Acer on Wednesday announced it will soon launch a number of new Windows 7 powered PCs, including its first multi-touch notebook, the 15.6-inch Aspire AS5738PG notebook. At the same time, Acer updated its Timeline series of Aspire notebooks with dual-core CULV processors and the new Microsoft OS.
Canadians have been receiving an early North American look at the first 11.6-inch Acer and Gateway notebooks to use Intel's CULV platform thanks to a model that has been spotted this week by an Electronista tipster at Future Shop stores in the country. Known as the Gateway EC1803h, the PC seems to be a rebranding and mild respecification of the Acer Timeline 1810T (Aspire 1410 in the US) that isn't yet on sale in North America and shares much of its design language with Gateway's own LT3100. The new model shares the Aspire/Timeline's 1.4GHz Core 2 Solo and GMA 4500 graphics, and in its single trim level comes with 3GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive as well as expected features like its 6-cell battery, HDMI output and 5-in-1 card reader.
Backing up an earlier rumor, the existence of Acer's 11.6-inch Timeline 1810T notebook is all but confirmed thanks to some leaked images. The chassis is shared with the Aspire One 751h, including its 11.6-inch, 1366x768 resolution screen. Other components include a 1.4GHz Core 2 Solo SU3500 and an integrated GMA 4500 graphics chipset that gives it enough power to decode HD video. Using a GS45 Express mainboard also provides headroom for up to 4GB of RAM.
Acer could be introducing a smaller Timeline that may ultimately kill the high end of its netbooks, a rumor from Taiwan's PC industry indicates. An 11.6-inch version of the Timeline is purportedly tapped for July and, DigiTimes says, will create pressure in the category. To avoid a conflict with the same-size Aspire One 751h netbook, Acer is believed to be either cutting the price of the 751h or else phasing it out entirely.
Acer today provided US details of its Timeline notebooks using Intel's new CULV platform for ultraportables. The least expensive of the group is also the largest and starts with the 15.6-inch AS5810TZ-4657; it costs $598 with a 1.3GHz Pentium, 3GB of memory, a 320GB hard drive and an internal DVD burner. It totes the Timeline series' multi-touch trackpad as well as 802.11n Wi-Fi, a webcam and HDMI output.
ASUS has fleshed out the details of its designer U series notebooks. Ostensibly based on the shape of a butterfly, the systems share the same tapered shape of the MacBook Air and are also faster, larger versions of the Eee PC 1008HA. The 12-inch U20A, 13.3-inch UX30 and 15.6-inch UX50V are all based on the basic processors expected to be part of Intel's Consumer Ultra Low Voltage (CULV) effort and attempt to bring ultra-thin designs to larger systems, ranging from the entry 1.2GHz Celeron M in the U20A to the 1.3GHz Pentium, 1.4GHz Core 2 Solo and 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo in the UX30 and UX50V.
Acer has launched itself into direct contention against systems like the MacBook Air and ThinkPad X301 with the release of the Timeline series. The notebooks have screens at 13.3, 14 and 15.6 inches but use ultra low-voltage Core 2 Duo and Solo processors to keep the systems light and, combined with LED-backlit displays, extend their battery life well past other designs. Acer's smallest system weighs just 3.5 pounds, and battery life measures as much as 10 hours with an optional 80GB solid-state drive; even with a rotating hard drive, systems still net as much as 8 hours.
