Acer introduces Aspire Ethos line of entertainment-friendly laptops
Acer has been busy over the last week, introducing everything from new Aspire TimelineX notebooks to fresh desktop families. Today, the company is debuting a new line of laptops that puts digital entertainment in the forefront.
The Aspire Ethos will come in 15.6-inch and 18.4-inch varieties, with the larger model sporting a 1,920x1,080 full HD screen. Both have displays made of Corning Gorilla glass to resist scratches. The bigger Ethos 8951G comes with five built-in speakers and Acer's Tuba CineBass subwoofer.
The two configurations announced today -- the Ethos AS8951-9600 and AS5951-9696 -- include an Intel Core i7-2630QM processor, Nvidia GeForce GT555M graphics card with 2GB of video RAM, 750GB hard drive, and a Blu-ray reader/DVD writer combo drive. This 18.4-inch Ethos comes with 8GB of memory, whereas the 15.6-inch config has 6GB. Both have four USB 2.0 ports, a USB 3.0 connection, HDMI output, and a USB/eSATA combo port.
One interesting design wrinkle with the Ethos is a detachable LED-backlit touchpad that can double as a remote control and can be used horizontally or vertically. There's also a backlit chiclet-style keyboard and a fingerprint reader for added security.
The Ethos AS5951G will cost $1,399.99, and the AS8951 is priced at $1,599.99. Both will be available starting this week at online retailers.