Acer on Wednesday unveiled the first pieces of its forthcoming Windows 7 line up: a touchscreen laptop and a smaller ultra-portable PC.

The Aspire 5738PG's multi-touchscreen enables users to launch movies, zoom in and out of Web sites, edit photos and video, resize windows, and hand-write notes using one or two fingertips. By flicking the screen, users can turn pages and browse through media and documents.

Acer is the latest computer maker to take advantage of the new touch capabilities in Windows 7. Other vendors that have announced new PCs with touch screens include Hewlett-Packard, Gateway and Sony.

The consumer version of Microsoft's latest operating system is scheduled for release Oct. 22.

The 5738PG has a 15.6-inch screen, a 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 processor and an ATI Radeon HD 4570 graphics processor from Advanced Micro Devices. The system also includes 4 GB of system memory, a 320GB hard drive, built-in Web cam and stereo speakers. The laptop weighs 6.16 pounds with a six-cell battery and carries a suggested retail price of $800.

Acer's latest ultra-portable laptop, the Aspire Timeline AS1810TZ, has an 11.6-inch screen, a full-size keyboard, and a six-cell battery that provides up to eight hours of power. The system weighs three pounds and starts at $600.

Additional specifications include a 1.3 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor, an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD, 4 GB of system memory, and a 320 GB hard drive.

Acer has also introduced three other Aspire Timeline laptops that will be ship with Windows 7: the 13.3-inch AS3810T, the 14-inch AS4810TZ and the 15.6-inch AS5810TZ. The AS3810T uses a 1.3 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor, while the other two systems run 1.3 GHz Intel Pentium Dual-Core SU4100 processors.

Each system includes 4GB of system memory, either a 320GB or 500GB hard drive, and a built-in Webcam. The AS3810T has a starting price of $800 and the AS4810TZ and AS5810TZ $650.

All the new Acer systems will be available October 22.

Acer's latest PC lineup debuted a day after Hewlett-Packard introduced its Windows 7 line-up of desktops and laptops. The 11 new systems are loaded with new features such as multi-touch, tilting Webcams, new keypad designs, improved power management, the ability to connect to home gaming systems and even a drain for spills.

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