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First look: Acer Aspire TimelineX 1830T-68U118, an 11.6-inch powerhouse

We said we were noticing a trend in 2010 toward "premium" Netbooks, and that's no joke--it seems as we begin our final descent through this calendar year that true ultraportable laptops are back, in a big way.

The $899 Acer Aspire TimelineX 1830T-68U118 looks like a Netbook from the outside, just slightly bigger. An 11.6-inch glossy screen and a full-size flat keyboard are contained cozily in a narrow lightweight chassis with little bulk, resembling an Acer TimelineX in miniature. A six-cell battery is tucked above the keyboard and between the screen hinges, reducing bottom bulk. With … Read more

Acer offers smaller MacBook Air alternative

A new Acer Aspire TimelineX AS1830T-68U118 boasts both a design and internals that rival current and possibly future MacBook ultraportables.

Persistent rumors about an upcoming MacBook Air point to a redesign--as well as new processors. And on Wednesday, we got official word from Apple that it is staging a "Back to Mac" event on October 20. Needless to say, this can only serve to fuel speculation about new MacBooks--and most prominently the MacBook Air.

So, could Acer be blazing a trail that others will follow? At the very least, the TimelineX's feature set points to a contemporaneous … Read more

New Acer laptops add 3D, Optimus

A handful of new laptop announcements from Acer kick off the week, covering everything from 3D-enabled systems to the long-life TimelineX series. Most of the new features offered are things we've previously seen on other laptops (specifically Nvidia's 3D Vision and Optimus), but we've been liking Acer's designs lately, so it's nice to see them add these useful extras. We've also seen some of these mentioned out of Europe previously, so they shouldn't come as a complete surprise.

Acer Aspire 5745DG This is probably the single most interesting new entry, taking a familiar … Read more

Acer ditches ULV for Core i3, i5 on Timeline X

As "thin-and-light" laptop releases grow fewer and farther between, Acer has decided to stay the course on slim while largely abandoning its ultra low-voltage CPU for the full-voltage Core i-series in a new line of laptops called the Timeline X. The Timeline X models have screens ranging in size from 13 inches to 15 inches,  costs start at $599,  use Core i3 or i5 processors, and they have a black brushed-aluminum look. On the 14- and 15-inch models, Acer includes internal optical drives; however, the 13-inch Timeline X won't have the drive.

The 11.6-inch-screened … Read more

Acer debuts green, biodegradable notebooks

Acer is getting greener, at least according to Greenpeace.

The computer maker unveiled two new notebooks on Friday that have already received kudos from the international environmental group. The Acer Aspire 3811TZ and Aspire 3811TZG are designed to be energy efficient, recyclable, and biodegradable, thereby winning high marks from Greenpeace, which rates PCs and other electronics for their environmental friendliness.

As part of its green initiatives, Acer said it built the two new Aspires to be free of PVCs (polyvinyl chloride) and BFRs (brominated flame retardants).

PVC is a cheap but durable plastic that has been criticized by Greenpeace for … Read more

Flash creator

Sothink Quicker for Silverlight provides a helpful collection of tools to help users build a Flash film or Web site. Although prior knowledge is helpful, anyone can learn to use Flash with this program.

Sothink's intimidating interface is a cluttered collection of boxes and tools spread around a central screen. The Help file's instructions proved to be indispensable, since we are far from experts at Flash imagery. While it's extremely difficult to build a smooth film without some Flash background, we were still able to move forward and learn a lot. We created layers and scenes with … Read more