Acer Rolls Out the Timeline Ultraportable Series

Aside from the highly anticipated unveiling of its first Ion-based nettop, the AspireRevo, Acer has announced today a number of new systems, including a new line of ultraportable PCs that are expected to provide the end-user with a longer battery life, without sacrificing performance or the ultraportable design. Simply dubbed Aspire Timeline Series, the new portable computer systems from Acer will be available in three different form factors, including 13.3-inch, 14-inch and 15.6-inch. The systems are designed to take advantage of the performance capabilities of Intel's latest Centrino and Centrino 2 processors, coming in an ultra-low-voltage package.

According to the world's third leading PC vendor, the new Aspire Timeline computer systems are just 24mm thick (less than one inch) and weigh just 1.6kg, for the 13.3-inch models, with the higher, 15.6-inch systems weighing as much as 2.4kg, still being lightweight for their category. One of the main features of the new Timeline series of ultraportable PCs is that, according to Acer, they can provide users with a longer battery life, thanks to the integration of a new Smart Power technology. This can be activated through an available key and allows users to decided how much battery life they require for their system.

As far as technical specifications go, the new Aspire Timeline computer systems are based on the Intel GS45 Express chipset and will be powered by a choice of an Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400 or Intel Core 2 Solo SU3500, both of which are coming in an ultra-low-voltage package. Additional features include support for up to 8GB of DDR3 1066MHz memory, hard drive that can deliver up to 500GB capacity, integrated 8X DVD Super-Multi optical disk, 5-in-1 media card reader, Intel's GMA 4500MHD with up to 1759 MB of memory and support for DirectX 10.

According to available specifications, the Timeline series will boast a resolution of 1366 by 768 pixels and will be powered by a 6-cell battery pack. With options that include support for WiMAX connectivity and SSD storage, the biggest feature of the Timeline is its price tag. According to Acer, these systems should sell between $699 and $899, which makes them a serious competitor for other ultraportable PCs, such as the Dell Adamo and Apple's MacBook Air.