Give For Share: Acer AC700-1099 Chromebook (Wi-Fi)

Product Description

Acer/ac700-1099 - Intel - atom - n570 - 1.66 ghz - ddr3 sdram - ram: 2 GB - 16 g.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #80 in Personal Computers
Color: Black
Brand: Acer
Model: AC700-1099
Dimensions: 1.00" h x 11.24" w x 8.06" l, 3.19 pounds
Hard Disk: 16GB
Battery type: Lithium Ion
Display size: 11.6

Features

The Intel® Atom? N570 Processor
2GB DDR3 Memory
16GB Solid State Drive
11.6? HD Widescreen CineCrystal? LED-backlit LCD, Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 3150
Google OS, 6 Hour Battery Life

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Product Description
The Acer Chromebook is the future of computing. In a stylish simplified design with 11.6" HD display, it's the ideal device for users who live and breathe online, craving the speed to go from one site to the next in an instant. Acer Chromebook is powered by Intel® dual-core processor, Chrome OS, and anywhere connectivity, delivering a ground-breaking user experience that’s fast, simple, and unlike any other. State-of-the-art security keeps you protected each and every time you turn the Chromebook on. Now there's nothing standing between you and the web!

Key Features

11.6” HD Widescreen CineCrystal™ LED-backlit LCD: (1366 x 768) resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio
Dual-core Intel® Processor
2GB DDR3 Memory
Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 3150
16GB Solid State Drive
1.3 Megapixel HD Webcam (1280 x 1024)
High-Definition Audio Support
Two Built-in Speakers
802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™
2- USB 2.0 Ports
1- HDMI™ Port
Full-sized Chrome Keyboard with dedicated keys for the web
Oversized, Multi-touch Touchpad
Memory card slot for storing photos, music, and video
6 hours of continuous use
3.2 lbs (system unit only)

Learn More

Fast & Powerful Connectivity

Stay in touch with friends and family wherever you go!

No more painfully waiting for your PC to start up, Acer Chromebook boots in about 10 seconds and resumes instantly from sleep. Your favorite websites load quickly and run smoothly, with the full support for the latest web standards and Adobe® Flash.

Get more done with dual-core power! The Intel® Atom™ N570 Processor sports two cores and provides additional system responsiveness, as well as an enhnaced online experience like you've never seen before!

With built-in WiFi, you can stay in touch with friends and family at home or on-the-go. And no matter where you are, you can access all of your information and data since it’s stored online in the cloud- much like the hard drive on a computer.

Take your entertainment to the big screen. HDMI™ port lets you connect to an external monitor or HDTV through a single cable!

Simple & Easy-to-Use

If you know how to use a browser, then you know how to use a Chromebook!

This Chromebook is small on size but big on usability with its 11.6" HD Widescreen CineCrystal™ LED-backlit Display and full-size Chrome OS keyboard. The silver matte finish with high-gloss black decorative edge and simplified design make this device stylish and easy-to-use.

Not only is the Acer Chromebook stunning to look at, it's also easy to use. If you know how to use a browser, then you know how to use Chrome OS. There is nothing to install, and there are no applications to manage because everything is on the web.

Every time you turn it on, the Chromebook upgrades itself to latest features and fixes, with no nagging updates! It also syncs your favorite themes, extensions, bookmarks, and apps across Chrome. The bottom line is that your Chromebook will always have the latest version. No update discs required.

Security Built-in Automatically

Chromebooks are designed to keep your computer secure and protected, automatically, so you don’t have to worry about it!

Worried about safety and security? Fear not. The Chromebook is actually a lot safer to use than an ordinary computer. It's designed to keep your browser secure and protected against the bad things, like malware and viruses, that are out there on the web.

Every time you boot your Chromebook, it does a self check called a "verified boot." If it detects that your computer or OS has been tampered with or corrupted, the operating system is typically restored automatically from a known good backup. And if a backup is unavailable on your computer, you can download one yourself from the cloud. Best of all: your Chromebook does all this on its own so you don't have to worry about it.

Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

855 of 909 people found the following review helpful.
Very Nice But Not a Full PC or Mac Replacement
By R. Denton
The Acer Wi-Fi Chromebook shares the distinction of being the first commercial Chromebook with another model by Samsung. The Acer Wi-Fi Chromebook will sell for $349 while the Samsung model will sell for $429 (Wi-Fi) and $499 (Wi-Fi and 3G capable). I have been testing the CR-48 Chromebook for the last five months. During this time I have come to see the positives and the negatives of this device. The Acer Wi-Fi Chromebook will feature an updated Intel Atom processor which should function quite nicely.

I do think that most people will be happy with this device as long as they understand a couple of things:

1. This will not replace your Windows or Mac machine completely. If you use any programs like Photoshop, then you will still have the need for your PC or Mac.

2. You are probably better off buying the Wi-Fi version and using your smart phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot or buying a Wi-Fi Hotspot from a provider like Verizon or Sprint. That way you can use the web on multiple devices instead of just paying for 3G access on your Chromebook.

Here are some Pros and Cons to consider:

Pros

1. Lightweight
2. Extremely long battery life (I typically charge mine every other day)
3. Pretty fast. On the web I find that the Chromebook loads up really fast.
4. Angry Birds - Yeah, they have added an Angry Birds Chrome web app that lets you play Angry Birds.
5. Sandboxing - You can Google this, but just think of it as a added level of web security.
6. Saving on the Cloud - All your files, etc. are linked to the cloud so you are not having to back up your laptop regularly.
7. Regular updates. Google releases updates to Chrome OS about every 2-3 weeks keeping it stable and secure.
8. HDMI output. This is a nice addition for those who will use this on the road or at a friend's house.
9. Netflix, Hulu, and other video streaming sites are supported finally (they were not in the beta test of the CR-48).
10. Supports music streaming from Amazon Cloud service, Google Music, Pandora, etc.

Cons (or possibly just some Considerations)

1. It runs on Chrome OS only. You can't load Windows or Mac based programs. For a lot of people this means they still need their Mac or PC. This is especially true if you run programs like Photoshop. I use Photoshop and Lightroom often. However, I use my Chromebook for just about everything else. This could be an issue for some, but I still wouldn't give up my Chromebook.
2. Cost might be a little high for some. Since this doesn't replace your PC or Mac completely, this price point is near what a tablet might cost (iPad or Xoom?). Personally, I love the form factor and the fact that I have a full keyboard for working rather than a touch screen on a tablet and would choose this over an equally priced tablet. But I figured I would point this out.
3. Early adopting. There is always a chance that the kinks are still being worked out. With Google, I'm pretty sure this won't be the case. My experience with the CR-48 has been great, with regular revisions every few weeks from Google even in the beta phase. Probably not going to be an issue, but again, worth pointing out.
4. No optical drive. You cannot play CDs or DVDs on this device. You must use the USB port or SD card slot. With Netflix, Hulu, and many other options, this is quickly becoming a non-issue. Additionally with being able to store so much to the cloud and USB/SDHC storage, optical storage is not really necessary as much as it used to be. That said, it is a change you have to get used to.

Well, I can easily say that after trying this out for the last few months, I will definitely be buying another when the time comes.

Cheers!

104 of 108 people found the following review helpful.
Chrome OS Review
By Captain Awesome
I've been using one of the laptops that Google distributed last year in order to test Chrome OS. As the idea behind Chromebooks is new to some, I thought I'd focus on the operating system, though I've covered the hardware to a point.
I'll try to make this in-depth without it being too technical.

If you're looking for a quick idea of whether or not this is for you, jump to the bottom and read the summary.

The Concept

The premise on which Chrome OS is based is that almost everything you do when you use your computer happens in your browser, so Google have built a system that makes that experience as fast, as simple and as secure as they can. That simplicity also leads to an 8-hour battery life, which very few laptops can offer.
This simpler approach means that you don't have to deal with software updates(with one exception, see below) or worry about anti-virus software.
This also means all of your files and media is stored on other computers, on the internet. Some people aren't ready for that and if you're not, Chromebooks aren't for you.

Applications and Limitations

As you might imagine, just the web means no Windows, Mac or other typical software applications. Because of this, there's no CD or DVD drive in a Chromebook.
Though `just the web' may sound extremely-limiting, you can do a lot in your browser; multimedia editing(including video), as well as voice and video chat is all entirely possible on a Chromebook, as is the creation and editing of documents, spreadsheets and presentations. This software is available all over the web and there's a selection of useful tools to be found in the Chrome Web Store, with free and paid solutions.
That said, you can just type in a web address or search as you would normally to find a helpful website. As an example, Google, Zoho and Microsoft all offer web-based office suites, some of those are free and some paid.

Setup

Setting up a Chromebook is as simple as turning it on, putting in your Wi-Fi connection details and logging in.
If there's a new version of the operating system(as there was when I set my machine up) it will download that before you can continue. This may seem odd, as the idea is to make updates invisible to you, but Chromebooks check for updates the first time they're run in case something in that update changes something key, like the introduction process for new users.
Once the laptop has checked for updates, it reboots and you login. You're then shown how to do various things with the click-able touchpad, such as scrolling and right-clicking.

Speed

After the first time it's turned on Chromebooks are designed to be very fast. In my experience, that means booting up in around 9 seconds from off, whether that means the power button being pressed or the lid being lifted. If you close the lid for a while but leave the machine on, it should resume instantly.

Security

Whilst not being able to install traditional software can seem restrictive, it also has a huge benefit: no more anti-virus software.
Viruses are so common on Windows(and lately the Mac operating system, OS X) because the more software that's installed, the more potential vulnerabilities there are to exploit.

Because the Chromebook knows what software should be installed, it can keep a copy in an encrypted area of the hard drive. Each time you turn the machine on, it checks to see if anything unathorised has changed in the software. If it has, that encrypted copy overwrites everything and any updates will be installed when you connect to the internet.
No system is 100% secure, but this method(called verified boot) makes it much harder to compromise your machine.

Privacy and Google

Some users don't like the idea of being dependent on any large company for their computing needs. So, does a Chromebook make you reliant upon Google?
In short, no. Whilst Google does encourage you to log in to a Chromebook with your Google account, you can log in under Guest mode. Whilst using Guest mode, nothing you do is saved on the machine, you don't need to log in to a Google service and you're free to use any web-based service you choose. Google is currently working on other login methods.
However, should you choose to login using your Google account(as I do and most users ultimately will) your settings and bookmarks can be saved, just as they are in for the Chrome browser.

Files and Devices

A key thing when using a system like this is being able to use files people email you and external hardware, just like you would on a Windows PC or a Mac.
If someone emails you a picture, for instance, you can download that file and directly upload it to Picasa Web Albums, Google's photo hosting site. This is called a file handler(think of it like you would a piece of software that opens certain files in Windows) and Google has released tools for companies to do similar things with different file types. For example, Google Docs will soon be able to upload Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and Powerpoint presentations directly to your account, without needing to go to the web address of the service.

I've tried various hardware with my test laptop. All have worked well.
Inserting a usb thumb drive or plugging in an external hard drive will make a Chromebook scan it for files it can play(there's a built-in media player) and plugging in a camera will show you the pictures on it. I've also tried an external webcam, microphone, keyboard and mouse and my Android phone. All worked as I expected.

Off-line Access

Chrome OS is great when you have internet access, but what about when you don't have internet access? Many(but by no means all, yet) web sites can work off-line and then upload your game progress or document when you next connect. This functionality is coming soon(this summer, according to Google) to Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Docs. Some of the applications that currently function off-line include the NY Times, Huffington Post and Angry Birds.

Hardware and Pricing

Those who dislike Chromebooks often bring up netbooks. A netbook is a small, cheap laptop which almost always has low-quality, slow hardware. This results in a poor experience, as they typically run Windows and because of their cheap hardware, can't provide the resources Windows needs to run at its best. On top of that, Windows can't offer the security that a Chromebook does, can't boot as quickly and very rarely will you find any laptop that run for 8 hours on a single charge.
Right now, Google has only 2 partners who are making Chromebooks. That lack of competition keeps prices higher than they likely will ultimately reach.

My experience with the test machine Google distributed(called the Cr-48) from a hardware perspective has been very positive; my Windows machine boots in 1 minute 22 seconds and my Cr-48 is at the login screen in just under 10 seconds. Depending upon the task, I've experienced between 8 and 10 hours of use per charge.
It's similar to the machines you can buy in that it has the same quantity of memory and storage and a similar sized(though not as hi-quality, I'd imagine) screen. The major difference is that the Cr-48 has a single-core processor, whereas the official Chromebooks use a dual-core chip, making them better able to handle more intensive tasks, such as video playback. The Acer Chromebook has slightly less battery capacity, offering 6 hours of use per charge instead of 8. That said, the Acer models have a replaceable battery, allowing you to take a spare with you or replace it if it fails before you buy a new laptop.

Summary

To put it simply, Chromebooks are fantastic if you use only the web or spend almost all of your time on the web; sub-10 second boot, great security and great battery life.
If you don't or don't have internet access most of the time, these aren't for you just yet.

55 of 59 people found the following review helpful.
It works great
By P. Dailey
I started with a CR-48, and now I have the Acer AC700. While I have several systems, including tablets, PCs, Macs, iPads, etc, I really like using the clam-shell form factor. So I prefer to use the AC700 rather than a tablet, because the AC700 gives you instant-on access like most tablets, but also provides the keyboard. If your use-cases consist of browsing, streaming media, word processing, spread sheet use, social networking, skype, etc. - This machine will do everything you need.

If you use photoshop or other applications that require processing power, then this will not replace a widows or OSX machine. I like the look of the Acer more than the Samsung, and I like the price better too.

Pros:
Matte finish doesn't attract finger prints
Small but still has full-size keyboard
Small but still has HD panel
Good battery life

Cons
Keyboard could be better
Speakers could be better

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