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NEW YORK—Acer has unveiled a wide range of new tablets, laptops, fitness and fashion wearable bands, as well as hard-core gaming machines available as desktop, laptop or tablet models. Also slated is a small, portable LED projector that can be used to display images up to 100 inches wide on any surface.
The devices, many of which will be released in time for the back-to-school season, were announced here on April 23 at Acer’s Global Press Conference at 4 World Trade Center.
The Switch 10 two-in-one series includes a 10.1-inch Switch 10 E SW3-013, which offers up to 12 hours battery life, an Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, Intel HD graphics, a 2MP front and a 2MP rear camera, and a second-generation flip-over hinge. Slated for a July release, it will start at $279 and come in six colors. A companion Switch 10 SW5-015 has a different look, with durable and elegant front and back surfaces made from white Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The device, which has a full-HD display and keyboard dock and is detachable from its keyboard, will be available in August starting at $399.
A larger 11-inch Switch 11 detachable device is also on the way, and is targeted toward users who need focused productivity, according to Acer. The Switch 11 will have a full-HD display, an aluminum exterior, an Intel Core M CPU and the latest Acer Snap Hinge 2 hinge system. A 12-inch Switch 12 notebook that is super-thin and aimed as a productivity device is also slated.
Also coming is the Aspire R 11, which will be the smallest of Acer’s convertible notebook line. The R 11 has an 11.6-inch display, will come with either an Intel Pentium or Celeron processor, and will include a hard drive up to 1TB. The R 11, which has a rotating screen to allow users to position it in a wide range of ways, will be available in July starting at $249.
The Aspire V 15 notebook will be available in August with a 15-inch touch or non-touch display; an Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processor; up to 16GB of RAM; and hard drives up to 2TB. The new notebook starts at $599.
A new Aspire E Series of laptops will be available starting at $379 in July, with models featuring 14-, 15- or 17-inch displays. The Aspire E machines will be available with a wide range of Intel iCore, Pentium and Celeron processors, as well as numerous AMD FX and other processors, with up to 16GB of RAM and many other options.
Similarly, the new Aspire ES series will start at $229 and will be available starting in July, featuring screen sizes of 14 inches, 15.6 inches or 17.3 inches. They will be equipped with Intel Pentium or Celeron CPUs, or AMD E1 processors, depending on the model.
The new laptops and convertibles will ship with Windows 8.1 and will be eligible for free upgrades to Windows 10 when it is released this year.
In the tablet marketplace, Acer is introducing its new Iconia One 8 B1-820 device, which is an 8-inch Android 5.0 tablet that includes a wide-angle In-Plane Switching (IPS display) and Acer Precision Plus for precise input methods. Starting at $149.99, it will be available in 10 different colors in July.
A similar Iconia Tab 10 tablet will be offered in the education marketplace, featuring a Corning Gorilla Glass 4 display with full-HD 1,920 by 1,200 resolution. The 10-inch Android 5.0 tablet will be available in May starting at $299.
Acer’s New Gaming Devices
Also on tap for consumers are some new high-performance gaming devices from Acer including an innovative gaming tablet.
Acer Intros Slew of Tablets, Laptops, Wearables and Gaming Systems
The new Predator desktop gaming system will be available in the third quarter of this year, while a new Predator Notebook will be available in the fourth quarter in both 15- and 17-inch versions, with massive internal cooling systems and programmable buttons for users. Prices will be announced later.
Also slated is a Predator Z35 curved 35-inch gaming monitor that will sell for $1,299 and be available in September.
An all-new Predator Tablet for gaming is also due in the third quarter and will feature four front-mounted surround sound speakers and haptic feedback that will shake in a player’s hands during games that include haptic feedback.
LED Projector, Wearable Bands Also to Come
Acer’s new K138ST portable projector is an LED device that includes an intelligent ambient light sensor that adjusts the image based on the surrounding light. The projector will start at $999 and be available in June. It will be able to project an image of up to 100 inches across on virtually any surface.
Wearable bands for fitness and fashion are also in Acer’s future.
The company unveiled its new waterproof Liquid Leap Fit band, with a 1-inch touch-screen, a heart rate sensor that takes about 150 scans a day, a stress sensor and interchangeable colored bands, as well as the Liquid Leap Curve fashion band, which includes Acer’s first curved touch-screen wearable. The Liquid Leap Curve also includes heart rate and stress sensors and interchangeable bands.
For more active users, Acer also announced its new waterproof Liquid Leap Active band, which has a 1-inch touch-screen, activity tracking, built-in notifications and music controls.
Pricing and availability of the wearables will be announced later.
At the launch event, Acer also unveiled its first two smartphones that will be sold in the United States, including the Liquid M220 smartphone, which is already available in 55 countries. The M220 will arrive in the United States in June, where it will be sold for $79.99 through Microsoft stores and from the Microsoft Website, according to Acer. The smartphone features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 dual-core processor with speeds up to 1.2GHz, a 4-inch 233-pixel-per-inch WVGA (480 by 800) display, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of on-board storage that is expandable through a microSD slot and a removable 1,300mAh battery. The M220 provides up to 3 hours of talk time and up to 200 hours in standby on a single charge and also features Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi 802.11b/g/n connectivity.
Also arriving in the future will be the Liquid X2 smartphone, which will be aimed at business users. The Liquid X2, which was only briefly described at the Acer event, is most notable for its three SIM card slots and 4,000mAH battery for long life, but the company did not announce pricing and a firm date for availability. The Liquid X2 will feature a 5.5-inch display, a 64-bit octa-core processor and a 13MP F1.8 camera.