Acer launches four laptops

COMPUTER MAKER Acer took the lid off a quadruplet of laptops in the hope that it will manage to topple HP at the top of the worldwide PC market share charts.

Headlining the event was the firm's Timeline X machine, which seems like a jack of all trades coming in three SKUs with screen sizes varying from 13.3-inch up to 15.6-inch. Acer also confirmed that an 11-inch version will show up eventually.

The notebook PC mass producer is keen to shrug off its image as the default bargain basement option for consumers and firms looking to save a few bob by avoiding HP and Dell. To that end, the Timeline X actually looks the part, sporting a black brushed aluminium screen cover, flush mounted touchpad and a fashionable chiclet keyboard.

The innards aren't too bad either, with the option sheet spanning the full spectrum of Intel's mobile Core chips. The cheapest model comes with an Intel Core i3 330M with the fastest and most expensive option sporting an Intel Core i7 670M. All models will feature at least 3GB of RAM with hard drive options ranging from 250GB to 640GB, although no SSDs are on offer. Graphics are powered by AMD's middle of the road mobile HD 5470 and HD 5650 chips.

Acer is giving the Timeline X line stamina by offering a 9-cell battery, albeit as a £200 option. The firm says that the standard 6-cell unit provides around eight hours of battery life with WiFi enabled.

Nine configurations will be available at launch in May with prices starting at £600.

Acer also announced two other middle of the road units aimed at casual gamers and the few who use their laptops to watch Blu-ray films. The more interesting of the two, the x754, sports the full range of Intel mobile Core processors and graphics chips from AMD, three display sizes - 14-inch, 15.6-inch and 17.3-inch - and "Dolby optimised" surround sound.

The 17.3-inch version features a tweaked chassis that has space for two hard drives and four DDR3 slots supporting up to 16GB of system memory. Like the Timeline X, both the x751 and x754 will be on sale in May with prices starting at £600.

Acer rounded off its latest offerings with the less stylish Aspire Ethos. The device, which resembles a slab of silver plastic with a cat flap, features an 18-inch LED backlit 1920x0180 screen, five speakers and a subwoofer. Underneath all that there is a powerful machine but quite frankly the whole shebang is showoff exercise.

The Ethos has components similar to those of the x754, with Acer saying that the Intel Core i7 chip primarily will be found on the 18-inch model. For those who want a slightly more portable device, the firm will also be selling a 15-inch version but that will not sport the 5.1 speaker setup, instead opting for virtual surround sound.

The notebook is supposed to offer "essentiality", whatever that means. Essentially, for us, the design, weight and specification will mean that only those who can't afford good taste will aspire for the Ethos. Prices start £1,100 but expect to pay more if you want the 18-inch monstrosity.

While the Aspire Ethos might not be much of a looker, the Timeline X, x751 and x754 look pretty handy with decent specifications and typical Acer pricing, that is to say, keen. These notebooks are all set to hit the stores in May, which should give the number two notebook manufacturer a chance for a good run at HP over the summer. µ