Acer introduced the M3 and M5 ultrabooks recently at CeBIT,after the Timeline Ultra series of ultrabooks debuted earlier this year at CES. As it is with tech events launches, information is thin like a slice of bread if you’re on a diet.
The two ultrabooks are basically identical in terms of specs and looks, the main difference between them being the screen size- the M5 comes with a 14 inch screen, while the M3 has a 15 inch screen. Yes, pretty weird naming logic for Acer, considering that usually the bigger laptops gets the bigger numbers in the name.
Anyway, both machines will come equipped with Sandy Bridge processors, ranging from Core i3 to Core i7, seasoned with dedicated Nvidia graphics. Usually ultrabooks have to rely on integrated HD graphics, but these two come with dedicated video chips, so you might have a little more flexibility when it comes to playing games, but don’t expect too much though.
No details about the screen, but 1600 x 900 should be the minimal resolution flavor we could enjoy on the pair of ultrabooks, but I’m sensing that Acer will go for full HD displays (1920 x 1080), considering the fire power available.
As for storage, you can get an SSD in there, but apparently only as an option, as you’ll have the chance to also go for an HDD or a pairing of both, so you can store your operating system and exe files on the fast SSD and all your data on your HDD.
The M3/M5 has a sturdy metal chassis and chiclet keyboard
System memory should be at least 2 GB, for the cheaper version, but I guess there will be at least 4 GB offered, considering you can also play some decent games on these machines. Finally, Acer was a little more revealing when it comes to battery life, as the estimated sprint on a charge should be around 8 hours, but not when you’re playing HD content or running games, that’s for sure.
The larger version can be equipped with an optical drive (here are some other good ultrabooks with optical drives) as well and both models will use Acer’s Instant On! technology, that lets you boot up the computer in less than 2 seconds. That’s all we have for now, as pricing is still a mystery, but we’ll let you know more as soon as we get word about it. Stay tuned.
I believe there is an ultra book available that has an optical drive? I won’t buy a laptop without one.
Andrew, for the time being there are no ultrabook with an optical drive and theoretically you won’t have any soon. However, you will have slimmer laptops with one, like the HP Pavilion M6, which they call a fuaxtrabook. I haven’t really covered ultrabooks here but I do cover them over at http://www.ultrabookreview.com , so you could check out that site as well.
Also, i believe we’ll see a bunch of other slim laptops with optical drives, but most will not meet the requirements to get the ultrabook brand. They’ll be close though