AMD-Based Acer Aspire 1551 Ultrathin Notebook Debuts

With AMD having refreshed its entire platform portfolio for desktops and laptops, Acer is wasting no time in its quest to grab the market segment by the reigns. The PC maker has already become the first to reveal an AMD-powered netbook, the Aspire One 521. Acer's exhibition, however, is hardly limited to this one device. In fact, the desktop and laptop manufacturer has also prepared a slim notebook based on the Sunnyvale, California chip maker's newest ultrathin platform.

Known as the Acer Aspire 1551, the thin and light mobile PC has a screen size of 11.6 inches and runs on a configuration based on a merger of the AMD M880G chipset and the AMD Turion II Neo dual-core central processing unit. The configuration also includes up to 4GB of DDR3 and a hard disk drive with a storage capacity of up to 640GB.

To confer HD multimedia playback capabilities upon its new offspring, Acer included an ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics card, as well as a CineCrystal LED-backlit panel with a maximum resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. Also, when wishing for a true HD multimedia experience on a larger screen, one need only connect the peripheral via the HDMI port. Other specifications of the product include Optimized second generation Dolby Sound Room audio enhancement, an Acer CrystalEye webcam, WiFi, Gigabit Ethernet, optional 3G and optional Bluetooth.

“With its thin and light design, powerful wireless connectivity, high-end graphics, high-definition panel plus superb sound, the new Aspire 1551 is perfect to let you enjoy fantastic HD entertainment whenever you want. But you can also count on it for advanced processing and longer battery life. More performance and more time: the ideal mix for a rich user experience,” the official press release states.

There is no information, at this time, on the pricing and availability of this laptop. Still, considering that the mobile computer is already on display at Cannes, it shouldn't take too long for it to actually reach stores.

Live report by Traian Teglet from Cannes Film Festival 2010 in Cannes, France