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Portables Hardware

Acer Plans A 16 lb. Notebook 514

Posted by timothy from the good-exercise-at-least dept.
jagger writes "Well not exactly gigantic but at 16 pounds and sporting a 17-inch screen this thing is stretching the term portable. It also features a 3EGHz Pentium 4, 1GB of RAM, a 7200rpm 160gb hard disk, DVD-burner and the kitchen sink. ZDNet has a rundown of all of this beast's features." This sounds like a joke (or a typo), but the story says otherwise.
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Acer Plans A 16 lb. Notebook More

Acer Plans A 16 lb. Notebook

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  • Poor move.. (Score:4, Funny)

    by grub ( 11606 ) <slashdot@grub.net> on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:36PM (#8454722) Homepage Journal

    The company is marketing the Aspire 1710 as a replacement for desktops or PC workstations primarily in the workplace.

    Stupid, stupid, stupid.

    A laptop with docking station does the same thing with far less luggable weight, albeit at a higher price.

    3 GHz P4. OK, that's pretty nice.

    1 GB RAM. Nothing special about that.

    160 GB disk. So what? How many offices don't have a server to store everything on?

    DVD burner. Optional on some laptops and you can always use an external to a docking station.

    Kitchen Sink. So what? Carry a small bottle of Purell [purell.com] in your pocket.

    This has got to be a "Hail Mary" to keep brand recognition in the portable market or one of the worst marketting decisions this year.

    • Re:Poor move.. (Score:5, Interesting)

      by metlin ( 258108 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:41PM (#8454804) Journal
      I agree. The only thing thats actually big about this notebook (other than the size ofcourse) is the hard-drive - the rest are nothing *that* great.

      However, one selling point maybe the fact that this notebook is just $1,499 - which is quite cheap considering the configuration (and the fact that if you are a gamer, it comes with Nvidia's GeForce FX Go 5200 graphics card).

      The rest of the features are cool, but nothing *so* special. Honestly, I would rather have a desktop for way lesser price than a beast that weighs so much.

      • Re:Poor move.. (Score:4, Interesting)

        by kfg ( 145172 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:58PM (#8455069)
        There's a real use for large, heavy, transportable desktop replacements. The problem is, that once you get up to that size and weight the laptop is a very poor format. What you want is an "old fashioned" lunchpail type machine.

        KFG

        • Re:Poor move.. (Score:5, Funny)

          by plover ( 150551 ) * on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @04:32PM (#8455461) Homepage Journal
          With a 3GHz Pentium 4, not only could this be your lunchpail but it could also be your stove.

      • Re:Poor move.. (Score:4, Insightful)

        by dave420 ( 699308 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @04:05PM (#8455151)
        It uses the 5700, actually.

        This is a good machine! It fills the void between desktop and notebook, with a price that's affordable. The only notebook I'm aware of that's trying to fill the void with that much gusto is Dell's Inspiron XPS, which offers up to a 3.2GHz Pentium 4 Extreme Edition, as well as the stuff you get in this Acer.

        Students might love this - they can have desktop performance in something they can take to lectures. slowly. in a cart. :-P

      • Re:Poor move.. (Score:5, Funny)

        by dslbrian ( 318993 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @04:11PM (#8455233)

        However, one selling point maybe the fact that this notebook is just $1,499 - which is quite cheap considering the configuration

        Given the cost and weight, mabye they saved money by swapping out the titanium or aluminum case for the much lower cost cast-iron case...

      • The only thing thats actually big about this notebook (other than the size ofcourse) is the hard-drive

        Yeah, and did you notice the article says this relating to the harddrive:

        Although Acer simply dipped into the desktop PC parts bin to get the two components

        I certainly hope that's not true. Your typical desktop harddrive has nowhere near the shock and vibration resistance as a notebook harddrive. I think we are talking almost an order of magnitude.

        It's hard to believe that they actually stuck a 3.5"

      • Re:Poor move.. (Score:4, Informative)

        by Ancient Devices King ( 469802 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @06:27PM (#8456864)
        The top end model actually comes with a 5700, not a 5200, but that's already been pointed out.

        However, the $1499 model:

        comes with 2.8GHz P4 (not P4E) instead of 3.0 P4E

        has an 80GB hard disk instead of 120GB

        has only 512MB of RAM instead of 1GB

        has a CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive instead of a DVD-R drive

        comes with XP Home instead of Professional, and

        uses the graphics chipset that comes with the Intel 865G instead of the GeForce.

        If you still think that's a good deal, that's your choice. Personally, I can think of other $1500 and $2000 laptops I'd rather have which weigh less, have longer battery life and/or more CPU power.

    • Not a poor move (Score:5, Insightful)

      by sczimme ( 603413 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:45PM (#8454866)

      I don't believe it's positioned as anything "special" (cue 'short school bus' comments). It would indeed be a handy desktop replacement, requiring less real estate than a desktop CPU + monitor (even an LCD, unless you mount it on the wall). I suspect it would also require less overall power, leading to lower heat output than that of a similarly configured desktop.

      No, you probably wouldn't want to try to use it very long on battery power - or on your lap - but it would be nice to be able to fold up such a capable machine and transport it from point A to point B with minimal fuss. For the record, external devices often == "fuss".

      Not to flame, but a product is not a dumb idea (or a "poor move") just because you personally don't want one. To each his own, right?

      • Re:Not a poor move (Score:3, Interesting)

        by skiflyer ( 716312 )
        Couldn't agree more.

        My situation is an apartment setup such that there is no real desk/work area. There's the counter, the kitchen table, and a little table by the couch/tv.

        Now, if I needed this kind of power/screen real-estate, it would make sense to me, it's never going to leave the apartment, but it's a nice computer that I can work on where I want within my apartment, and put in the closet when company comes over.

        I also have other requirments which have lead me to a different purchase, but my point

      • Re:Not a poor move (Score:5, Insightful)

        by haystor ( 102186 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:55PM (#8455008)
        I'd gladly "suffer" 16 pounds just to be able to move this around my house easily...oh and to be able to afford it easily.

        Sheesh, 16 pounds is easily portable. My son is 30 pounds, but we don't leave him at home because he's too heavy to lift into the car seat.

        Sure it might be a pain for someone that takes their computer everywhere, but there are lots of more expensive options for those people.

    • Re:Poor move.. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by efflux ( 587195 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:55PM (#8455018)
      160 GB disk. So what? How many offices don't have a server to store everything on?

      Umm.... how about most of them? Or better yet, maybe their desktops workstations out-perform their server [ibm.com]. There are a variety of different office environments, with varying levels of technical support.

      That said, I still think this notebook would be overkill for less tech-savy environments. Note: We have a rather low-end iSeries, so I recognize my shot was rather cheap.

      • Re:Poor move.. (Score:3, Interesting)

        by brucmack ( 572780 )
        You are exactly right. I was working in local IT support and development last year... all of the new laptops they've bought since the IBM P4 laptops came out have been faster than all of the servers save one. And adding up the disk space on all the laptops and desktops in the building would dwarf the total size in our server room.

        The one server that was more powerful was a terminal server that 20-30 users ran on while in the office. This is actually rather on-topic, because it was a very cost-effective way

    • First: Ferrari laptop, now: Hummer (Score:5, Funny)

      by chmilar ( 211243 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:59PM (#8455077)
      Since the Ferrari laptop has a logo and red paint job, does this one have an ugly Hummer-style case? Does it make machine gun sounds when you fire it up?

      Will Rob Enderle buy one?

    • Re:Poor move.. (Score:3, Insightful)

      by DR SoB ( 749180 )
      I disagree with all these posts, this laptop is cool for 1 reason: 17" monitor.. Now if only there was a airplane seat other then FIRST CLASS that could actually fit it, I might even consider buying it. My first laptop was a compaq AT, and it weighed almost 25 lbs, so this is actually pretty light still :)

      Compaq AT specs:
      30 Meg HD
      Running MS-DOS 5.0
      Monochrome 12 " monitor
      1 floppy drive :)
      No mouse - Use an external (Who needs a mouse for DOS NEwayz?)
      Weight = 25lbs
      Battery life: ~30-60 minutes.
      BUILT IN 24

      • Re:Poor move.. (Score:3, Informative)

        by kommakazi ( 610098 )
        Why not get a 17" PowerBook G4, it only weighs 9.1lbs less... You could lug around two PBG4's and it would still weigh less than that abomintion

    • Re:Poor move.. (Score:5, Informative)

      by An Onerous Coward ( 222037 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @04:09PM (#8455212) Homepage
      It's not really a bad idea. Carrying an extra eight pounds is no big deal, especially since that means you can take advantage of cheaper desktop components.

      What I think would be really cool: Drop five pounds or so by doing away with the battery entirely. Use the weight savings to pump up the specs even more, or to use more cheap desktop parts. Just keep it hefty, cheap, and lug-and-pluggable, and I'll be happy.

      Sure, some will whine about the no-battery thing. But the last laptop I bought would only last 2 hours on a full charge anyways, so it wouldn't be a big loss.

    • Re:Poor move.. (Score:3, Interesting)

      by afidel ( 530433 )
      Hmm, there's some major contradictions going on in Acer's site. Under features is says "Under 7 lb. (heaviest model)" but then under dimensions it says "14.1 lb. (6.4kg) with combo drive, 15.7 lb. (7.1kg) with combo drive and battery". Either way you know it's bad news when the manufacturers claimed battery life is only "up to 1.0 hour life depending on configuration and usage"! Btw for anyone who really wants a desktop replacement and they don't mind the weight they should look at lugables, these are integ

    • Re:Poor move.. (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Tailhook ( 98486 )
      Stupid, stupid, stupid.

      3 GHz P4. OK, that's pretty nice.
      That's damn nice. Certainly not stupid...

      1 GB RAM. Nothing special about that.
      Not for a desktop. For a portable it's still on the high end.

      160 GB disk. So what? How many offices don't have a server to store everything on?
      Depending on file servers for large amounts of storage you need to use remotely is stupid...

      DVD burner. Optional on some laptops and you can always use an external to a docking station.
      Docking stations are somewhat heavi

    • Re:Poor move.. (Score:3, Insightful)

      by EverDense ( 575518 )
      I bought a Clevo D470W [clevo.com.tw] about six months ago.
      Clevo make the Alienware gaming notebooks.

      It weights 4.2Kg, which, considering the processing power of the PC, doesn't bother me at all.
      I use it for playing FPS games and coding. The Unreal Tournament 2004 demo, for instance, runs
      smoothly with all the graphics settings maximised.

      It is a VERY portable desktop replacement.
  • ...in this case, has neon chaser lights.

  • Wondering what battery it uses? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Professor_Quail ( 610443 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:37PM (#8454738) Homepage
    See this story [slashdot.org] for more information...

  • Powerbook.......all the way (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:38PM (#8454745)
    16 pounds? Man I would much rather tote around a 6.9 pound Apple 17in Powerbook. Yeah the Acer starts around $1500, but if you configure it with WinXP, a DVD burner and wireless networking, we are pretty close in price to Apple's solution. Besides I am more than willing to spend a bit of a premium or so for something that I don't throw my back out hauling across the country on a long flight.

    • Here! Here!

      I've only got a 15" (and 5.6 lb) version, but it is by far the best laptop I've ever used.
    • Except for the fact that, believe it or not, some people *prefer* a Wintel or Linux on Intel solution over an Apple solution. You're comparing apples to oranges really.

      I agree with the other comment made here, just because YOU aren't the target market doesn't mean there isn't one.
    • Yes, but you can play games on this one.

      With all due respect to macs, the games are slightly lacking.

      The article states that you get the 3EGHz, 1gig ram, 120gig hard disk, Windows Pro, .11g wifi for about $2000, which is a lot less than a 17" powerbook with the same features (can you even get a 120gig HDD for a powerbook?)

    • Re:Powerbook.......all the way (Score:4, Insightful)

      by zerocool^ ( 112121 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @05:12PM (#8456000) Homepage Journal
      Yeah the Acer starts around $1500, but if you configure it with WinXP, a DVD burner and wireless networking, we are pretty close in price to Apple's solution.

      Crack?

      Check it: From the article - the notebook with WinXP Professional and a DVD burner will run about $2000.
      From Apple's website, a powerbook with a 17" screen, 512 megs of ram (half that of the acer), 80 GB hard disk (half that of the acer), and an ATI mobility radeon 9600 (less good than the NVidia counterpart in the Acer) runs a whopping $3000.

      So, to recap -
      $3000 Apple laptop
      1.33 Ghz G-4
      17" screen
      80GB hard drive
      512 MB ram
      DVD burner

      $2000 Acer laptop:
      3.0 Ghz P-4
      17" screen
      twice the hard drive space
      twice the RAM
      DVD burner

      Please. Research first. Apple laptops are:
      1.) extremely high quality
      2.) aesthetically pleasing
      3.) lightweight
      4.) really really expensive

      Please don't take this as an endorsement of one over the other: I love apple hardware, and am probably soon to be in the market for an apple laptop; however, it bugs the shit out of me when people claim that Apple hardware is cheap. It's not.

      ~Will

      • Re:Powerbook.......all the way (Score:4, Interesting)

        by Chanc_Gorkon ( 94133 ) <<moc.liamg> <ta> <nokrog>> on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @06:03PM (#8456608)
        That as they say....depends.....

        I was looking for a small laptop equipped with:

        DVD burner
        Decent amount of ram
        Ability to edit video
        Firewire
        USB 2.0
        At LEAST 40 GB hard disk
        WiFi

        I found all of this for around $1799 in a 12in Powerbook. I know, I said I wanted to edit video.....I added a 120 GB external hard disk. I use this to archive projects and when I am working on a large project. The CLOSEST I came in a laptop not only cost more, but weighed more as well.

        Also, the 17 inch PB is not much thicker then my 12 inch. Just like people did not understand why folks paid 400-500 for ye olde Palm V when it was released (when the Palm III with mor memory cost less), people don't understand why the 17 Inch Powerbook costs less. The smaller it is, the harder it is to make. Almost every PC laptop I see is thicker then most Macs are and if they are the same thickness, there's tradeoffs....like external CDRW/DVD_R drives. My only beef....include packet writing to RW media in the OS. Even windows doesn't do this yet.

        I also hazard to guess that the LCD in the Acer is no where near the quality of the one in the Powerbook. I have NEVER seen better LCD's then the ones in all Apple products.

        YMMV, but Apple does have decent systems and while somethings aren't cheap, there's enough variety in the line to make the price similar.
      • Apple laptops are:
        1.) extremely high quality
        2.) aesthetically pleasing
        3.) lightweight
        4.) really really expensive

        you forgot this: 5.) as comfortable as a beesting in the eyeball.

        i don't care how great ibooks are or aren't i won't EVER buy one until they offer a mouse BUTTON instead of that all-too-annoying touchPAD.

        Touchpads are the most asinine pointing devices ever devised by mankind and I'll never own one.

        I don't care if the iBook prints $100 bills legally every minute for the rest of my life, I will

  • OMG! (Score:5, Funny)

    by acxr is wasted ( 653126 ) * on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:38PM (#8454755)
    It's like the laptop version of my sister!

  • Comment removed (Score:4, Funny)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:39PM (#8454758)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • What the hell? (Score:4, Funny)

    by jimmer63 ( 651486 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:39PM (#8454760)
    Does this come with a few vouchers for chiropractor appointments?
  • 1) Make it weigh 16 pounds.
    2) Price it at $1999.00.

    Granted, I know it's supposed to be a "desktop replacement" that is sometimes portable, but I have desktops that weigh less than this and cost a third of the price!
  • Acer is bound to succeed! Historical precedent shows us the Osborne-1 was.... ah...

    never mind.

  • Whats the point? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by j0keralpha ( 713423 ) * on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:39PM (#8454773)
    A notebook is really meant for portability... I understand that this way you can cart a full desktop-capable machine short distances, but its a niche solution for people who want to lug things from their office to the conference room and back. Anyone who seriously needs portability (yours truly, for example) will sacrifice some performance... the target notebook market is still businesses and they dont need a p4EE

    • Untethered from the desk (Score:3, Interesting)

      by skoda ( 211470 )
      I'm interested in this notebook. It's priced and featured closer to a desktop than most portables, but it would allow me to move around the house and work in the office, kitchen, living room, etc. I don't need lightweight for that; I'm not traveling with it. I may represent a small market, but I find this very interesting.

  • More large portables, great! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Sparr0 ( 451780 ) <sparr0@gmail.com> on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:39PM (#8454777) Homepage Journal
    This is very much not a joke. The world needs more large portables. A laptop has its place, but there are times when I need a desktop PC that is just portable. I am working on putting a modern PC into an old IBM luggable right now for this very reason. Check out the Max Pac [maxvision.com] for some more insight into this, they put a desktop PC into a briefcase with a 21" LCD on the side.
    • Check out the Max Pac [maxvision.com] for some more insight into this, they put a desktop PC into a briefcase with a 21" LCD on the side.

      Portables aren't anything all that new- I used a portable PC with an LCD(the size of a postage stamp, and a nice orange monocolor- not even greyscale) for a science project back in the days of DOS. It was about the size of a very small sewing machine, and the keyboard(which was infrared-based) popped out of one side to reveal the screen. Can't remember the name of it f

  • more storeable than portable (Score:5, Interesting)

    by pwarf ( 610390 ) <pwarf@yaho[ ]om ['o.c' in gap]> on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:40PM (#8454780)
    This would be great for some college students. A large part of the appeal of a laptop is that you can put it away and reclaim your desk space easily. Also, occassionally moving it to a friend's apartment or a research lab wouldn't be nearly as big a deal as a normal desktop system.

    Anyway, I think my physics book weighed about that much ...
    • I disagree, at least in my laptopless mindset when I was still in college, the laptop should be pretty well portable, specifically to take it basically *everywhere* with you. All the CS and CompE areas are covered with wireless, better than scribbling in a notebook, be able to build sample code as it's being discussed, and there's always games for the spectacularly boring classes. And if you have a tues/thurs class without an available outlet, good luck with this laptop's expected battery life of 1 hour (wh

  • Acer has *nothing* on Apple (Score:3, Funny)

    by coupland ( 160334 ) * <dchase@hotmailCHEETAH.com minus cat> on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:40PM (#8454782) Journal

    I cough in Acer's general direction. 16 pounds, that's nothing! Apple already has a 40lb [apple.com] notebook for sale. That's a full 24 pounds heavier than Acer's, and it has a 20" LCD to boot! Yupm you guessed it, it's called an iMac.

    Really now, the article says this brick actually uses a 120GB desktop IDE drive, just cause you throw a hinge on a desktop with integrated LCD doesn't make it a notebook. If this is how Acer plans to recapture the North American market I wish them luck.

  • for the road warrior that doesn't have time to go to the gym when traveling.

  • A Hummer of a Lugtop (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:40PM (#8454789)
    So will they co-brand this with Hummer?

    And will Rob Enderle be infatuated with it?

  • Kitchen sink? (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Considering the hygene standards of the average geek, adding a kitchen sink to a laptop is a bit pointless.
  • I hope it has that excellent Acer quality built right in!
  • That doesn't stretch the definition of a portable. This [vintage-computer.com] stretches the definition. Those things weighed in at nearly 40lbs. I remember hauling IBM's Portable [vintage-computer.com] across London in 1985. It stretched not just the definition of a portable, but also my arms.

  • Luggable (Score:5, Interesting)

    by kwandar ( 733439 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:41PM (#8454799)

    When I bought my first computer, a heavy metal Kaypro (those of you who had an Osbourne might remember), it was referred to as a "luggable".

    I think this falls into that category.

  • If you are going to go with a power hungry harddrive and power hungry CPU... WHY would you give us the weak mobile video chipset? Couldn't they have simply straight pinned a Radeon 9800 Pro to the MB and saved power ona slower harddrive or slower CPU?

    I am sorry... The Video killed this as a Lan Gaming Machine. There are other uses, but they just sliced off a part of the market with no real reasoning as far as I can see...

    EMachine's AThlon 64 3000+ with a Radeon 9600 really feels like it should be comp
  • Does it look like this portable computer [jensebor.dk]? 16 pounds? Come on-- Does it come in a lead-enclosed frame?

  • Great for home use? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Stone316 ( 629009 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:42PM (#8454817) Journal
    Personally since I don't play many games anymore (well cutting edge ones anyways) so I was thinking of getting a laptop for my next home computer and setup a wireless network. This would seem to be what i'm looking for... Not as mobile as a laptop but I don't expect to lug it around with me but its compact enough to fold up or bring to any room in the house.

    And it appears to be powerfull enough that even if I did play games I could bring the 'laptop' to a friends house for a gaming night and not have to worry about lugging around a desktop system.

  • Clock speed!??!?! (Score:3, Funny)

    by Bingo Foo ( 179380 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:42PM (#8454830)
    3EGHz Pentium 4

    3 exa-giga Hertz? Let's see, that's 3 * 10^18 * 10^9 = 3 * 10^27 Hertz. Maybe Intel will always be faster than Apple.

  • Battery life? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by lake2112 ( 748837 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:43PM (#8454835)
    Who wants to a laptop that will probably have a 45 minute battery life?

  • Lead brick (Score:5, Funny)

    by cybermace5 ( 446439 ) <g.ryan@macetech.com> on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:43PM (#8454844) Homepage Journal
    Sorry, the specs aren't that outstanding.

    And at 16 pounds, and with that 3Ghz processor in there, it will burn your legs AND cut off circulation to them at the same time!

  • In other news... (Score:3, Funny)

    by Hayzeus ( 596826 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:44PM (#8454851) Homepage
    AP -- Detroit, MI

    Ford has announced plans for a new steam-powered roadster. "We believe this new vehicle will set a new standard for vehicle perfomance and efficiency, easily surpassing both oxen AND mules for both speed and maneuverability", a spokesman said.

  • lug nuts (Score:3, Funny)

    by Doc Ruby ( 173196 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:44PM (#8454853) Homepage Journal
    It's the spirit of Adam Osborne [machine-room.org], pioneer of the luggable computer!

  • Why should it be a joke? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Lurks ( 526137 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:45PM (#8454859) Homepage
    The boom in notebooks/laptops is a large part of the revival of the fortunes of IT. What's more, it's actually consumer notebook use which is the big sector which has been on the rise and most of the notebook vendors realise this.

    Even business stalwarts Toshiba launched bulky widescreen notebooks into the market last year. Barely portable, these devices are designed as crosses between desktop replacements and media PCs. Sony even have a compact PC system which comes at it from the other angle.

    Why is all this happening? It's because notebook prices are now at around the price which consumers are willing to pay for new computer systems. So if you walk into a shop and you can afford a notebook, it's an attractive proposition in the home. You don't need to build a huge permanent home for it, you can move it from room to room and people like the idea they can take it with them if they need to.

    But really they're after compact luggable home computer systems, the real desktop replacement if you like.

    The real news wont be 'is this is a joke' (which indicates to me that the poster doesn't understand the current market very well but this is Slashdot after all...) but when a vendor makes a notebook without a battery.

    The day is coming.

  • It's less than 7 lbs (Score:4, Informative)

    by morcheeba ( 260908 ) * on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:45PM (#8454867) Journal
    The heaviest model is under 7 pounds [acer.com]... all it took was a google search for "aspire 1710".

  • I'd buy it (Score:5, Interesting)

    by microbox ( 704317 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:45PM (#8454876)
    I've always wanted a portable desktop computer. Desktops costs less, but they're a pain to take too/from work. I don't think 16lb is any more than the books a high school student has in their bags (well mine weighed that much). Sure there's lots of people out there who want a laptop that's the size of a PDA, but there _is_ a middle ground =)

  • 1-hour battery life, 2 hours to charge (Score:5, Informative)

    by maliabu ( 665176 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:46PM (#8454879)
    according to Acer's website [acer.com], this monstop is powered by a 12-cell lithium ion battery: up to 1.0 hour life depending on configuration and usage. Battery recharge times: 2.0 hours with system off, 4.0 hours with system in use.

    • Re:1-hour battery life, 2 hours to charge (Score:5, Funny)

      by easyfrag ( 210329 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @04:34PM (#8455501)
      So basically its more of a UPS than a battery.

    • Re:1-hour battery life, 2 hours to charge (Score:4, Interesting)

      by PCM2 ( 4486 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @04:53PM (#8455784) Homepage
      <moe>Whaa-a-aa-aaa?</moe>

      By comparison, Apple's 6.9-pound, 17-inch PowerBook packs a "58-watt-hour lithium-ion battery (with integrated charge indicator LEDs) providing up to 4.5 hours of battery life."

      So basically, this is a notebook that's too heavy to carry and has too short a battery life to use when not plugged in. I am ... baffled.

      And a workplace system that comes with a DVD burner? Terrific. I know IT departments that don't even allow CD-RW drives for most of the workforce. I predict a new software market: "virus" scanning software that will alert admins whenever a copy of DVD2One is installed...
      • Well, it might be okay as a "desktop replacement". Though I'll bet that with trying to cool the 3GHz P4, I'd find the roaring fans to be extremely distracting, especially since they're probably of the laptop variety that are quiet on idle then ramp up as soon as you start a program that uses more than 2% of CPU load. But the battery is pointless - why not just remove it and make the thing a little less massive?

        (OT) Personally, I'm more interested in finding a small, light, Pentium M system with great bat

  • Bad idea (Score:3, Interesting)

    by mao che minh ( 611166 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:46PM (#8454892) Journal
    Bad idea. Our local HP reseller can get the ultra slim D530 and comparable Compaq units for about $1,000 cheaper, and after adding peripherals and a monitor we would still be saving at least $200-300.

    Any pro's won in the portability of these systems over traditional desktops is easily countered: there are far lighter laptops available.

    This is the most tremendously ignorant engineering move in laptop computing that I have ever borne witness to.

  • Ferrari laptop? (Score:3, Funny)

    by FattMattP ( 86246 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:47PM (#8454894) Homepage
    Yeah but will it play race car sounds [slashdot.org] when I start it up?

  • Not really a laptop (Score:5, Insightful)

    by drix ( 4602 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:47PM (#8454909) Homepage
    Notebook/laptop is really a bit of a misnomer, this machine sits squarely in the "desktop replacement" segment of the market. HP ZD7000 is another example. If you think of this thing as a notebook, sure it sounds like a joke, but you're failing to recognize that the old laptop-desktop dichotomy isn't valid anymore. These machines are actually quite useful. Lots of people don't ever actually take their laptop on the road, but they also don't want the big footprint of a desktop. Or they're like me, a student, and so the only time they transport their laptop is in a suitcase, to and from home. They need a smidge of portability, nothing more. (Some of these machines don't even have onboard batteries.) Desktop replacements make perfect sense. They're cheaper--you don't have to pay for the space-efficiency premium of a good notebook--and you're not stuck typing on a cramped keyboard, squinting at a miniscule screen and listening to tinny music from miniscule onboard speakers.

  • It's obviously not a "portable" (Score:5, Insightful)

    by aengblom ( 123492 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @03:48PM (#8454915) Homepage
    These are just the PC markets' answer to the iMac type customers.

    It's not supposed to be portable. It's to serve the people out there who don't want to deal wire wires or don't have the space in/on their desk for a full tower etc. But they want desktop performance.

    They don't need it to travel with, but being able to move it around the house might be nice. Or they move frequently and don't want to deal with taking the thing apart and putting it back together each time (My desktop sure is a bitch to move.)

  • And people made fun of Apple... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by jht ( 5006 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @04:01PM (#8455101) Homepage Journal
    Back to the future here - I remember all the criticism of the Macintosh Portable [lowendmac.com] back in 1989 when it came out. "16 pounds!" was the cry. But what it had was the first active matrix LCD and a big honkin' lead-acid battery that would run forever (for the time).

    Of course, I think Apple sold like ten of them.

    It's kind of funny that it's taken 15 years to get back to the 16-pound laptop again. Go figure. You knew this was coming, though, when Apple and all the Wintel companies started going to 17" screens. Someone was bound to try it.

  • Some people are missing the point (Score:3, Insightful)

    by -noefordeg- ( 697342 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @04:16PM (#8455292)
    These notebooks are not for using on your lap while traveling etc.

    They are instead excellent replacement for desktop computers which take A LOT of space, have multiple cables running everywhere and most importantly are almost impossible to put away when space is needed for something else. And if need you can take it with you without having to drag with you a keyboard, mouse and several extra cabels.

    Right now I use one desktop compter and one Dell Inspiron 8200 (luggable laptop) with 1600x1200 lcd screen and I would love to have two of those or this one.

  • 3E gigahertz? thats impressive (Score:3, Funny)

    by psycho ( 84421 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @04:22PM (#8455350) Homepage
    I must say that 0x3E = 62 Gigahertz laptop
    is well worth the 16 pounds it weights. Yet again acer has shown itself to be well ahead of
    the curve. May the innovation continue.

  • Lan parties? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by techstar25 ( 556988 ) <techstar25@gCHICAGOmail.com minus city> on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @04:59PM (#8455861) Journal
    Seems to me this would be nice at lan parties where you would have all the performance and speed and a good size monitor without having to lug your desktop system around.

  • Film, Video, Lights (Score:3, Insightful)

    by VoidEngineer ( 633446 ) on Wednesday March 03, 2004 @07:44PM (#8457908)
    This has ideal applications in the film and video industries. Technicians in these industries are used to lugging around amplifiers, mixing boards, and computer equipment. With 160GB of hard drive and a DVD burner amd a 17" monitor, this is an ideal portable video editing station for on-set editing. Typically, technicians in the film and video industies will set up their equipment at the beginning of the day on set, and strike at the end of the day. At 16 pounds, it's light enough that it can be easily set up and put away once a day.

    One thing it's not meant for, I suspect. is the latte drinking Starbucks crowd who are just word processing and working on the next great American novel. No... this thing is meant for on-set video editing, if you ask me....

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