to previous models, though it falls short of competing with other flagship models.
Taiwan computer manufacturer Acer is discontinuing its eMachines brand. The move, which will see the brand's operations come to a close, forms part of the company's overall move away from budget base models and towards ultrabooks and similar form factors, something CEO JT Wang started in late 2011.
Acer has officially announced its budget-ranged, seven-inch addition to its Iconia tablet range, though not as cheap as previously thought. The Iconia B1-A71 running Jelly Bean, as leaked late last month, will be a low-priced offering that will compete with the Google Nexus 7 and the Amazon Kindle Fire, though it will not be priced at the speculated $100 barrier.
Acer is reportedly gearing up to release a sub-$100 tablet at the start of 2013, cheaper than devices made by the company already on the market. The Iconia B1 will allegedly be an Android tablet with a seven-inch, 1024x600-resolution screen, a 1.2GHz processor, and similar specifications to the Amazon Kindle Fire, with its $99 price tag aimed at penetrating emerging markets rather than the US.
Acer has released the latest addition to its TravelMate line of notebooks. The TravelMate B113 is aimed at students and institutional customers, and sports a Core i3 Ivy Bridge processor with 4GB of RAM, a 1366x768-resolution 11.6-inch LED-backlit display, and a choice of either Windows 7 or Windows 8 Pro pre-installed.
Acer made a move today to expand the availability of its recently announced Chromebook, bringing the $199 notebook to three new online outlets. Starting today, TigerDirect, NewEgg, and Staples.com will carry Acer's C7 Chromebook, joining Google Play, BestBuy.com, and Best Buy stores. The Chrome OS-powered notebook will still sell for $199, though some outlets are packaging it with other accessories.
Environmental activism group Greenpeace has downgraded Apple in its 18th annual Guide to Green Electronics. The slip to sixth place is blamed on a "lack of transparency" with several issues, namely "GHG [greenhouse gas] emission reporting, clean energy advocacy, further information on its [Apple's] management of toxic chemicals, and details on post-consumer recycled plastic use."
Just a day after images of it leaked online, Acer has revealed pricing and availability for its new Acer C7 Chromebook. The next-generation Chromebook from Acer will be available starting tomorrow on the Google Play Store, at Best Buy stores, and on BestBuy.com. It will retail for $199.
The rumored follow up to last year's Acer Chromebook appears to have shown up in images posted to the Internet. The new Chromebook was rumored to be slated for an October release, but the month past without its emergence. Today's image revelation brings little beyond the visual aspect of the device, though it is said to be called the AC710.
Acer has announced a delay in the launch of tablets running Microsoft's Windows RT operating system, giving the Taiwanese space to assess the impact of Microsoft's Surface RT tablet. Acer has previously expressed dissatisfaction with Microsoft's entering the hardware sector, and now the company will delay its Windows RT devices until at least the second quarter of 2013 to see how the new Microsoft tablet fares. Acer executives specifically cited Surface as a reason for the company's delay of what had been a "very aggressive plan" to roll out Windows RT devices.
Acer has released its third quarter financial results, with its quarterly net profit of NT$68 million ($2.3 million) below that of a number of estimates. Reasons for the lackluster earnings were not forthcoming from the company, though it was noted that the profit is higher than the NT$56 million ($1.9 million) reached in the second quarter, and better than the net loss of NT$1.1 billion ($37 million) endured in Q3 2011.
Acer announced today an expansion in its Iconia Tab line of devices with the new A110, a 7-inch Android unit packing a quad-core processor. Weighing just 0.86 pounds and measuring less than half an inch thick, the Iconia Tab A110 has an NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor featuring a unique Super 4-PLUS-1 quad-core CPU design with a fifth Battery Saver Core. That fifth core is dedicated to handling less demanding activities, giving the A110 up to 7.5 hours of battery life.
Acer announced today a range of new products, including several all-in-one desktops and a new line of touch displays, all designed to take advantage of the touch capabilities of Windows 8. The Aspire 7600U and 5600U Series desktops feature 23- and 27-inch screens, allowing users to view content in Full HD. Both models have a slim profile of less than 1.4 inches to go along with their edge-to-edge displays. Select models feature 10-point capacitive touch technology incorporating gesture recognition.
Acer has revealed the pricing and ship dates for its second Windows 8-powered tablet, the Iconia W510. It will slot in below the Iconia W700 and follow that tablet's October 26 release date, arriving in stores on November 9. It will carry a $500 starting price and pack a 10.1-inch, IPS touchscreen with 1,366x768 resolution.
Acer revealed that its first Windows 8-powered tablet, the Iconia W700, will ship on October 26. The 11.6-inch tablet has 1920x1080 resolution and a IPS LCD touchscreen that allows up to 10 points of input. Pricing will start at $800 and top out at $1,000.
Today, Acer unveiled what it dubs "the world's thinnest touch ultrabooks," the Aspire S7 series. The two new ultrabooks feature high-definition touchscreens, and the 13.3-inch model features a design allowing its screen to be laid back flat for sharing and collaboration. Depending on the model, the new series weighs as little as 2.29 pounds and can be as thin as 0.47 inches. Both models of the Aspire S7 series will ship running Windows 8.
Acer may be preparing to roll out a follow-up to its Cromia Chromebook from last year. Sources tell DigiTimes that the Taiwanese manufacturer will be releasing its second-generation Chromebook in mid-October. Reportedly, the new Chromebook line is partially a response to Microsoft entering the hardware arena with its forthcoming line of Surface tablets.
Representatives from Google have now confirmed that the company did indeed pressure Taiwanese manufacturer Acer to drop plans to release a smartphone running Chinese e-retailer Alibaba's cloud-based Aliyun operating system. A series of statements from the search giant yesterday, including a Google+ post from Andy Rubin, explained Google's action as a means of ensuring that its manufacturing partners adhered to the rules of the Open Handset Alliance, the consortium of carriers and device manufacturers supporting Google's Android platform. Google's decision to get Acer to drop the CloudMobile A800 could have repercussions throughout the mobile sector, as it signals that the search company is willing to pressure its partners into ensuring that forked versions of Android do not supplant the core version produced by Google.
Apple has scored highest in a new JD Power customer satisfaction survey of tablet owners. The iPad has earned Apple a score of 848 -- above an industry average of 832 -- as well as five stars in JD Power's Power Circle ratings. Close behind with a 4/5 rating and a score of 841 is Amazon, which has so far only had one tablet computer, the 2011 model of the Kindle Fire. New Fires were recently announced.
Just as Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Acer was preparing to reveal an Aliyun-powered smartphone, the company has now apparently canceled the press conference for the phone. The Wall Street Journal reports that Acer still wants to launch the phone, which would run Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba's cloud-based Aliyun operating system, but Acer has given no indication as to the smartphone's future. Alibaba is claiming through its own channels that the Aliyun Acer phone, the CloudMobile A800, was postponed due to pressure from Google, which makes the Android software powering a number of other Acer phones.
Acer announced today that it will be releasing a new smartphone powered by Alibaba's Aliyun operating system. As The Wall Street Journal reports, the Taiwanese manufacturer will be rolling out the CloudMobile A800 smartphone to the Chinese market on Friday. The model will be Acer's highest-priced model on sale in China, and Alibaba hopes it will spur greater adoption of its cloud-based mobile operating system among other manufacturers.
Acer has revealed its financial results for the second quarter, showing a sequential drop in revenue. Despite a maintained growth in PC shipments, consolidated revenue of NT$110.6 billion ($3.7 billion) is up 8.3 percent from the same time last year, yet is down 2.2 percent from last quarter. The company blames the worldwide total PC market downturn for the quarter, alongside "unfavorable economic conditions in Europe, the US, China, and Asia Pacific" weakening customer demand.
The Acer Iconia Tab A110 has popped up at an online retailer's website sporting Android 4.1 'Jelly Bean.' When the device first surfaced ahead of its launch, it was running Android 4.0. While that is good news for 7-inch Android buyers looking for a 'Jelly Bean' alternative to the Google Nexus 7, it also suggests that the transition from Android 4.0 to Android 4.1 is not as big a leap as it was for OEM's trying to upgrade devices from Android 2.3 (Gingerbread).
Apple continued to cement its position as the dominant tablet vendor in China during the second quarter, according to new data from Analysys International. The 2.34 million iPads sold in the region gave Apple a 72.66 percent marketshare; units were up 7.8 percent quarter-to-quarter, and 63.4 percent year-over-year. Notably Apple managed the feat despite only launching the third-generation iPad in the mainland on July 20th.
Acer's first 1080p LED-laser hybrid projector has seen its debut. Unlike previous releases, the K750 uses both LED and laser light sources for an extended light-source lifetime that is said to reach 20,000 hours in ExtremeECO mode, along with claimed power savings of 90 percent, a 55 percent improvement in color saturation, and elimination of hazardous substances such as mercury and halogen gases.
Acer CEO JT Wang has highlighted the anger felt by its Windows partners towards its unexpected hardware debut with its Surface tablets for Windows 8 and Windows RT. Speaking to the Financial Times, Wang said that he had spoken with Microsoft and told them to rethink releasing its Surface tablet range. "We have said think it over. Think twice," Wang said.
Several tablet makers grew worldwide tablet shipments year-over-year in the second quarter, even as Apple continued its dominance, according to new IDC numbers. As a whole the tablet market reached 25 million units, rising 66.2 percent over Q2 2011. Apple's 17.042 million iPads represented a growth of 84.3 percent, giving it a 68.2 percent marketshare, up from a previous 61.5 percent slice.
Apple products accounted for about one-fifth of all global PC shipments in the second quarter of this year. This according to a new report out from Canalys, which saw the iPad maker with a sizable lead over the competition when iPads are taken into account. The report also noted sluggish sales in the general PC industry, a reality stemming from the global economic environment as well as the effect of mobile devices on the traditional PC market.
Oliver Ahrens, Acer's senior VP and Europe president, has declared Microsoft's secretive Surface line of tablets doomed to failure. Specifically citing business focus issues and a change in core business principles, Ahrens urged Acer's primary software partner to focus on Windows 8 and pre-existing business arrangements instead of the potentially-risky product launch. "Microsoft is working with two dozen PC vendors worldwide, including the local guys, whereas Apple is alone, it can more or less do what it wants," Ahrens said when further questioned about potential problems with the tablet.
Microsoft's long-time manufacturing partners were kept out of the loop on the company's plans to introduce its new Surface tablets, and a few of those partners are saying the software giant should remain a software giant. Speaking with Reuters, unnamed representatives from within some of Microsoft's manufacturing partners have expressed concern that the company is now moving into the hardware business in a big way.
Acer has announced the newest Ultrabook off of its production lines, the Timeline Ultra M5 series. The 0.81-inch aluminum alloy laptop comes with an optical drive, a choice of Intel Core-series processors, in a 14- or 15.6-inch display form factor.
Computer and electronics manufacturer Acer has announced the availability of the Aspire S5 ultrabook in the US. It measures 0.44 inches at its thinnest point, 0.59 inches at its thickest, and weighs 2.65 lbs. The new line has been bolstered with the Ivy Bridge line of Intel processors. In addition, the Aspire S3 has been refreshed with a faster processor and a champagne case finish as well.
