Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Acer Unveils Slim Windows 10 Notebooks, Convertible Chromebook, Curved Screen Laptop (zdnet.com)

Posted by msmash on from the shiny-gadgets dept.

Ahead of this week's IFA consumer electronics trade show in Berlin, Acer has unveiled a range of notebook computers. The company has a new 13-inch Chromebook R 13 laptop, which it says can also be used as a tablet. There's a new line of Windows 10 Swift notebooks and Spin convertible laptops that are powered by Intel's just unveiled seventh generation Core processors. The Chromebook R13 sports a screen resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, and is powered by a MediaTek quad-core processor coupled with 4GB of RAM. It also houses a USB Type-C, USB 3.0, and HDMI ports. It offers as much as 12-hour of battery life. ZDNet adds:The 14-inch Spin 7 features an aluminium unibody design and is powered by an Intel Core i7 processor, with up to 8GB RAM, and 256 GB solid state disk storage. It weighs 1.2 kg (2.6 pounds) with a width of 10.98mm (0.43 inches). It also includes two USB 3.1 Type-C ports. The Spin 7 goes on sale in the US and Europe in October, with prices starting at $1,199 and 1,299 euro respectively. Heading up Acer's ultra-slim lineup is the aluminium construction, black and gold Swift 7. It features a 13.3-inch full-HD IPS display and Intel 7th generation i5 processor, with a 256GB SSD and 8GB RAM. It boasts fast wireless and dual USB 3.1 Type-C ports. Acer is promising nine hours of battery life for the device, which weighs 1.1kg (2.48 pounds) and has a height of 9.98mm (0.39 inches), making it the slimmest in the Swift series. It will be available in the US and Europe in October from $999 and 1,299 euro respectively.

46 comments

  1. But will it run linux? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ^^

    1. Re:But will it run linux? by npslider · · Score: 1

      It will in 2017. Everyone knows that is the year of Linux you insensitive anonymous clod! :)

    2. Re:But will it run linux? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      No, but it will run Microsoft(tm) Windows(tm) 10(tm) Spyware(tm). The article is a fluff piece presented by long-time M$ puppet and shill site ZDNet.

  2. Ugh, gaming laptops by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Is there some unspoken rule about gaming laptops generally having to look like crap? That Predator 21X looks like an F-117 went to a rave and shit glowsticks everywhere. What an embarrassment.

    1. Re: Ugh, gaming laptops by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, parents basements tend to not have good lighting so they need lights everywhere.

    2. Re:Ugh, gaming laptops by Maritz · · Score: 1

      Yeah. It has to not look out of place next to a can of 'monster' with a can of 'monster' poster behind it.

      --
      I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
    3. Re:Ugh, gaming laptops by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Gaming" anything is guaranteed to be an embarrassment.

    4. Re:Ugh, gaming laptops by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      I bought a gaming laptop that looked like a regular laptop. They didn't sell, and were quickly canceled. Gamers like the gamer-laptop look. A high-end graphics card in a boring laptop doesn't sell. How can you show off your stuff, if it doesn't scream "look at me"?

      --
      Learn to love Alaska
    5. Re:Ugh, gaming laptops by jandrese · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Every single thing about that laptop is ridiculous, from its four fans, two GTX1080 GPUs, two power supplies, the 18lb weight, two subwoofers, curved screen (does it even close properly?), [i]five[/i] internal drive bays, $5000 price point, full size clicky keyboard, and a battery life that might need to be measured in seconds.

      It's the Koenigsegg of laptops. Ridiculous design for people who want to go fast and don't care about the practicalities.

      --

      I read the internet for the articles.
    6. Re:Ugh, gaming laptops by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      http://www.cnet.com/products/acer-predator-21x/

      Jesus Christmas, it's thicker than his arm!

      I know this sounds like a "that's what she said", but seriously, check out cnet's article on the laptop.

  3. Regarding The monster Predator 21 X by npslider · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I thought that curved screens were more of a marketing gimmick, especially at smaller sizes, where the immersion effect is less noticeable? The article I cited below refers to large screen TV's viewed at a distance; I wonder how this rule applies to smaller screens viewed up close?

    http://www.trustedreviews.com/...

    "Our experience to date is that the effectiveness of curved screens is directly proportional to their size. With all of the 55-inch models we’ve tested the curve’s benefits felt pretty minimal, while some of the problems – particularly the sweet spot issues – were more noticeable. With the 65-inch models it's easier to appreciate the picture benefits while feeling less aggrieved by the negatives (except for the reflections one). Bigger screens support more viewers more easily too. Despite enjoying the 65-inch models, though, our feeling is that the curve will only potentially feel of significant benefit at truly colossal sizes of 70 inches or more."

    Has anyone used a smaller curved screen? Does it improve the viewing experience?

    1. Re:Regarding The monster Predator 21 X by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Curved screens are a very clever gimmick. Basically, they require the use of special patented LEDs, which only two companies can make. So, they did a big market push for early adopters and those who measure themselves by the expense of their electronics junk. Worked great because when you see a curved screen, you instantly know that person shelled out big bucks for them, and because it is expensive, it looks better to the purchaser despite the fact the curve causes all sorts of problems.

    2. Re:Regarding The monster Predator 21 X by PPalmgren · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Can't really comment on smaller ones, but I bought a 34' curved screen recently to replace two 27' monitors on my desk. It has helped mainly with regards to eyestrain, and color uniformity is pretty solid so I have no complaints.

    3. Re:Regarding The monster Predator 21 X by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Basically, they require the use of special patented LEDs, which only two companies can make.

      You mean LG and Samsung who together account for 35% of LCD production around the world, an even higher portion if not outright total ownership in submarkets like computer displays, and very very likely make the panel you posted that comment from?

    4. Re:Regarding The monster Predator 21 X by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      34 foot!? holy crap. It is a drive in movie screen?

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
  4. $249 Spin 1: Thank you, Moore's Law! by theodp · · Score: 2

    1983: March - IBM announces the IBM PC XT, with a 10 MB hard drive, 128KB RAM and a 360KB floppy drive. It costs US$5000.

  5. And because it's Acer... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    ...you know you'll be putting down another $2000 in 6 months after it dies and the company refuses to do anything to fix it.

    1. Re:And because it's Acer... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Still got an Aspire A150 netbook from out of the ark, working 100%, although admittedly it only gets turned on rarely these days. What is that, like nine years old? However I'm not disagreeing with you, their build quality has always been questionable; you pick up one of their larger laptops by the corner, and it bends under its own weight. I'd never buy a "high end" Acer, but their cheap-and-cheerful stuff is good value, as long as you know you're buying something semi-disposable. And occasionally it will surprise you and actually turn out to be pretty tough.

    2. Re:And because it's Acer... by unixisc · · Score: 1

      I have a $250 Aspire E 15 which I got a year ago, and it's still batting quite well

    3. Re:And because it's Acer... by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      Could someone tell me a good brand?

      I mean if you bring up any brand of laptop you will get people saying how much that brand sucks in quality (Acer/HP) or it is considered overpriced (Lenovo/Apple).

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    4. Re:And because it's Acer... by mrchaotica · · Score: 2

      Asus, maybe.

      --

      "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

    5. Re:And because it's Acer... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As mrchaotica mentioned, Asus is probably a good brand. I've only had the one Asus laptop, which I think the GPU started developing issues at one point (most likely entirely my fault), but I've had a good track record with their desktop motherboards.

      Sager might be another. I picked up a Sager laptop about 9 months ago, and it's served me nicely so far. But at about $2,000, most people might consider that overpriced, though it was less expensive than a comparable Asus.

    6. Re:And because it's Acer... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      MSI and Gigabyte, too : like Asus they're motherboard and graphics card vendors, so you know they have hardware engineers who know what they're doing, and they are in the business of selling stuff that has to work and be supported.

    7. Re:And because it's Acer... by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      I have an Asus laptop, and have only one complaint. I don't think the cooling system is adequate. But, I didn't get a monster gaming machine, I got an understated gaming machine.

      When running Minecraft, my laptop overheats and crashes. When playing normal high graphics games, no issue. I think it is the combination of video card stress and CPU stress which most video games can't accomplish, but that Minecraft does with ease (due to incredibly bad programming).

      I have a ASUS ZenBook Pro UX501VW. The vents on the underside are tiny, so that most likely is the entire issue. I have it sitting on a laptop fan pad, and if I have the laptop open, it seems to delay the overheat lockup, but if it is closed it quickly overheats.

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
  6. Fanless 11.6" Windows 10 laptop? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Would anyone happen to know if the Spin convertibles are fanless? Specifically the 11.6" Spin 1. I have not been able to find any details in that aspect.

    I am on the hunt for a fanless 11.6" Windows 10 laptop. Unfortunately the pickings are slim, so I am now considering convertibles as well.

    Any other suggestions are appreciated!

  7. Is slashdot dying? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They are accepting ads as "news"?

  8. Love my Asus zenbook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Great price, a lot cheaper (but less powerful) than this new Acer. They've been making essentially the same model (with CPU upgrades) for the past three years, so it's shaken out pretty good.

  9. won't matter what it will or will not run by Lead+Butthead · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    hardware will fail within a year. last acer I had, SATA ports (yes, that's both of them) quit right after warranty expired. never again.

    --
    ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI!?
    1. Re:won't matter what it will or will not run by npslider · · Score: 2

      Just "dial back" the computer clock before the one year mark hits...

    2. Re:won't matter what it will or will not run by tloh · · Score: 2

      Wish I had mod points for you. I didn't bother researching the Acer brand before I bought the Aspire E 15 I'm currently typing this up on. Didn't take long for me to regret choosing this over an Asus model based on price. I can deal with the fact that the case/cover has the look and feel of cheap plastic. But the fact that shoddy build quality meant every time I type a key, the loose touchpad will rattle makes this machine very annoying to use, especially in a library or during lecture where I've gotten more than a few dirty glances. Compared to the older HP/Compaq laptop it replaced, this thing is more compact and has better battery life. But the bad quality outweigh the good IMO. My venerable Presario was an extraordinarily well engineered machine that was a dream to service and maintain. I kept it going for 7 years before it gave up the ghost. I can't even open up this damn thing I'm now using.

      --
      Stay sentient. Don't drink bad milk.
  10. Curved screen? by thegarbz · · Score: 4, Insightful

    WTF NO!

    1. Re:Curved screen? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then don't buy one.

      Wow, that was easy.

  11. Eye tracking. by sims+2 · · Score: 1

    So it has eye tracking is that why I don't see anything that looks like a touchpad on the Predator 21X?
    Or does the eye tracking do something else?

    --
    Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
    1. Re:Eye tracking. by coolmoe2 · · Score: 1

      It appears to have a trackpad but its under the 10 key http://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-co...

    2. Re:Eye tracking. by vux984 · · Score: 1

      ". The numpad (which isn't mechanical) can apparently be flipped over to become a touchpad. "

    3. Re:Eye tracking. by sims+2 · · Score: 1

      That's a rather unusual layout the flip numpad looks like a kludge. Kinda like the usb number pad I use on laptops without number pads but more so.

      --
      Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
  12. Spin7 is very expensive for a max of 8Gb of RAM by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    More is needed if you want to run a desktop OS on it. You can have notebooks from other vendors with better screens, more RAM, and more storage for less. These don't look very attractive. The Linux question is also important, for anyone wanting to do serious work on it.

  13. Just wow by fubarrr · · Score: 1

    >The Chromebook R13 sports a screen resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, and is powered by a MediaTek quad-core processor coupled with 4GB of RAM. It also houses a USB Type-C, USB 3.0, and HDMI ports. It offers as much as 12-hour of battery life. These specs are surprisingly decent. Haven't expected dis from a crapware maker

    1. Re:Just wow by KozmoStevnNaut · · Score: 1

      I've been using a Chromebook 13 for a while, the one with the Nvidia Tegra K1 SoC in it. Also 4GB RAM, full HD and 10+ hours of battery life with normal usage.

      This new Chromebook R13 definitely seems like the updated version. I hope they've gone to a better panel, the TN panel in mine is kinda crap. But I can live with it for a device that cost me ~$315 on sale and has the same charge/use cycle as a smartphone. Charge at night, use all day.

      --
      Eat the rich.
  14. Still waiting for a 17inch Chromebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why hasn't any one made a 17 inch Chromebook. Apple too has no 17 inch option anymore.

  15. Am I The Only One... by ytene · · Score: 1

    ... who laments the loss of the humble 2.5" HDD [or, at the very least, a removable 2.5" SSD] from a laptop or netbook these days?

    I understand why companies are moving away from the idea of removable, normalized-size drives [it's cheaper to make the machine when it's just a daughter-board] but the loss of flexibility really chafes.

    Yes, there are a handful of machines out there which still support HDDs, but they are getting a bit clunky these days. Sigh.

    1. Re:Am I The Only One... by TeknoHog · · Score: 1

      ... who laments the loss of the humble 2.5" HDD [or, at the very least, a removable 2.5" SSD] from a laptop or netbook these days?

      I understand why companies are moving away from the idea of removable, normalized-size drives [it's cheaper to make the machine when it's just a daughter-board] but the loss of flexibility really chafes.

      There are standards for smaller flash drives, but the situation isn't looking quite universal. One thing that bugs me is the smaller version of SATA in 1.8'' drives; the shared connector between 3.5'' and 2.5'' drives was an incredible improvement over the PATA situation.

      Generally, I find it dumb when "desktop" and "mobile" components are artificially segregated by the use of different connectors etc., while it's really the same computer tech underneath. I like to use quiet and low-power stuff for my non-mobile needs, basically because I have to pay for the electricity and listen to the fans myself. Also, you'd think it were cheaper to build fewer different models of everything. SATA for 2.5'' and 3.5'' was a brief moment of sanity, and now we're in the same mess again.

      --
      Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
    2. Re:Am I The Only One... by ytene · · Score: 1

      Like your comment about having to listen to fans when you don't want or need to...

      I'm now on my second system from these people:-

      http://www.atlastsolutions.com...

      My first was a "Newton", a dual-Core i5 system, boosted with 16Gb of RAM and a 1Tb Samsung SSD. Tiny, completely silent, and the Intel Graphics was more than capable of driving 2 x Dell 24" 1920x1200 Monitors. Cost me about £1000 built, with Windows 7/Pro/64 included... Awesome. I partitioned the HDD and dual-boot with Mint Linux. Actually, I've since wiped the drive and it's now a single-OS Mint System. Ultra-low-power, works brilliantly as a "home server"... The only down-side was that audio out was basically stereo-only, via 3.5mm jack-plugs.

      Last December I bought a new machine from the same people. This one has a Skylake Core i7 6700T, optical audio out [hurrah!] for surround sound. I asked for a BluRay drive [which I now regret as I've barely used it], another 1Tb Samsung SSD and again it dual-boots between Windows 7 and Mint 17.3 Rosa. It's compact, completely silent and perfect.

      In fact, the only thing I haven't been able to get working is the ability to daisy-chain the DisplayPort between a pair of Monitors. In theory I should be able to do it, but in practice it doesn't work... Sigh...

  16. Why low DPI? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why are there still laptop displays with such low DPI?

  17. Curved Screens by BrendaEM · · Score: 2

    Curved screens are made by marketing people for marketing people.

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/c/BrendaEM
  18. a width of 10.98mm?? by Jorgensen · · Score: 1

    Surely not a decent size keyboard then??