[Computex] Acer Announces Low-price Laptop to Rival Eee PC

Jun 5, 2008 18:49 Naohisa Iwamoto, ITpro

Acer Inc of Taiwan announced the low-price "Aspire one" small notebook PC at a presentation meeting in Taipei, Taiwan, June 3, 2008. Acer intends to release the Aspire one to rival the "Eee PC" series of ASUSTeK Computer Inc of Taiwan.

The Aspire one will debut in Taiwan and the US in June. Pricing is expected to be about US$399 to 499. The computer is slated for market release in Japan in August.

The Aspire one is positioned as a "mobile Internet device that allows Internet access anytime and anywhere." Acer CEO J. T. Wang said, "Products in this segment will be the mainstream for users ranging from professionals to beginners."

The computer features Intel Corp's "Atom" low power processor as its CPU. Two models equipped with 8-Gbyte flash or an 80-Gbyte HDD external memory device are available. SD cards can be inserted into its SD card slot and also used as extended memory devices. Its OS can be chosen from Linux or Windows XP. The body measures 24 (w) x 17cm (d) and weighs less than 1kg, according to Acer.

It features an 8.9-inch 1024 x 600 resolution LCD. In addition to IEEE802.11b/g wireless LAN capability, data communications using a third-generation (3G) mobile phone is also possible using an SIM card. Mobile WiMAX will also be supported by the end of this year, Acer said.

The standard battery pack consists of three cells, while an optional pack contains six. The six-cell battery pack allows operation for up to six hours.

Acer developed a proprietary launcher display and applications for the Linux version model. The launcher displays "Connect," "Work," "Fun" and "File" categories, so users can easily start tasks by choosing one of the items.

The developed applications include "Aspire oneMail" for integrated management of multiple mail accounts for Google and Yahoo!, for example, and a messenger software application for integrated management of multiple instant messenger accounts. These applications have increased user convenience, Acer said.

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