14 DAY TRIAL // After making their entrance in Europe at the beginning of last month, Acer's multimedia-orientated Ethos notebooks finally made it across the Atlantic and on the shelves of major US and Canada retailers.
Both models feature a refined design as well as a detachable touchpad, that can be used as a media remote, and are aimed at home entertainment and multimedia use.
The smaller of the two machines, the Aspire Ethos 5951G, is built around a 15.6-inch display with a native resolution of 1366x768 (rather low for such a screen) and can be fitted with Intel Core i3 to i7 processors up to the Core i7-2630QM.
Users can pair this fast CPUs with up to 16GB of system memory, an Nvidia discrete graphics core (the GT 555M or the GT 540M), a 750GB HDD as well as with a Blu-ray burner.
Moving to its older brother, this can also be configured with the Nvidia GT 555M or GT 540M GPUs, and up to 16GB of DDR3 memory, but, this time, the notebook can be fitted with two 750GB hard drives and it features a bigger 18.4-inch LCD with Full HD resolution.
The processor options were also changed a bit as the fastest CPU available is now the Core i7-2820QM.
As far as the available connectivity options are concerned, both models get all the usual interfaces, including USB 3.0 and FireWire ports as well as an HDMI video output.
“The Acer Aspire Ethos line is the notebook of choice for gaming and media enthusiasts," said Steve Smith, Acer's senior business manager, notebooks.
“It combines leading technology with a great set of high-end features that make these notebooks more useful and enjoyable for everyday activities.
“With the remote touchpad, you can change a song or pause a movie from across the room, and InstantOn gives you immediate access to your favorite media,” concluded the company's rep.
Pricing for the AS5951G and AS8951G starts at $1,399.99 and 1,599.99, respectively in the US, while in Canada these are sold for $1,199 and $1,499 CAD.