Acer Reveals New Ultrabooks And Notebooks With Windows 8

Acer announced the new Aspire M5 Ultrabooks and Aspire V5 series notebooks. Both of these new lines feature Windows 8. The Aspire M5 Ultrabooks will be offered exclusively in Best Buy stores while the Aspire V5 series notebooks will be available at several retailers.

The Aspire M5 Ultrabooks are designed to provide a combination of portability and performance. Included in this line is the 14-inch Aspire M5-481PT which features a 10 point multi-touch display. With this display, you can take advantage of Windows 8 touch features such as zoom, swipe, pinch, and rotate functions.

The Aspire M5 Ultrabooks measure less than one inch thick and provides up to 8 hours of battery life on a single charge. In addition to the 14-inch Aspire M5-481PT, Acer is also offering the 15.6-inch Aspire M5-581T which does not have a touch display. The Aspire M5-481PT weighs 4.6 pounds, while the M5-581T is about 5 pounds.

Key specifications of the Aspire M5 Ultrabooks include 3rd Generation Intel Core i5 processors with Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, a 500GB hard disk drive, 20GB integrated solid state drive, a built-in optical drive, two USB 3.0 ports, backlit keyboards, Dolby Home Theater v4 and premium speakers, and an HDMI port.

The Acer Aspire M5 Series will be available at Best Buy stores on Oct. 26. Prices for the Aspire M5-481PT begin at $799.99, while the 15.6-inch Aspire M5-581T configurations begin at $699.99.

For users who want a thin and light notebook rather than an ultrabook, Acer's new Aspire V5 series also features Windows 8. The Aspire V5 series also measure less than an inch thick and offer three different display sizes ranging from 11.6-inches to 15.6-inches. The 11.6-inch Aspire V5-171 weighs about 3 pounds, the 14-inch Aspire V5-471 weighs 4.63 pounds, and the 15.6-inch Aspire V5-571 version weighs about 5 pounds.

The 14-inch Aspire V5-471P and 15.6-inch Aspire V5-571P feature a 10-point touch edge-to-edge display and a larger trackpad to enable you to take advantage of the gestures supported by Windows 8.  These models also feature a built-in slim DVD drive as well as 500GB or 750GB hard drives.

Key features of the Aspire V5 series include 3rd Generation Intel Core i3, Core i5 or Core i7 processors, HD CineCrystal widescreen LED-backlit displays, integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000, Dolby Advanced Audio v2, HDMI connectivity, and a 1.3 megapixel HD webcam.

The Acer Aspire V5 series notebooks will be available on October 26. Pricing starts at $749.99 for the Aspire V5-471P with touch support and starts $499.99 for the Aspire V5-571 without touch.