I did a double-take when I first laid eyes on the Revo RL100, which is hitting stores across the country today. Acer’s award-winning Home Theater PC (HTPC) looks nothing like a computer, with its slim profile, sharp edges and bronze details that would be right at home next to your HDTV in your living room, rather than in your office. With a touch-based keyboard that doubles as a touchpad tucked discretely under the disk tray, no wonder the Revo won the Best Choice and Design & Innovation awards at Computex 2011.
For a computer that bills itself as an entertainment hub, its innards are not as impressive as its looks. It sports an AMD Athlon II Neo Dual‐Core K325 CPU (1.3GHz, 2MB Total cache), which, according to NotebookCheck “is comparable to an older Intel Core 2 Duo” that is only “suited for low demanding applications.” Its Nvidia ION graphics card makes up for the weaker (though quieter) processor by handling 1080p HD video playback and Web HD Flash acceleration that can be enjoyed on your HDTV via HDMI. It can also inter-connect all your other DLNA-capable (from smartphone to Sony PlayStation 3) so you can enjoy the content stored on the Revo on compatible devices, via Wi-Fi using Acer’s media network clear.fi.
The Revo RL100 offers 750 GB of internal storage and comes equipped with 4 GB of RAM, which is decent for a media center running Windows 7 Home Premium 64‐bit, but not spectacular by today’s standards. Plus, it also has three USB 2.0 ports and a Multi-in-1 card reader so you could always turn to external storage solutions if you max out on the hard drive.
Not only does the HTPC look good next to the Hi-Fi, it also has to sound good when plugged into your home theater speakers. To that end, Acer has included an optical S/PDIF port for connecting to an external home theater audio system, and built-in Dolby Home Theater V3 Audio Enhancement and HD audio support.
At only 1″ thick and a box that is smaller than a letter-sized sheet (11″x7″), it seems the usability of the index card-sized keyboard/touchpad is sacrificed for its ultra sleek design. The layout of the keys is very unusual so forget about trying to touch-type. But the bronze volume wheel is very slick. I also wonder what kind of cooling system could fit into such a small form factor as the heat generated by an always-on entertainment hub can greatly reduce the lifespan of HTPCs.
You have the option of a built-in optical 4X Blu-ray/DVD-Super Multi drive for $569.99, or save $70 by opting for the model without one for $499.99. (According to the $499.99 version on sale at Amazon.co.uk, it only has 2 GB of RAM and a 500 GB hard drive.) While the Revo RL100 is undeniably attractive, it does not offer compelling enough technology for those who already have a Sony PlayStation 3 to pickup one of these HTPCs. The Acer device is more suitable for people who want computer capabilities to play movies and music, but in a familiar VCR/DVD player-like design. Both Revo RL100 models are now available in stores across the U.S.
[Source: NotebookCheck, Amazon.co.uk, PCWorld]
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