In new Acer line: Bigger Netbooks, better batteries

Acer, the global PC giant that also owns the Gateway, eMachines, and Packard Bell brands, announced a collection of new systems Tuesday evening during a press event held at New Jersey's Liberty Science Center.

Interspaced with a series of IMAX videos containing enigmatic imagery and slogans ("Light as your time can be"), Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci discussed the company's "multibrand" strategy for selling new products across the Acer and Gateway brands. The emphasis was on Netbooks--not surprising, given the success of the --and new ultraportable systems with Intel's newest ultralow-voltage central processing units.

None of the dozen-plus new laptops, Netbooks, Nettops and all-in-one PCs are available yet--we're told to expect them starting in June for the back-to-school season (and some may never even be released in the United States), but here are some of the highlights:

The 14-inch Acer Timeline T4810.

(Credit: Dan Ackerman/CNET)

Acer Timeline series
A collection of 13.3, 14.1, and 15.6-inch models with LED 16:9 displays, Intel ULV processors, touch pads with multitouch gestures (as on current MacBooks), and innovative passive cooling (developed by Intel and called Laminar Wall), which purports to keep the laptop's outer surface cooler to the touch.

By using ultralow-voltage CPUs and LED (light-emitting diode) displays, Acer claims that these new systems can run up to 10 hours on a single battery charge. Other PC makers have made similar claims in the past, usually by following extreme usage models, such as requiring you to dial the screen brightness way down or cut power to certain features.

We're eager to get our hands on one of these models to test these claims. (Note that the new HP Pavilion dv2, with AMD's Netbook-like Athlon Neo processor, also boasted of excellent power consumption but lasted just 2.5 hours in our benchmark tests.)

All three models are slightly tapered and range in thickness from about 0.9 inches to 1.5 inches, but they felt a little heavier than we expected, and Acer says the Timeline models range from 3.5 pounds to 5.3 pounds. Still, at $699 to $899, these look like excellent entries in the low-cost, high-end design category.

Note the sticker explaining the touch-pad gestures on the 11.6-inch Acer Aspire One.

(Credit: Marguerite Reardon/CNET)

Acer Aspire One 11.6-inch model
If a 10-inch Netbook is too small, and a 12-inch model (such as the HP dv2 or Samsung NC20) is too big for you, Acer is happy to help with the new 11.6-inch version of the Aspire One Netbook.

While this new model has a standard Intel Atom CPU and a 160GB hard drive, unlike the current rock-bottom-price Aspire One, this version has a thin LED screen and multitouch gestures, and what looks to be a better keyboard and touch pad than the $349 10-inch version that's currently a top seller.

With a more upscale design that's only about 1 inch thick, the 11.6-inch Aspire One will clearly be more expensive than the current Aspire One, but there is no official word on price or availability yet.

Gateway is getting seemingly identical versions of these 10 and 11-inch Netbooks as well, called the LT20 and LT30.

The 13.3-inch Gateway EC.

(Credit: Dan Ackerman/CNET)

Gateway EC
Details were sketchy on this 13.3-inch laptop, but it will feature a 16:9 LED display, switchable graphics, SSD drives, and be less than 1-inch thick. Gateway is emphasizing the "green" aspect, with an energy-saving low-power mode and Energy Star 5.0 compliance.

No price or availability yet, but as Acer was clearly emphasizing "mainstream price" for all its new products, we're interested in seeing if the EC can be an inexpensive MacBook alternative.

[jc364]

I really don't see the point of a larger netbook. If you're going to buy a 5.3 pound computer for 350-400 bucks, why not get a regular laptop that has more memory, better cpu, and a dvd drive?

A ten hour battery life would be nice, but I'm skeptical.

[Bill_I]

This whole Netbook category bears close watching. It seems there is a convergence of devices. Cell phones have developed large screens and small keyboards, whereas Laptop computers have got smaller, lighter, and have more battery endurance. We seem to be approaching Alan Kay's Dynabook. --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynabook --- Toshiba has pushed in that direction, with some very nice units which are somewhat pricey.

[planblove]

My question is when does a netbook cease to be a netbook, but becomes a full fledged laptop?

Netbooks were all about their size and pricing. But as they get bigger and more powerful (as well as expensive), aren't they just turning back into laptops?

[steve5200]

Exactly! I like where the article states that $699 to $899 is a "low cost" entry. $900 low cost? Not in my neck of the woods.

[Portal12]

I would say this round of Netbooks are actually just Notebooks again. The reason Netbooks got their distinction was because of the ultra portable small form factor. The 7" screens and whatnot. Where they should be going in even smaller, between an iPod Touch and the 7" models. Come out with a Netbook that is basically the same form factor of a Nintendo DS, but actually runs XP or Vista, has full USB/SATA, and sound outputs with a decent screen resolution. Something anyone can tuck into their pants pocket and have a full PC within a moments notice.

They should NOT be adding larger screens to these devices. It's missing the entire point.

[tcr071]

It is because those small netbooks were worthless. You can't get any real work done on them. You need to make the keyboard bigger for there to be any practicality in buying one AT ALL. The problem is when you get bigger you really aren't in the "netbook" segment anymore which is why I have been saying all along that netbooks are STUPID.

[lccurtis1]

To tcr071 netbooks are not worthless. I own the 8.9" Acer Aspire one and it performs just as well as my 15 inch Thinkpad. Netbooks are very useful to people on the go and makes computing really easy. I would really like to see someone editing a full document on a blackberry or and other smartphone. Netbooks are just small laptops and should not be larger than 10 inches. At one time I owned a Dell Latitude that was 12 inches and it was called a laptop. So I really don't understand why company's are trying to push anything larger than a 10 inch as a netbook it just does not make sense to me.

[tcr071]

An 11.6" netbook isn't a netbook. It is a notebook. In fact it is just a very ****** notebook.

[hotmail123]

After I have bought a netbook ($399 Acer AspireOne, 160GB, XP, 6 cell), my notebook ($899 Toshiba, Centrino duo-core, Vista) is now gathering dust on my desk. The 8.9" netbooks are so easy to carry and I can get up to 7 hours use from the 6 cell battery.....after reading the spec. of HP dv2 or 13"-15" Acer, they doesn't seemed to make any sense.

[addicted2gadgets]

The whole idea behind netbooks is that they are small, have a long battery life and are cheap. Those pluses outweigh the minuses of slower processor speeds. Make them any bigger and they don't fit on your lap, won't open on a plane, etc. It seems like mfgs. are just producing new models for the sake of new models, not understanding why netbooks have been such a hit.

[faceless128]

11.6" is really ..i dunno, what's the cutoff for a netbook in size? that is kinda big...

i have a 10" aspire one and it's great, much more portable, and i carry it with me almost every day. it's much more useful than my 14" HP, which i didn't carry around often.

witht he 6 cell battery, the battery life is just amazing.

[popvoid]

Netbooks are chosen first and foremost for their weight, then for their size. It is fine to make a 12" netbook, but it better not weigh more than four pounds or you've lost your audience (even four pounds is pushing it, IMO). For me, the keyboard is almost as important as the weight. I had an Asus Eee and got rid of it because of the keyboard. I now have an Acer Aspire One and I am pretty happy with it. If a netbook weighs more than five pounds, then I might as well lug around my MacBook.

[wiredchicken]

Netbooks are just a waste!!!

[beej90]

Agreed. Anything Larger that a 10 inch screen shouldn't be considered a netbook.

[1812dave]

My wife and I have 13 and 14 inch laptops. Late last year we each got Acer Aspire One's--the 8.9" variety and LOVE them for long battery life and size. They are easy to balance on the arm of my easy chair, or for my wife to use propped up in bed. The laptops we own are too unwieldy to do that and battery life on them is abysmal. I can get more than 5.5 hours out of the Acer. Netbooks rock!!

[1812dave]

I forgot to mention--her gateway laptop has gathered dust since she got her acer and my toshiba laptop sits on a desk infront of a 19" LCD screen. It never goes on battery now and gets trips around the house--it's more like a desktop pc than a portable, because my Acer is so much more convenient for taking from place to place.

[maury101]

I think the aspire one is a machine that balances all of the basic needs, it has a decent keyboard, nice resolution screen which yo wont have too much trouble with reading taking into account that you can view larger font in practically any program and more importantly in the web. The one I have has 120 GB and battery last about three hours, what else could I ask for, oh yeah, it is a very handsome machine.

[esoul1]

I just purchased my Acer Aspire One from HSN. I think it's 10" screen...but I was surprised to see the battery sticking out so much from the back. Is there another model I could get that has the battery more flush to the laptop?