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Acer America has designed its latest notebook PCs-the Aspire Ethos AS8951G and AS5951G-to deliver a high-definition personal theater experience for a range of activities, including graphic-intensive gaming, video streaming and viewing of high-definition DVDs, photography and videos. This is aided by the notebooks’ detachable touchpad that doubles as a remote control.
The Ethos AS5951G has a price of $1,399.99, while the AS8951G comes in at $1,599.99.
The notebooks feature edge-to-edge frameless displays available in two sizes. The AS8951G includes an 18.4-inch full HD widescreen (1,920-by-1,080) display, while the AS5951G includes a 15.6-inch HD widescreen (1,366-by-768) display. Models are equipped with either a Blu-ray drive or a DVD optical drive for viewing movies on a widescreen, scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla glass display. The experience can be extended to a big-screen TV via an HDMI port, the company claimed.
The Ethos 8951G comes with Acer CineSurround with five Dolby-tuned built-in speakers and Acer Tuba CineBass subwoofer supporting low-frequency effects and vibrant audio. In addition, the 5951G sports True 5.1-channel surround sound output, two built-in stereo speakers and the Acer Tuba CineBass booster for supporting low frequency effects.
The Ethos line also features a large detachable touchpad that can be removed and used as a remote control, enabling consumers to control their music, movies or a slide show from across the room. It includes LED buttons that launch music and videos, and can be used vertically or horizontally. In addition, the backlit, chiclet-style keyboard makes it possible to navigate in low-light conditions. With the InstantOn Arcade key, the notebooks can be fast-booted, allowing users to watch movies, play music and view photos without waiting for the entire PC to start up.
Depending on configuration, users will find either a second-generation Intel Core i7 Quad-Core or a second-generation Intel Core i5 Dual-Core processor, up to 16GB of memory, and Nvidia GeForce GT 555M graphics with 2GB of dedicated DDR3 VRAM. An integrated PowerSmart long-life battery is designed to provide prolonged battery performance. The company said the new battery with the long cycle life formula can retain 80 percent capacity for over 1,000 charge cycles (about four years of charges).
Hard drive sizes range from 500GB to 1.5TB, and the Ethos 8951G provides even more storage capacity with support for dual hard drives. A Firewire port and a combo USB/eSATA port are also included, as is a USB 3.0 port, which can charge USB devices when asleep, in hibernation mode or turned off completely.
In addition, a 1.3-megapixel HD Webcam provides high pixel density for enhanced video image quality at 24 frames per second, and the notebooks come preloaded with Acer Clear.fi, a cross-platform solution for media enjoyment and sharing with DLNA-compliant devices. Lastly, a bio-protection fingerprint reader prevents unauthorized use of the PC.