ACER Malaysia has launched two new Windows 8-based Aspire notebook series, the convertible R7 and the hybrid P3 Ultrabook.
The R7, which has been featured in the Star Trek Into Darkness movie, ships with a new hinge system called “Ezel” that let users smoothly convert the machine into four different modes – notebook, Ezel, pad and display – with one hand.
As the name suggests, in Notebook mode users simply open it up like a typical notebook, while in the Ezel mode the device’s 15.6in full HD IPS touchscreen can be positioned to “float” just above the keyboard.
Interesting to note that Acer has positioned the touchpad to be at the back of the keyboard instead of at the usual palmrest area. Thus, when in the Ezel mode, users will be able to use the touch display as the main input device and the backlit keyboard for easier typing, which actually makes sense as having a touchpad and touch screen that do the same things seem redundant.
The hinge system also allows users to fold the screen flat in the Pad mode to turn the device into a “tablet” and finally, flip it backwards into a presentation display in the Display mode.
That’s not all – while in the Display mode, the speakers will automatically swap the left and right outputs so that person viewing the screen on the opposite side will listen to the produced stereo sound in the correct manner.
Specs-wise, the R7 sports a third-generation Intel Core i5-3337U Processor with 8GB DDR3 RAM, Intel Graphics 4000 and 1TB SATA hard disk.
It also includes a HDMI port, SD card reader, audio jacks, three USB3.0 ports, WiFi, Bluetooth and a convenient converter port supporting VGA and Ethernet.
The device tipped the scale at 2.4kg device and has a rated battery life of up to 4.5 hours on a single charge.
Meanwhile, the convertible P3 is actually an Ultrabook that comes in two separate components – a tablet screen and a detachable Bluetooth keyboard dock. Users can choose between using it in the laptop mode, or to detach the dock and operate the device like a tablet.
The tablet alone weighs about 790g and the keyboard dock adds another 600g to the whole setup.
The series is available in two versions – one that is powered by the third-generation Intel Core i3-3229Y Processor with Intel HD Graphics 4000, and another by an Intel Pentium Processor 2129Y with Intel HD Graphics.
P3 ships with an 11.6in screen that offers a resolution of up to 1,366 x 768pixels.
Users will also find 2GB DDR3 RAM, 60GB SSD, 720p front-facing camera, 5-megapixel back camera and various connectivity options including, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, microHDMI and a USB3.0 port.
It has a rated battery life of up to 6 hours on a single charge.
The R7 retails for RM2,999 while the i3 and Pentium-based P3 models cost RM1,999 and RM1,799 respectively.
