Acer Finally Unveils Aspire S3 Ultrabook

Friday during the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, Acer finally revealed its Aspire S3 ultrabook to the public. As previously noted, it will sport a 13.3-inch ultra-thin HD LED display and a super-lightweight, high-density battery delivering up to 7 hours of juice. More importantly, it will measure just 0.507-inches thin and weigh less than 3 lbs.

"The Aspire S3 is truly designed to meet notebook users' needs, combining essential features of the smartphone and tablet PC, such as fast startup and Internet connectivity, with long battery life," said Campbell Kan, president of Personal Computer Global Operations, Acer Inc. "Matched with its slim form, the Aspire S3 will provide a fresh experience and set a major milestone in the history of Acer's notebook development."

Outside the ultrabook design, Acer is heavily pushing the Aspire S3's Acer Green Instant On and Acer Instant Connect features. On the Green Instant On front, the device will resume in 1.5 seconds if it's been in Sleep mode for less than 30 minutes. If the ultrabook has been in Deep Sleep, then it will resume in 6 seconds. Acer said the unit enters a deep sleep state after 30 minutes of no activity, and is part of the battery-saving measures that allows Acer to provide up to 50 days battery life. As for the Acer Instant Connect feature, the company claims the ultrabook can access the Internet in just 2.5 seconds.

With all that out of the way, here are some juicy specs to nibble on, broken down into an easy-to-read list:

• Choice of 2nd-generation Core i3, i5, i7 ultra-low voltage CPUs
• 13.3-inch glossy coated HD LED display with a native resolution of 1366 x 768
• Two USB 2.0 ports and an HDMI-out port, all three full-sized and located on the back
• Choice of a 240 GB SSD model, or a hybrid 320/500 GB HDD + 20 GB SSD (cache config)
• Up to 7 hours of battery life for the SSD-only model, and up to 6 hours for the HDD + SSD versions
• A 2-in-1 card reader that supports SD Cards and MultiMediaCards
• Integrated Acer Crystal Eye 1.3MP camera and microphone
• Acer InviLink Nplify 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi CERTIFIED
• Bluetooth 4.0 + HSR
• Dolby Home Theater v4, combo audio jack
• Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional
• Magnesium-Aluminum alloy chassis and a lid with a fingerprint-free metal finish
• Full-size Acer FineTip chiclet keyboard

"The Aspire S3 features a vent-free bottom so the notebook rests comfortably on the user's lap," the company said Friday. "Warm components are smartly placed away from the palmrest and touchpad area, so users won't feel any heat discomfort. Further innovation is offered via a new airflow design that dissipates warm air from the rear of the notebook, preventing air from blowing towards the user's hands. Finally, the fan motor is optimized to enhance efficiency and lower power consumption to help increase system battery life."

The Aspire S3 ultrabook will start to roll out in select regions in September and ramp-up in October, priced between €799 and €1199. Acer does have plans to introduce the product to the U.S. market, but Acer isn't announcing pricing, specs or availability until later on at an unspecified date.