14 DAY TRIAL // Acer has just announced two new notebook models in the TravelMate Timeline series, which are based on Intel's Sandy Bridge processors and are designed to offer an extended battery life with no-compromise performance.
Users have the option of choosing between several second generation Core i5 and Core i7 processors, which can be paired with as much as 8GB of DDR3 system memory as well as with an optional Nvidia-built discrete graphics card.
This replaces the on-die Intel HD 3000 GPU when graphics intensive tasks are being run by dynamically switching between the two cores thanks to Nvidia's Optimus technology.
As far as storage is concerned, the two TravelMate Timeline laptops can be equipped with a standard HDD with up to 750GB worth of space, which can be seconded by an additional 128GB SSD unit to boost their performance (Acer hasn't stated is Smart Response is supported or not).
The rest of the notebook configuration includes 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Gigabit Ethernet and optional 3G connectivity, one USB 3.0 port, HDMI and VGA video outputs, a fingerprint reader, a TPM module, as well as support for Intel's Wireless Display technology.
All of these are housed inside a magnesium-aluminum enclosure designed to uniformly distribute all external forces and withstand extreme pressure, which is paired with metal alloy display hinges and a so called DASP (Disk Anti-Shock Protection) suspension mechanism for the HDD.
Depending on the model chosen, the TravelMate Timeline 8573 and 8473 sport either a 14-inch or a 15.6-inch display built by LG, which features a frameless design and 1366x768 resolution.
According to Acer, the battery used for the 8x73 laptops can work up to eight hours without a recharge.
Both of the mobile computers announced today by Acer can be used with the ProDock station which increases the number of I/O connections available.
Pricing hasn't been announced at this point in time, but the TravelMate Timeline notebooks should arrive in retail in the next few weeks.