One of the most exciting products Acer announced this year in New York was of their Chromebook line. The Acer Chromebook 14 is a beautiful example of how luxuriant a Chromebook can be for not a lot of money. Featuring an attractive Full HD IPS display at 1920 x 1080 with some interesting modifications from Acer concerning the LED backlight.
A Chromebook 14 for Work has been added to the line and features a less attractive build, loosing the aluminium exterior and introducing Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for the top cover material. Something of a first for a maintream product however a bit of a fingerprint magnet. Acer have also subjected the “Work” to stringent U.S. Military standard testing to ensure durability and reliability.
Both feature options of Intel i5 and I3U or the smaller Celeron RAM options max out at 8gb, an incredible amount for Chrome, some may even say overkill. The battery is said to last for 12 hours and there are 16gb and 32gb storage options.
Acer today debuts its new Chromebook 14 for Work, the industry’s first Chromebook with 6th Generation Intel® Core™ processors, available with a durable design to meet the demanding needs of enterprise, government, small business and institutional users.
The Acer Chromebook 14 for Work is powered by a 6th Generation Intel Core processor to provide exceptional performance and long battery life of up to 12 hours2.
It is also the world’s first notebook to feature Vibrant Corning® Gorilla® Glass, providing corporate customers with the flexibility to design the top cover with photorealistic images that are highly durable and scratch-resistant.
The new Chromebook is compliant with Google’s Chrome for Work initiative, providing businessclass security, manageability and durability to enterprise, government, institutional and small businesses customers. The Acer Chromebook 14 for Work is easy to deploy and manage over a wide range of employees and offices. Also, IT administrators will find it easy to make updates, configure apps, utilize extensions and more. Plus, Chromebooks protect company employee and company data with the latest security protocols and auto-updates.
“Our commercial customers have an abundance of reasons to choose the new Acer Chromebook 14 for Work,” said Jerry Hou, general manager, Commercial & Detachable Notebooks, IT Products Business, Acer. “Its first-rate performance and robust design provides businesses with a powerful and flexible product that delivers topnotch reliability and reduced total cost of ownership. In addition, the Chromebook 14 for Work can be efficiently deployed and managed, while maintaining excellent security for its employees.”
According to data from Gartner3, Acer Group is the world’s leading Chromebook brand with over 33 percent market share in 2015.
High Performance; Long Battery Life
The Acer Chromebook 14 for Work is the first Chromebook featuring 6th Generation Intel Core processors, providing customers with a considerable performance improvement over previous generations. As a result, the Chromebook 14 for Work allows customers to multi-task with ease through multiple apps and documents to boost productivity. It also provides up to 12 hours of battery life on models with the HD display; Full HD models provide up to 10 hours of battery life2. Two keyboard options are available: standard and backlit models for improved efficiency in low-light areas.
Durable, Robust Design Meets Military Standard
The Acer Chromebook 14 for Work has enhanced durability features. The spill-resistant keyboard provides protection against spills of up to 11 fluid ounces (330ml). Its unique gutter system under the keyboard and touchpad drains liquid through two drain holes to route water away from internal components and out the bottom of the chassis. The Chromebook 14 for Work has been tested to withstand up to 132 pounds (60kg) of downward force as well as drops of up to 48 inches (122cm).
The Acer Chromebook 14 for Work endured rigorous testing to meet the demanding U.S. MIL-STD 810G military standard1. This military specification testing validates the ruggedness, durability and quality of the Chromebook 14 for Work, as it tested 8 parameters: drop from the height of 48 inches (122 cm), high temperature, low temperature, humidity, vibration, rain, sand and dust.
With incredibly tough and damage-resistant Vibrant Corning Gorilla Glass, corporate customers can design the top covers of their Chromebook 14 for Work across the organization with vibrant and photorealistic images, at a resolution equivalent to high quality prints on paper, for a unique and consistent look across the organization.
“Corning is excited to collaborate with Acer to launch the world’s first notebook with Vibrant Corning Gorilla Glass,” said Scott Forester, director, Gorilla Innovations, Corning Gorilla Glass. “With Corning’s proprietary technology, Acer’s corporate customers now have the opportunity to move beyond the limited chromatic options available today with multi-color, photo quality images on the Chromebook 14 for Work. What’s more, because the image is printed on Corning’s industry leading cover glass, the images will remain as durable, vivid and beautiful as the glass it is printed on.”
Large Display in a Compact Design, Features to Boost Collaboration, Productivity
The large 14-inch display was designed to fit into a chassis typically used for 13-inch displays. The extremely narrow bezel gives customers an immersive experience when enjoying the display while reducing the overall size of the device. The Acer Chromebook 14 for Work makes the most of its compact design, it weighs only 3.2 pounds (1.45kg) and measuring just 13.03W x 8.94D x 0.88H inches (330.9 x 227 x 22.4 mm) thin.
The display will be available with a Full HD (1920 x 1080) or HD (1366 x 768) resolution display. Both ensure clarity in text and graphics as well as wide viewing angles of up to 170 degrees. The Chromebook 14 for Work is easy on the eyes thanks to the display’s ComfyView low-reflection and anti-glare properties.
Group video conferences are effective with the Acer Chromebook 14 for Work’s 720p webcam with 1280 x 720 resolution as well as HD audio and video recording. The webcam provides High Dynamic Range imaging as well as a wide field of view, top-notch audio, dual stereo speakers and an integrated digital microphone.
Administrators Can Keep Acer Chromebooks Secure, Managed
Chrome OS software is automatically updated and guards against ever-changing online threats, such as viruses and malware. This is especially useful for IT administrators who are responsible for protecting invaluable company data and network security. Administrators will find setting up and managing Acer Chromebooks to be intuitive and efficient. The web-based Chrome Device Management allows remote management of apps and over 200 policies across all Chrome devices on the network4.
The Acer Chromebook 14 for Work has a Trusted Platform Module solution integrated to protect files, documents, and photos securely in the cloud with 100GB of free storage5 on Google Drive. This ensures that the most current file version is always available even if the Chromebook is lost or stolen. The device can even be shared by multiple employees within a business or organization, allowing each to have a unique account login. Customers can also access files offline, and even open and edit Microsoft® Office documents as well as Google Documents.
Keeps Employees Connected, Available in Several Configurations
The Chromebook 14 for Work has a USB 3.0 Type-C port that allows the fast transfer of data, audio and video up to 5Gbps. In addition, the port provides extra convenience for customers since it can charge the Chromebook 14 for Work or use the power from the Chromebook to charge other external devices. The Chromebook can be used to share HD video and audio onto an external display with its HDMI port.
Employees will stay connected and in touch using the device’s fast dual-band 802.11ac6 Wi-Fi featuring 2×2 MIMO technology. The Chromebook also connects to peripherals via Bluetooth 4.2.
The Acer Chromebook 14 for Work will be available in several configurations, either with 32GB or 16GB eMMC storage and either 8GB, 4GB or 2GB of dual channel LPDDR3 SDRAM7.
Optional USB Type-C Dock Extends Capabilities
To extend the capabilities of the Chromebook 14 for Work, customers can connect it with a single cable to the Acer USB-Type-C Dock, easily transforming it into a powerful workstation. This convenient and compact dock enables high-speed video, audio and data transfer and keeps the work area clutter-free with immediate connectivity to multiple displays and other devices simultaneously. It also has all the connections business users need, including DisplayPort, HDMI, two USB 3.1 Type-C ports and three USB 3.1 Type-A ports, as well as audio input for microphone and audio output for speakers.
Pricing and Availability
Several models in the Acer Chromebook 14 for Work line (CP5-471) will be available in May through Acer authorized resellers starting at $349 in the United States and €249 in EMEA.
Exact specifications, prices, and availability will vary by region. To learn more about availability, product specifications and prices in specific markets, please contact your nearest Acer office or retailer via www.acer.com.
6 Based on IEEE 802.11ac draft specification. An 802.11ac wireless equipped computer requires an 802.11ac router to work properly. Actual speed will vary based on range, connection rate, site conditions, size of network and other factors. Up to three times faster comparing 802.11ac with 802.11n. 7 Accessible capacity varies: (MB = 1 million bytes; GB = 1 billion bytes)
The new Chromebook 14 for Work was unveiled today at the next@acer press event at 4 World Trade Center in New York, where the company announced a range of new devices and solutions for high-performance and style-conscious users, families, students and professionals. For more information, visit acer.com/nextatacer.
Sun, Blue Skies and Acer Products Galore, It’s a rare day in Belfast that the sun shines continuously but with it being the infamous Friday the 13th today luckily is one of those days! With the added bonus of Belfast hosting this years #Acerliveblog2016 this weekend will definitely be one to remember.
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