Acer releases cheaper Centrino laptop

Acer on Monday launched a lower-priced Centrino notebook. The new, business-oriented TravelMate 290 line, which weighs 6.6 pounds and includes a drive bay for devices such as CD burners, features Intel's Centrino chip family for wireless connections at a starting price of $999. Many Centrino notebooks start at $1,200 to $1,400.

Acer's TravelMate 290Xi model comes with a 1.3GHz Intel Pentium M processor, a 14.1-inch screen, 128MB of RAM, a 20GB hard drive and a CD-ROM for $999, Acer said. More expensive models include 15-inch screens, CD burners and larger allotments of memory. Intel's Centrino bundle includes its Pentium M and an 802.11b wireless module.