Acer Intros TravelMate Timeline Laptops

Acer TravelMate Timeline Laptop

Acer introduced on Tuesday a business laptop line that the vendor says can deliver up to eight hours of battery life.

The latest TravelMate Timeline series comes with a choice of Intel Core 2 dual-core processors, which include the Intel GS45 Express chipset. However, the chips have clock speeds of only 1.3 GHz or 1.4 GHz. To help boost performance, the machines come with either 3GB or 4GB of system memory.

The new series have moderately sized displays of 13.3, 14.1 and 15.6 inches. In addition, the laptops have integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD, which is the predecessor to Intel's current HD Graphics technology that ship's with some of its latest laptop processors.

Acer is marketing its latest products as "ultra-thin mobile workhouse notebooks." At an inch thick and 3.5 pounds, the laptops are much thicker and a half-pound heavier than thin-and-light portables offered by Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Sony and Dell. However, those systems cost more.

The latest Acer products hope to appeal to business travelers by featuring up to eight hours of battery life and support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless communications, which is standard for most mobile PCs. The systems also have an integrated Webcam for videoconferencing and a keyboard with wide keys for more comfortable typing on the road, Acer said. The series also include a multi-gesture touchpad.

The new TravelMate Timeline series include the 8571, 8471 and 8371, which ship with Windows 7 Professional pre-installed. Acer also ships the systems with Windows XP Professional on CD. Prices for the new products range from $899 to $999.

Acer in the third quarter surpassed Dell in terms of PC shipments worldwide to rank number two in the market, according to researcher iSuppli. Acer's strong performance was due to its focus on low-priced laptops and strong sales in Europe and the United States.