Those users who want to get their hands on a notebook running Google's Chrome Operating System but who were put off by the $429 (WiFi-only) and $499 (WiFi+3G radio) price tags of Samsung's Series 5 Chromebooks will soon have a choice: the Acer AC700 Chromebook is wending its way through the Amazon.com sales pipeline and should be ready to ship July 11. Acer has high hopes for this $349.99 notebook, which is WiFi-only. Acer said it would produce a WiFi+3G version later this year. Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) introduced the Acer AC700 and the Series 5 Chromebook May 11 at the Google I/O developer event in San Francisco. Chrome OS is the supporting platform for Web applications such as Google Docs, Gmail and Chrome-specific versions of games such as Angry Birds, all of which run on the Chrome Web browser. Chromebooks such as the AC700 and Series 5 boot within 10 seconds and use a verified boot process, sandboxing for applications and data encryption to secure user data. The machines are essentially hardware shells, with the bulk of data residing in Google's cloud of servers, which provision applications over the Web. If a Chromebook is damaged, it may be easily replaced with no valuable data lost. The 1.66GHz Intel Atom N570 dual-core processor-powered machine weighs only 2.95 pounds (compared with 3.3 pounds for the Series 5). In this slide show, eWEEK runs through the rest of the specs and provides users with a peek at this machine, which resembles the Cr-48 pilot Chromebook in color and shape.
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Chromebook Unveiled
The Acer AC700 measures 11.24 inches long and 8 inches deep. Users gets about 6 hours of battery life from the AC700's 4,400-mAh battery, compared with 8.5 hours with the Series 5 Chromebook. The extra battery life can mean the difference for users who work the standard 8-hour workday and can't be bothered to recharge.
Svelte Frame
The notebook—at only 1 inch thick—is a svelte machine.
A Look at the LCD Screen
Acer branding is prominent between the 11.6-inch high-definition CineCrystal LED-backlit LCD (with a 16:9 aspect ratio and 1366 by 768 resolution) keyboard, which includes a track pad and Web-navigation keys in addition to standard letters and numbers.
Left Side View
Note the ports for HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) output, USB, and headphone and microphone jacks. There is another USB port on the other side of the machine.
Chrome Home
The Chrome home screen on the machine includes preinstalled applications and a link to the Chrome Webstore for downloading new applications. The Acer AC700 also has an HD 1.3MP webcam with LED indicator for video chat.
Right-Angle View
The AC700 also boasts 2GB of DDR3 (double data rate type three) memory, a 16GB SSD (solid-state drive) for storing files, and a 4-in-1 card reader that accepts flash storage.
Left-Angle View
The notebook, which has the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150, has 64MB of dedicated video memory.
Undercarriage
The underside of the Acer700 chassis won't win any beauty contests with all the screws and angles, but the device appears sturdily built.
Chromebook Benefits
Acer explains the benefits of the AC700 Chromebook on its Website.
Where to Buy It
Consumers may preorder the Acer AC700 from Amazon.com for shipment after the July 11 release date.
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See All Slideshows
Those users who want to get their hands on a notebook running Google's Chrome Operating System but who were put off by the $429 (WiFi-only) and $499 (WiFi+3G radio) price tags of Samsung's Series 5 Chromebooks will soon have a choice: the Acer AC700 Chromebook is wending its way through the Amazon.com sales pipeline and should be ready to ship July 11. Acer has high hopes for this $349.99 notebook, which is WiFi-only. Acer said it would produce a WiFi+3G version later this year. Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) introduced the Acer AC700 and the Series 5 Chromebook May 11 at the Google I/O developer event in San Francisco. Chrome OS is the supporting platform for Web applications such as Google Docs, Gmail and Chrome-specific versions of games such as Angry Birds, all of which run on the Chrome Web browser. Chromebooks such as the AC700 and Series 5 boot within 10 seconds and use a verified boot process, sandboxing for applications and data encryption to secure user data. The machines are essentially hardware shells, with the bulk of data residing in Google's cloud of servers, which provision applications over the Web. If a Chromebook is damaged, it may be easily replaced with no valuable data lost. The 1.66GHz Intel Atom N570 dual-core processor-powered machine weighs only 2.95 pounds (compared with 3.3 pounds for the Series 5). In this slide show, eWEEK runs through the rest of the specs and provides users with a peek at this machine, which resembles the Cr-48 pilot Chromebook in color and shape.