I’ve often thought Chromebases look nice, and Acer’s one especially. Perhaps it reminds me of an iMac. Who knows — but it looks good. Anyway, Acer’s latest entry into the ChromeOS market, its all-in-one touchscreen Chromebase, will become available in the US next month for $429.99, while the non-touchscreen model will enter at $329.99 sometime in the next week or two.
Both of these devices feature a 21.5″ display running at 1080p, powered by NVIDIA Tegra K1 quad-core processors, and 4GB of DDR3 RAM. These are fairly powerful specs for a Chrome device, and all that RAM will ensure that your browsing experience is nice and quick, and uninterrupted. As far as connectivity goes, both have USB3 and USB2 ports, HDMI out for a second display, WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0, and not to be left out, an HD webcam.
When we last looked at these in April, we got in touch with Acer to find out when or if these devices would be coming to Australia. In short, there’s no word on this as yet, but we certainly would like to see them here. I can see devices like this being popular in schools, homes and even the workplace, and I’d certainly be looking at one just for kicks.
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Industry’s First Chromebase All-in-One Desktop With a Touch Display is Now Available for Customers in the United States
Acer Chromebase all-in-one desktops – simple, secure, space-saving
Editor’s Summary:
- Acer Chromebase DC221HQ all-in-one (AIO) desktops feature two options; one with 10-point touch technology
- NVIDIA® Tegra® K1 quad-core processor provides ample power for multi-tasking, even when running heavy workloads
- The 21.5-inch 1080p Full HD display delivers beautiful image quality and wide viewing angles up to 178 degrees
- Tiltable stand is adjustable from 15 to 75 degrees and an optional VESA-compatible stand, bracket, arm- or wall-mount makes these systems suitable for use in public areas
- Fast booting OS, automatic system updates and multiple layers of security support a simple, low maintenance computing experience
SAN JOSE, Calif. (June 22, 2015) – Acer America has announced the expansion of its Chrome OS line in the United States to include the Acer Chromebase DC221HQ series. Featuring two models, one with touch and another without, both Acer Chromebase configurations are ideal for customers wanting simplicity, security and speed in an affordable and space-saving form factor.
These all-in-one desktops with a 21.5-inch display round out Acer’s Chrome OS offering, which already includes Chromebooks and Chromebox compact desktops. Furthering Acer’s leadership in the Chrome OS market, the touch-enabled model is the industry’s first all-in-one Chrome OS desktop with a touch display.(1) Acer launched the first 15.6-inch display Chromebook earlier this year and also offers the fastest-performing commercial Chromebook.(2) According to Gartner, Acer is the world’s leading Chromebook brand with more than 36% market share in 2014.(3)
Space Saving
The Acer Chromebase was designed for space-constrained areas such as call centers, financial bullpens, libraries, reception areas, kiosks and homes that need to leverage the ease and security of the Chrome OS ecosystem and want the benefits of the extra viewing area provided by the 21.5-inch display. This form factor provides multiple viewing options when mounted to a VESA-compatible stand, bracket, arm or wall mount suitable for search and navigation use in public areas.
“The Acer Chromebase is ideal for customers wanting to leverage the speed and simplicity of the Chrome OS,” said Simon Chen, Acer America senior business manager. “We’re confident customers will also appreciate the automatic updates and layers of security that make this platform easy to use and hassle-free and at an affordable price.”
Speedy
The Acer Chromebase is available with a 10-point multi-touch screen for $429.99 or a non-touch screen for $329.99. Outfitted with an NVIDIA® Tegra® K1 quad-core processor and a 16GB(4) Solid State Drive, both Acer Chromebase configurations are fast, booting up in about 10 seconds and resuming nearly instantly from sleep mode. The models also come with a complimentary 100 gigabytes of Google Drive storage for two years, so users have plenty of space for storing documents, music, movies and photos.
The Chrome OS supports multiple users and accounts, so multiple users can maintain privacy while sharing the same account. In addition, photos, videos, music and documents are synchronized and backed up with the user’s Google account. These AIOs come with 4GB of DDR3 1600Mhz memory and NVIDIA Kepler™ graphics for clear imagery. A built-in HD webcam enables customers to chat face-to-face with co-workers, family and friends on Google Hangouts with superb video quality on the 21.5-inch 1080p Full HD display.
Two 3W audio speakers deliver clear sound and ample connectivity is provided via HDMI out, USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports as well as 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 wireless. The systems are quiet even when operating heavy workloads. They’re powered by a 65W AC adapter and come bundled with a white USB keyboard and mouse.
Simple
The Acer Chromebase series is easy to use. After the user signs into Chrome with a Google account, they’re automatically signed into Google services. These devices are outfitted with pre-installed apps, while over 30,000 additional apps, themes and extensions are available on the Chrome Web Store.
Secure
Featuring data encryption and verified boot, layers of security safeguard the Acer Chromebase against online threats, malware and viruses. User and system files are stored on separate partitions that secure data and simplify restoration from a backup. The Chromebase’s TPM 1.2 chip encrypts and protects individual user’s data by generating and storing secure cryptographic keys. In addition, individual accounts keep data safe when the device is used by multiple users.
Pricing, Availability and Warranty
The Acer Chromebase non-touch model is available this month at leading online retailers for a MSRP of $329.99 with the multi-touch version following in July for a MSRP of $429.99.
The Acer Chromebase line is backed by professional, high-quality technical support and a standard one-year parts and labor warranty,(5) which can be extended to three years with Acer Advantage service. Acer’s online community at community.acer.com provides customers discussion forums, answers to frequently asked questions and the opportunity to share ideas for new and enhanced services and products.
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