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Acer adds a new Ivy Bridge laptop, the Aspire V5

Adding to the growing list of laptops with Intel's new third-generation Core i-series CPUs, Acer has announced the Aspire V5. Not exactly ultrabook-thin, the 14- and 15-inch V5 models are being pitched as thin-and-light on a budget. Acer says they are "great for back-to-school and savvy consumers looking for performance, style, and value."

At 30 percent thinner than Acer's previous budget midsize line, the 14-inch V5 is 0.79 inch thick and weighs 4.6 pounds; the 15-inch model is 0.83 inch and 5 pounds. The design is nondescript, looking a lot like a classic … Read more

Acer: Windows 8 devices not cheap, will rival pricey Apple

With all the Windows 8 hoopla at Computex, it's easy to forget that Microsoft's next operating system isn't a price panacea for consumers.

Acer Chairman JT Wang said Wednesday that the initial crop of Windows 8 devices will be pricey enough that they will be more suitable for "developed economies" like North America where "where purchasing power is strong," according to a report in Taipei-based DigiTimes.

And that means they'll have to be competitive with anything Apple has on the market in the September-October time frame when Windows 8 is projected for … Read more

A closer look at the Acer Iconia W510 and W700 (hands-on)

Less than a week after Microsoft dropped its Windows 8 Release Preview, Acer used Computex in Taipei, Taiwan, to unveil a gallery of ultrabooks, desktops, and tablets running the new operating system.

Given that Windows 8 was designed for tablets from the ground up, any supported devices will be closely watched. And with its new Iconia Tab W510 and W700, it's clear that Acer is branching away from Android and back into the fold of Microsoft.

The 10-1-inch Iconia W510 is tri-mode, which gives it the ability to shift between a standard tablet mode where you're touching the … Read more

Acer Aspire 7 ultrabook graced by Gorilla Glass lid

TAIPEI, Taiwan--Among the Windows 8-based devices that Acer announced at its Computex press conference are two white-clad Aspire 7 ultrabooks.

Both are extremely slim and light, with the smaller, 11.6-inch version measuring just 12mm thick. The 13.3-inch model has a glossy Gorilla Glass lid that reminds us of the HP Envy 14 Spectre.

Only the lid on the 13.3-inch model gets the Gorilla Glass treatment. The 11.6-inch version, however, is all aluminum, with a matte finish. Both models have touch-screen support, as you would expect from devices designed to run Windows 8.

More importantly, the displays on both ultrabooks are full-HD and from our limited time with it, the viewing angles are quite good despite all the gloss. Acer is the second PC vendor we know that's putting 1,920x1,080-pixel screens on its ultrabooks. … Read more

First look: Acer Aspire 7600U and 5600U all-in-one touch screens

TAIPEI, Taiwan--While all-in-one touch screens have never lived up to the promise, the launch of Windows 8 later this year will mean a rash of new devices hitting the market. Will compelling touch-screen Windows apps for the desktop finally happen?

The bigger 7600U comes in at 27 inches and has a full HD resolution. Here, you can spot a slot-loading optical drive.

The touch screen allows up to 64 simultaneous inputs, which could have fascinating implications for multiuser programs. It can also be tilted flat like a table, and rotated for easy access.

Screen quality was excellent at first glance, and the Metro aesthetic translates really well to the large screen. We're looking forward to seeing if usability is up there as well. The product manager joked that vertically oriented, it's the world's biggest e-reader. From the sharp text we saw, he may not be far off the mark.… Read more

Acer unveils bevy of Window 8 devices at Computex

With four months to go before the final version of Windows 8 is expected to land, the parade of devices putting its faith behind Microsoft's next operating system has officially begun.

Acer got the ball rolling Monday at the Computex 2012 trade conference in Taipei, unveiling a bevy of Window 8-enabled devices. The company unveiled a pair of ultrabooks running Windows 8 -- considered a key combination to sparking growth in the PC market.

The Aspire S7 series includes two touch screen models: a 13-incher as well as the company's first 11.6-inch Ultrabook. The company was light … Read more

Acer's 24-inch IPS monitor gets a release date of now

I don't get nearly enough press releases detailing the announcement of a new In-Plane Switching (IPS) monitor. All else being the same, IPS monitors are so much more satisfying and exciting to write about than their Twisted Nematic (TN) counterparts.

Much to my relative pleasure (IPS monitors are more exciting, but come on, they're still monitors), today Acer announced the release of its new IPS monitor, the Acer B243PWL.

The monitor is available now, starting at $329 and comes with Acer's standard three-year warranty.

The 24-inch monitor has a native screen resolution of 1,920x1,200 pixels, … Read more

Ice Cream Sandwich flavoring Acer A100, A500 next week

Owners of Acer's Iconia Tab A100 and A500 tablets can look forward to a dollop of Ice Cream Sandwich in another week and a half.

An Acer support document confirmed that the two tablets are scheduled be on the receiving end of Android 4.0 in the U.S. on April 27. Other countries, including Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Latin America, will also receive the update on or around the same time, but all updates should be out and about by the first week of May.

Released last summer with Android 3.0 Honeycomb, the Acer A100 is a … Read more

Intel Ivy Bridge chip imminent, quad-core first

Expect the first of Intel's Ivy Bridge chip announcements on April 23, when the chipmaker will unveil its high-performance models, sources tell CNET.

The first Ivy Bridge processors will be quad-core mobile and desktop, an industry source, who is familiar with the rollout, told CNET. More power-efficient ultrabook-specific dual-core chips will come later in the quarter.

Ivy Bridge is the first in a series of upcoming Intel mainstream chips that emphasize graphics and multimedia processing over more traditional compute tasks. And most importantly for consumers, Ivy Bridge chips will power the wave of Windows 8 ultrabooks that will break … Read more

PC market limps along -- and that's better than expected

Despite a weak economy and constraints in hard-disk supplies, PC shipments scored a gain of 2.3 percent last quarter compared with a year ago, according to IDC's Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker.

Though nothing to brag about, the results surpassed the firm's February forecast of a drop of almost 1 percent.

IDC had anticipated a down quarter due to the sluggish economy, competition from mobile devices, and uncertainty about the impact of Windows 8.

The limited supply of hard-disk drives had some bearing on the industry but not as much as anticipated. Supplies have been constrained since last … Read more