Acer Reveals Aspire R7 Convertible, Aspire P3 Ultrabook

During a press event in New York City, Acer introduced a number of new products spanning mainstream notebooks to tablets to a convertible Ultrabook. The latter device was actually previously teased in a Star Trek: Into Darkness promo which showed the device transforming into an Enterprise-like shape. That's actually called the Aspire R7, and its "Ezel Hinge" allows the screen to flip, reverse, lie flat and float.

"The Acer R7 was made for the new computing lifestyle, which increasingly combines touching and typing," the company said. "With a repositioned keyboard and a revolutionary "Ezel Hinge" that moves the display forward and into different positions, the R7 makes the combination of touching the screen and using the keyboard more intuitive and natural."

Acer said Best Buy will be the exclusive retail partner for the Aspire R7 (R7-571-6858), selling the $999.99 USD laptop in local stores and online for shipping on May 17. Pre-orders can be placed now with Best Buy online, and those who do so between May 3 and May 16, 2013 will also receive a free download of Star Trek: The Video Game for PC.

According to the specs, the laptop features a 15.6-inch Full HD touch screen, 6 GB of RAM, a 500 GB HDD, a 24 GB SSD, a full-size backlit keyboard, and Dolby Home Theater v4 with four 8-watt speakers. The laptop also includes a volume control button, an HDMI port, an SD card reader, audio jacks, three USB ports, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, a webcam, dual microphones mounted on the front, and a convenient converter port supporting VGA, RJ45 and USB. The four positional modes include Ezel mode, Notebook mode, Display mode and Pad mode.

"The Aspire R7 includes a unibody aluminum chassis, a beautiful brushed metal hinge, and an arched cover with very subtle curves and lines," the company said. "The bottom features a soft touch finish for a secure grip, making it easy to grasp and carry."

Next up is Acer's Aspire P3, a new Ultrabook form factor "powerful enough to be their primary PC". It delivers all the benefits of an Ultrabook in a unique design that easily transforms into tablet-mode, weighing only 3.06 pounds and measuring just 0.77-inches thin. It's available immediately at local and online retailers starting at $799.99 USD.

The Ultrabook's specs include Intel Core i3 and i5 processors, depending on the model, and 60 GB or 120 GB SSDs. It also has an 11.6-inch HD IPS touch display with wide 170-degree viewing angles, a built-in Acer Crystal Eye HD webcam that captures video in 720p, and a 5MP camera on the back. Also included is a full-sized USB 3.0 port, a full-sized Chiclet keyboard built into the cover, a battery supporting up to six hours on a single charge, HDMI output, and Dolby Home Theater that boosts the sound for headphones as well as built-in speakers.

"The Acer Aspire P3 provides true Ultrabook performance, so customers can use it as their main PC for handling everything from everyday computing tasks to more demanding ones such as creating presentations and sharing multimedia content," the company said. "The new mobile powerhouse can also run multiple apps, such as video conferencing while reviewing spreadsheets and documents, further boosting productivity."

Acer said the Aspire P3 makes for an excellent option for Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiatives that are becoming more popular at businesses and schools.

  • Carroll Ware
    Dang was hoping finally for a 17 inch screen laptop 15.6 looks like all ever any of the pc manufacturers are ever going to make. I guess then I will just have to settle for the 15.6 models then which lacks the performance of the 17 inch in my opinion.
    Reply
  • dalethepcman
    I wonder if the 24GB SSD is implemented as a cache drive or as a boot drive. While this does slightly intrigue me, I won't be purchasing another Windows 8 device until Kinect 2 / Leap motion devices have been released.
    @Carroll Ware Acer has released a 21" laptop, Dell 20" and Toshiba 21.5"
    Most manufacturers still make 17"-19" laptops, but I don't think any manufacturer will release an ultrabook larger than 15.6"
    Reply
  • Bloob
    If only I could trust Acer, just too many bad experiences.
    Reply
  • Tony 1k
    One other new hybrid tablet that launches in May is the Hummingbird PX103 by Aocos Electronics, with a "Transformer style" 10-inch device with a snap-on cover that reconfigures as a mini-laptop with keyboard... and makes an excellent choice for a mid-range device, with one of the first sites it's available through is TabletSprint -- and is priced at $239.
    This is the third generation of this model and the PX103 is compact and well-designed and features one of the latest Quad Core processors (Rockchip RK3188 1.6 GHz / Mali-400MP4 GPU/2GB DDR3) with 16GB Memory, along with an HD 1280x800 IPS screen, Bluetooth (works with built-in keyboard), a front Webcam and 5 MegaPixel rear camera, HDMI 1080p output, a 7000 mAh battery, Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, and Google Play store preinstalled; and it ultra-thin design offers a 9.6mm profile and weight-wise comes in at 1.4 pounds...
    A 3G - HSPA+ edition of the Hummingbird with Voice calling and Data Internet is expected in June with service through any GSM Carrier, including AT&T and T-Mobile -- the site TabletSprint also offers a promotion with Bonus Apps, which for gamers include the popular 3D game Shadowgun, as well as an Office Suite with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
    Reply
  • Tony 1k
    Another new worthy mid-range hybrid launching this month is the Hummingbird PX103 -- a "Transformer style" 10-inch device that's an excellent choice for a mid-range tablet and features a hard cover with reversable built in keyboard, a Rockchip Quad Core processor and an HD 1280x800 IPS screen; as well as Bluetooth, HDMI, Dual Cameras, a 7000 mAh battery, Android 4.2.2 and Google Play... it's ultra-thin with a 9.6mm profile and weighs only 1.4 pounds... priced at $239 with more details at a site called TabletSprint--
    Reply
  • Tony 1k
    One other new hybrid tablet that launches in May is the Hummingbird PX103 by Aocos Electronics, with a "Transformer style" 10-inch device with a snap-on cover that reconfigures as a mini-laptop with keyboard... and makes an excellent choice for a mid-range device, with one of the first sites it's available through is TabletSprint -- and is priced at $239.
    This is the third generation of this model and the PX103 is compact and well-designed and features one of the latest Quad Core processors (Rockchip RK3188 1.6 GHz / Mali-400MP4 GPU/2GB DDR3) with 16GB Memory, along with an HD 1280x800 IPS screen, Bluetooth (works with built-in keyboard), a front Webcam and 5 MegaPixel rear camera, HDMI 1080p output, a 7000 mAh battery, Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, and Google Play store preinstalled; and it ultra-thin design offers a 9.6mm profile and weight-wise comes in at 1.4 pounds...
    A 3G - HSPA+ edition of the Hummingbird with Voice calling and Data Internet is expected in June with service through any GSM Carrier, including AT&T and T-Mobile -- the site TabletSprint also offers a promotion with Bonus Apps, which for gamers include the popular 3D game Shadowgun, as well as an Office Suite with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
    Reply