Acer has teased the prototype at IFA 2013 and now at MWC in Barcelona

Mar 4, 2014 08:58 GMT  ·  By

Last week in Barcelona, Acer took the opportunity to tease an older concept called the Extend, which involves a smartphone powering a laptop.

Last week at MWC 2014, we told you Alcatel showed a very interesting prototype device in Barcelona. We’re not talking of the first Firefox OS tablet, the One Touch Fire S or the budget slate with Android 4.4 KitKat and 4G, the OneTouch POP 7S.

We’re actually referring to a laptop, called the “Smartbook” which can be powered over the air, via a smartphone. It turns out, this wasn't the only concept taking advantage of the technology on the grounds at MWC.

Some of you might remember Acer put a similar system on display back at IFA 2013, called Extend, a device rumored to become available in Q1 2014, and now the same device showed up in Barcelona (via Notebook Italia). Might its appearance in the wild indicate Acer is gearing up to put the laptop on the market?

Back at IFA 2013, it was said that Acer wanted to make sure there was a market for such products, especially since devices such as the Palm Foleo or Motorola Lapdocks have failed quite miserably in grabbing customers’ attention.

The first ASUS Padfone can also be taken as a reference. The model gained a little bit of traction, something that might have encouraged the device-maker. So, does this mean Acer is in its final stages of developing the Extend?

Like the Alcatel Smartbook, the Acer laptop is basically an empty shell with no processor, memory, GPU or any other stuff like that, because its uses the brains of your smartphone.

Like the name suggests, Extend basically mimics your Android’s phone screen, but adds the convenience of having a bigger screen.

Acer Extend might make it out on the market in Q1 2014
Acer Extend might make it out on the market in Q1 2014
The Extend doesn't have an interface of its own, but it’s capable of tweaking the transmission coming from your phone and adapt it in order to make it compatible with a bigger screen. It also comes equipped with a full-sized USB port, so users can add a mouse and navigate more easily.

The Extend comes bundling a pretty capable 6000 mAh battery, but Acer doesn't give any more details about the device. The device maker also failed to mention anything about availability or pricing of the product.

Pricing will be a very important factor on how the Extend is marketed, meaning that in case the device will be priced too closely to a notebook, not a lot of customers will be taking a second glance at it.

Nevertheless, the idea has a strong appeal, since there are so many powerful smartphones coming out these days, so it would certainly be interesting to have a better way of harnessing that and put it to better use.

Photo Gallery (2 Images)

Acer Extend is a smartphone powered laptop
Acer Extend might make it out on the market in Q1 2014
Open gallery