Acer Announces Several Products at Holiday Global Press Conference

Category: Manufacturers
Posted: October 13, 2021 08:30AM
Author: Guest_Jim_*

Today Acer held its Holiday Global Press Conference where it announced several new products from the ConceptD 7 SpatialLabs Edition laptop, to new Vero devices, and even a Predator gaming projector. If you are looking for a new system, it is possible the company announced something that might fit your needs. The press conference was streamed on YouTube and I have placed the embed of the recording at the end of this item, for those interested in watching it.

Covering the gaming products first, we have the Predator GD711 projector as well as the new Predator Orion 7000 desktop and a 55 inch Predator Gaming Desk. The Orion 7000 will be available in the second quarter of 2022, but with that wait comes Intel 12^th Gen Core processors paired with up to 64 GB of DDR5-4000 RAM and up to an NVIDIA RTX 3090, so it should be able to handle most any game you can throw at it. The case features tempered glass side panels that are EMI compliant and at the front a pair of Predator FrostBlade 2.0 140 mm fans can be spotted with their ARGB LEDs while another 120 mm fan is at the rear. In addition to that airflow to keep things cool, the CPU will use an AIO cooler. As for other specifications, it can have up to two 1 TB m.2 SSDs utilizing PCIe 4.0 NVMe and during the video it was said PCIe Gen 5 will be supported when drives are available. If that is not enough storage, it can have two 3.5 inch drives, up to 3 TB each, and sports a 2.5 inch USB 3.2 Type-C hotswap drive bay. For connectivity you have three USB 3.2 Type-A ports, one USB 3.2 2x2 Type-C port, two USB 2.0 ports, and three audio jacks on the back with three Type-A ports, one Type-C, and two audio jacks on the front panel. The Orion 7000 also features Intel Wi-Fi 6E with 2x2 MU-MIMO for wireless connectivity and Intel Killer 2.5G LAN for wired network access.

The gaming projectors are the Predator GD711 and Predator GM712 with the former being a smart 4K LED project while the latter is lamp-based. The GD711 is able to cover 125% of the Rec. 709 color gamut, offers 4000 LED lumens, a high dynamic contrast ratio, and HDR10 support. In its standard mode it projects at 3840x2160 but also has two game modes for bright and dark scenes. It supports variable refresh rate as well, but in this mode it will only offer a resolution of 1920x1080, but at 240 Hz for PC and 120 Hz for console. Its throw ratio is 1.22 so it can give you a 100 inch screen from just 2.70 meters away. For connectivity it has two HDMI 2.0 ports, audio out for connecting additional speakers, three USB Type-A ports with special purposes. One for the projector's hidden wireless dongle, one for connecting wireless accessories, and then one with DC 5V out that can also be used for updating its firmware. The GD711 will be available in the EMEA region in December while the GM712 will be available in January for the same region.

The Predator Gaming Desk provides a 55 inch space for your system, monitor, accessories, and everything else we collect on our desks. There are two surfaces to choose from with one being carbon fiber that is easy to clean and another covered with a Predator mouse pad. The desk has a rack for storing controllers and game cartridges, a headphone hook, cup holder, and a tray in the back for AC power adapters. It will be available in the EMEA region in December.

Source: Acer [1] (Predator Lineup)

Acer recently launched its Aspire Vero laptop that features a more environmentally friendly design by using post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic as well as being upgradeable, so you do not need to replace the entire system when a simpler upgrade will get you the performance you need. As part of this event Acer announced multiple additions to this lineup, including the TravelMate Vero, Veriton Vero, and even the Vero BR277 monitor. This is a 1920x1080, 27 in monitor and naturally is Energy Star, TCO, and EPEAT certified. The display's housing is made from 50% PCR plastic and it the panel can be dimmed down to just 15% brightness, which is dimmer than most monitors currently available, for when you do not need the extra light or want to use less power. The Acer Ergostand supports tilt, swivel, pivot, and is height adjustable. It will be available in March, starting at $299.

The TravelMate laptop line targets professionals, and the new TravelMate Vero offers a case made with 30% PCR plastic and can be easily upgraded and repaired. Inside the laptop is an 11^th Gen Intel CPU, up to a Core i7 paired with 16 GB of DDR4 and 1 TB of SSD storage. It does offer discrete TPM for enterprise level security and manageability and will support the different security features of Windows 11 Pro with Acer ProShield Plus security. This will be available in January and start at $899.99.

Next we have the Veriton Vero Mini, a compact desktop with 25% of its case made from PCR plastic. It utilizes Intel Core vPro CPUs and offers Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E connectivity along with multiple USB and display ports. Looking at the pictures it seems there are two Type-A ports on the front as well as a Type-C port, but I cannot see a view of the back panel.

Source: Acer [2] (Vero Lineup)

Something announced at a prior press conference was Acer's SpatialLabs technology that uses a lenticular display to recreate 3D images without the need for special glasses. Though it had been limited to professionals that joined the SpatialLabs development program, now the ConceptD 7 SpatialLabs Edition laptop has been announced, which will be available some time in 2022. It will be powered by an 11^th Gen Intel Core H CPU paired with up to an RTX 3080 laptop GPU and up to 64 GB of DDR4 RAM, so it should be able to handle a great deal of what you throw at it. The display is PANTONE validated with 100% Adobe RGB coverage and at 4K resolution. With stereo cameras it will track eye positions and movements to correctly display stereographic images for the 3D effect, and with AI technologies it will be able to create 3D content from 2D images. In the video it was mentioned that this could be applied to games as well as teleconferencing, though the latter would require the other party also use a SpatialLabs device. The SpatialLabs Model Viewer supports multiple formats and there are add-ons for applications such as Autodesk Fusion 360 and Zbrush to make reviewing designs in 3D easy. There is also an Unreal Engine plug-in and new support for Ultraleap Hand Tracking, making it possible interaction with virtual objects possible without special input devices.

Separate from this special edition laptop, Aver has also announced new ConceptD 3 laptops, including a 16-in clamshell model and 15.6 in convertible that comes with a Wacom EMR pen. The clamshell design will be available in January starting at $1699.99 and $1899.99 for the Pro version while the convertible Concept 3 Ezel will be available in November at $1899.99 and the Ezel Pro in January starting at $1999.99.

Source: Acer [3] (ConceptD 7 SpatialLabs Edition)

Though not shown in the conference, Acer has also announced today two new monitors and an ultra-short throw projector; the L811. This laser projector is able to produce a 120-in image from just 0.312 meters away, is HDR10 compatible, and provides 4K resolution. It even supports 3D Blu-ray at 144 Hz 24P and offers a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio.

As for the monitors, we have the Nitro XB272U KF, a 27 in 1440p display with a 300 Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync Premium support. Its gray-to-gray response time is stated to be 0.5 ms and it offers 90% coverage of DCI-P3 for DisplayHDR 600 certification.

The CB273U monitor also features a 27 in, 1440p display but I do not see a mention for its refresh rate. It is an IPS panel though and display 8-bit colors. The dock offers a 90 W USB Type-C port for powering laptops, an RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet port, and a built-in KVM switch.

The L811 project is to be available in the EMEA region in November while the two monitors are coming to North America in November. The Nitro XV272U KF will cost $1099.99 while the CB273U will be priced at $439.99.

Source: Acer [4] (Monitors)

Rounding this out, Acer has expanded its antimicrobial product portfolio, which uses a silver-ion agent on surfaces to prevent microbes from growing and spreading. The new products to offer this are the Enduro Urban N3 laptop and Urban T3 tablet, which already offer a durable design, the TravelMate Spin P4 business-grade convertible laptop, VE246Q 23.6 in FHD monitor, KM501 Bluetooth Keyboard and Mouse, and the eco-shell jacket. You can check out the source link for more information on these products, including availability and pricing.

Source: Acer [5] (Antimicrobial Product Portfolio)