Originally posted on June 17, 2011 @ 9:49 am
With so many new laptops coming out every time you turn around, it is to be expected that manufacturers are upping the game each time they announce a new release. It’s either that or sink. To be honest though, just how many times can one come up with something new and revolutionary – something that actually does make sense and benefit users?
I do not have the answer to that, but Acer’s new line of laptops will make you do a double take. At first glance, there’s really not much to say – Acer does make pretty sleek laptops and they make some of the better looking laptops out there. Dubbed the Acer Aspire Ethos, this new line of laptops does have something that I don’t believe I have seen before. A touchpad that is detachable. Now why would anyone want to have a detachable touchpad? To use as a remote, of course!
Now I haven’t the slightest idea why you would want a touchpad cum remote but if you go one step further and think “laptop and HDTV”…see where I am going here? So if you place your laptop by the TV (unless you have one of those WiDi devices), you simply have to remove the touchpad (which is impractical to use anyway in this situation) and use it as a remote. Here’s a closer look.
In the US, two models are now available – the 15-inch AS5951G and the 18.4-inch AS8951G. The smaller laptop goes for $1,399, while the larger one goes for $1,599. Pricey, no question about that but here is what you get:
- Quad-core second-gen 2.0 GHz Intel Core i7-2630QM CPU
- Nvidia GeForce GT 555M graphics with 2GB of memory
- Edge-to-edge Gorilla Glass-covered displays
- 750GB, 5,400rpm hard drive
- 4x Blu-ray drive
- Dolby-tuned stereo speakers and a bottom subwoofer
The difference is in the display and the RAM. The smaller laptop has a 1,366 x 768-pixel display and 6GB of RAM, while the larger one has a 1,920 x 1,080-pixel display and 8GB of RAM.
Now those specs are not something you can disregard – even if the removable touchpad seems silly to me!
Via CNET Asia