Category: Acer

Today over at Amazon you can pick up a great deal on the Acer Chromebook 14.  Right now this all aluminum chassis Chromebook is available with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage for $270.  That price is good on either the aluminum or the gold aluminum finish and is eligible for Prime shipping for members.

This Acer Chromebook is powered by a Intel Celeron N3160 processor running at 1.6GHz and the display renders at 1920 x 1080 full HD.  As mentioned already, it has 4GB of RAM which is really handy on a Chromebook and has 32GB of storage for those things (like Android apps) that you need to store locally.  It also has a built-in battery that is rated to give 12 hours of life between charges.  Overall it is a great package and one of the higher rated Chromebooks out there right now.

Today at IFA in Berlin, Germany, Acer announced a new Chromebook that looks pretty impressive.  The new Chromebook R13 will be hitting stores in October and it sports not only a touchscreen but also has a folding design so you can use it as a slate.  This is the combination that many Chromebook users have been waiting for from the platform and with a price tag of around $400, it is still reasonably affordable.

As the name suggests, the R13 has a 13″ LCD display that provides 1080p HD, has 4GB of RAM and will start out with 16GB of storage.  Acer plans to have 32GB and 64GB models available at the time of the release.  The R13 is powered by a MediaTek MT8173C quad-core processor, has a USB Type-C port, HDMI port and a 720p webcam.

AT Mobile World Congress today, Acer announced the Liquid Jade 2, a well appointed device that will be running the Snapdragon 808 processor, have 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and a 21MP camera.  But the really interesting part of the device is what the company is calling hybrid cloud storage.  The Liquid Jade 2 will comes with 1TB of such storage that the company states will “seamlessly integrate” with the device.  How exactly that integration will work is not 100% clear but it sounds strikingly similar on the surface at least to that of Nextbit and their new smartphone, Robin.

In an announcement made today, Microsoft and Acer have come to an agreement whereby a suite of the Redmond, Washington company’s apps will be pre-installed on selected Acer Android phones and tablets later this year.  While it is not clear which devices will see these apps installed, it was clear in the announcement which apps are involved.  Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote and OneDrive will be there along with Skype for voice and video communications.

Nick Psyhogeos, president of Microsoft Technology Licensing, said, “We’re pleased that we have been able to enhance the already strong partnership that exists between Microsoft and Acer. Mutually beneficial and collaborative agreements such as this one promote innovation and lead to better products and experiences for consumers.”

The announcement falls in line with the continued “mobile first” strategy of Microsoft who has continued to develop their Android apps at a feverish clip over the past 18 months.  Indeed the suite of apps now are almost on par with their desktop counterparts from a feature perspective while remaining free to download.  For all of the functionality the apps have to offer, customers will still need to sign up for Office 365 and this deal with Acer is no exception.

Acer has kicked off CES 2016 by announcing a refresh of their 11″ Chromebook.  The new 11.6″ Chromebook will be available in February and will start at just $179.99 for the 2GB RAM/16GB Storage model.  Sporting 9 hours of battery life and a Nano-imprinted pattern for a premium look, this new Chromebook is designed for portability with a weight of just under 2.5lbs.

“Acer’s position in the Chromebook market is unparalleled because we offer the range of Chromebook products that our customers want – including larger 15-inch displays and convertible models,” said Jerry Kao, president of Acer Notebook Business Group. “We know what our customers want most in a Chromebook are the attributes that complement the mobile lifestyle – great performance and a portable design at an excellent value – all this can be found in the Chromebook 11.”

I for one am looking forward to seeing this new unit as a potential replacement for my current Acer C670 Chromebook.  Based on the the information in the Press Release, I think this could be a great budget friendly Chromebook for a lot of users.

In addition to the six new smartphones that Acer announced today at IFA 2015 in Berlin, the company also announced a brand new 11″ Chromebook, the R11.  The Chromebook R11 is the first fully convertible Chromebook from Acer and sports an 11″ 1366 x 768 LCD display and is powered by an Intel Celeron processor.  The R11 will be able to have up to 4GB of RAM and 32GB of on-board storage depending on the configuration you purchase.  As for price, the Chromebook R11 will start at $299.