Acer CEO Jason Chen started their IFA 2015 press conference with a bang; not only did he announce a new Chromebook and a new 2-in-1, he also announced new additions to the Predator gaming line. Are you interested in bigger, faster, and stronger? That’s what Acer seems to be aiming for.
Here are some pictures and thoughts from the press conference, along with specs supplied by Acer.
- Acer’s new Predator gaming notebooks, the Predator 15 and Predator 17, feature the high performance components hardcore gamers crave: a 6th generation Intel Core i7-6700HQ processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX980 graphics, up to 32GB of DDR4 memory, enterprise level NVMe PCIe solid state drives, Killer DoubleShot Pro, triple fan design to dissipate heat, a gaming control panel and up to four built-in speakers and two subwoofers.
One of the things that was emphasized repeatedly was that a cooler computer is a faster computer, so Acer’s Predator line is optimized to run fast and cool.
- The Predator G6 and G3 desktops feature an intimidating armor-covered design on the chassis, while powered by 6th generation Intel Core processors, up to 64GB DDR4 system memory, and NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics. The Predator G6 features “One-Punch Overclocking”, which can unleash the full potential of the machine with the press of a button, while both desktops feature Acer IceTunnel, an enhanced thermal system which optimizes airflow and brings out internal heat more efficiently.
The neat thing about the G3 is that you can easily personalize it yourself; it’s perfect for people who want to work some DIY magic on their computer without starting from scratch.
- The Predator Z35 display touts a 35-inch 21:9 UltraWide Full HD (2560×1080) panel with a curvature of 2000R for immersive, wraparound gaming. It will be available in North America in December.
I can tell you after seeing it in person that the Z35 is gorgeous! I didn’t even know that it is possible to overclock a monitor, but it was mentioned that this one was made to be. Why would you want to do that? Faster frame refresh rate and even better graphics.
- The Acer R11 Chromebook is Acer’s first convertible Chromebook; it has an innovative 360 degree hinge design for four versatile usage modes for work and play. It has an HD touch screen This lightweight computer also packs a huge punch with Intel® Celeron® processors, ultra-fast 2×2 MIMO 802.11ac wireless connection, USB 3.0 port, and fast boot time.
This looks like the perfect device for someone who does a lot of surfing, someone who stores much of their work in the cloud, who doesn’t rely upon a bunch of third-party software, and who doesn’t want to spend a lot of money on a laptop, but who needs a laptop-type device. It’s a no-brainer — that’s the person who needs a Chromebook.
- Acer updated its powerful Aspire V Nitro series notebooks with 6th Gen Intel Core processors, a breakthrough slot-antenna design that ensures 360-degree wireless coverage with no dead zones, the latest USB 3.1 Type-C port and Qualcomm® 2×2 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MU-MIMO technology.
I just found out V Nitro is the #1 gaming laptop in Germany. I’m not sure how popular they are in other parts of the world or how available they are in the US, but the specs look impressive and the hardware looks good.
- The new Revo Build (M1-601) Series mini PCs boast a modular design enabling consumers to customize their computer with “Blocks” providing different features. US prices and availability will be announced closer to launch.
Acer calls the Revo “modern-day building blocks”, and I get where they’re coming from. Picture the way that Lego blocks fit together to build something special, and that’s the same principle behind the Revo Build.
See how the components come separately and then fit together to make a little tower?
Two new phones were also announced:
• The Predator 6 is a 6″ phone with impressive specs that include a deca-core (10-core) MediaTek processor, 4GB RAM, 4 speakers, and a 21-megapixel camera. That’s all the information we were given about the phone because they aren’t actually available yet.
• The Jade Primo is being touted as “Your pocket PC” and a “PC Phone”. The odd thing about it, for those of us who remember the days of Pocket PC phones, is that it is running Windows, and it can actually function as a dockable pocket computer.
That’s just about all the information that we were given about the phones, but I was lucky enough to score a short one-on-one interview with Jason Chen, the CEO of Acer. Of course, my questions centered on the two phones. Here’s what I learned …
The Predator 6 will run Android, and it will be available in as many countries as possible, starting at the end of this year or early next year. There is no certain word about the US yet. The phone will have haptic feedback for responsive gameplay, and there will be special games with haptic optimization available for it. I asked why Acer went with Media tech rather than Qualcomm, and Mr. Chen said that while Qualcomm makes great processors that are used in other Acer products, they wanted to use the MediaTek deca-core in this particular device, and they were certain that it would perform very well.