Acer Showcases New Chromebooks And Chromebox Devices
Acer announced at the Bett show in London new devices designed for the education - the new Chromebook 11, the Acer Chromebook Spin 11 and the Acer Chromebox CX13.
The new version of the Chromebook 11, the Acer Chromebook 11 C732, is IP41-rated, and drop tested up to 122 cm / 48 inches. It features a spill-resistant keyboard which can handle 330 ml of liquid, and is compliant with the MIL-STD 810G specs.
The device runs on Chrome OS and offers an optional 4G LTE modem along with a 2x2 802.11ac network adapter for wireless LAN. It also features two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C ports and two USB 3.0 Type-A ports.
The heart of the new Chromebook is the Intel N3350 dual-core, or N3450 quad-core processors, based on the Apollo Lake platform. The display is only 1366x768, but Acer is offering a wide array of display choices, with both IPS and TN panels available in non-touch, and IPS with touch as well.
Acer is claiming up to 12 hours of battery life. The device will be available in March starting at $279.99 for the non-touch, and $299.99 for the touch model.
Acer also announced a new 2-in-1 version of their Chromebook 11, with the Acer Chromebook Spin 11. It features the same Intel Celeron N3350 or N3450 processor options, and an 11-inch 1366x768 display. It also has two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C ports, along with 2 USB 3.0 Type-A ports for connectivity. It will be offered in models with 4 or 8 GB of LPDDR4, and 32 or 64 GB of eMMC storage.
The Chromebook Spin 11 though is a convertible device, with a flip-around screen. The display also supports an optional Wacom EMR stylus.
It will be available starting in April for $349.99.
Finally, Acer is launching a Chromebox CX13. Consumers can choose up to 8th Generation Intel Core processors, and it features a USB 3.1 Type-C port along with five USB Type-A ports, along with HDMI, microSD card reader, and Gigabit Ethernet. It will also have a 2x2 MIMO 802.11ac wireless network card, and Bluetooth 4.2.
The CX13 will be offered with a VESA mounting kit .