Acer’s HD revolution
Acer launched its summer computer range in Cannes, the home of emerging cinema and what better venue could there be to introduce Acer’s new systems, focussed on powerful visuals and HD resolutions?
Perhaps the most interesting members of the new Acer family are the two netbooks – the Aspire One 521 and Aspire One 721. The new netbooks come in two sizes, 28 cm (10.1”) and 29.5cm (11.6”) and boast ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4225 graphics cards, backed with 4GB of DDR3 RAM. That adds up to a surprisingly powerful, miniature duo.
Not content with being perhaps the most powerful netbooks on the market, the Aspire One range is also interested in taking over the living room. Or at least, it could if it wanted to. This is because the netbooks are equipped with an HDMI-out port to easily connect to HDTV or video-projectors, turning the mobile computers into portal media centres. Perfect for when you tire of watching films on the small, LED-lit screens (although the One 721 can come with an impressive resolution of 1366 x 768).
Of course, Acer knows that heavyweight computer users need more power than a humble netbook, and so are offering the Aspire M5400 desktop. The computer uses “VISION Technology – Black”, a combination of the latest AMD Phenom™ II X4 processors, DirectX® 11 compliant ATI Radeon™ graphics and AMD 8-Series chipsets capable of HD gaming and running multi-threaded applications.
The desktop comes with a Blu-ray Disc player, as well as a HDMI port to connect to the latest high-definition monitors, television or projectors. It also includes a digital and analog hybrid TV-tuner for watching and recording television.
Other interesting features include a swappable hard disc bay on the front of the machine gives, as well as 12 USB ports and ATI Eyefinity technology, which enables support for up to six independent displays simultaneously.
Acer’s newest laptop is the Aspire 7552G, which also features the VISION Technology, with a AMD Phenom II Quad-Core Mobile processor and an ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD graphics card.
Screen sizes come in at 14.1”, 15.6” and 17.3” varieties at a 16:9 aspect ratio. They are all LED-backlit, meaning longer battery life and a more even brightness level. The laptops also boast a Blu-ray player as well as a HDMI port for connecting to TVs and projectors in full HD.
