(Source: PC Pro)

PC Pro lavishes a powerful verdict for the Acer n311 Windows Mobile PDA: “Arguably the best PDA to have passed through the PC Pro labs, with some unique features to lift it above the crowd. Only a high price and niggly problems stop it from winning an award.”

The slim and light form factor of the Acer n311 probably heard the most “woos” and “wows”, with its brilliant screen and integrated Bluetooth not too far behind. But given that it didn’t win an award, there are clearly drawbacks to this marvelous device. Laggy video playback, a lousy bundled pouch and a weak software suite are among these drawbacks.

Nevertheless, PC Pro recommends the Acer n311 over its close rival, the HP rx1950, even though the Acer is quite a bit more expensive.

With all the talk of Dell purchasing Alienware, it was not really surprising to see Acer-Gateway rumors flying around. For now at least, this talk of Acer - top notebook vendor in Europe at the moment - acquiring Gateway - No. 3 PC vendor in the United States - has been squashed by Acer Chairman J.T. Wang.

He revealed that while investors had suggested such a move, he did not believe that Acer would require the additional firepower from acquiring a rival in the US market. Actually, I feel the same way. After all, Gateway has little to offer outside the United States, and isn’t particularly strong in the notebook market, or anywhere else outside desktops.

[News via Digitimes]

(Source: Svet-Nakupu)

I admit that I used to see Acer as the only Taiwanese notebook manufacturer with global potential. But I’ve been hearing pretty good things about Asus, and how their notebooks trump Acer’s in quite a few departments, including manufacturing quality and screen quality. Price-wise, Asus is Acer’s equivalent (at least, to my knowledge).

A recent example of Asus superiority - according to Atomic forum members at least - is the Asus A6K (or A6QK) over the Acer Aspire 1694WLMi. While Acer began the thread with an equal stand with the Asus, it was only a matter of time before the thread became a breeding ground for Asus lovers.

The best way to understand what I mean is to read a few quotes:

On the other hand I know that Asus put their notebooks together well, the screen on that model is excellent, the warranty is good and it will also come with a free carry bag and mouse.

The fact that they have people in the factory watching LCD Panels go around on a conveyer belt looking for dead pixels says a lot. I’ve been to Asus product presentations and I’ve sold quite a few Asus notebooks where I work as well and I know that Asus means quality!

The screen was insanely better, much more precise at the same level of brightness. The response of the touchpad was great and so was the feel of the keys. The laptop itself felt strong and well built. Also, it looks way better than the Acer.

Hmm, I have to agree on the screen quality. But I’m not too sure about the rest. Touchpads, looks and personal recommendations are subjective. Moreover, I’ve heard of only very few problems with Acer notebooks so far. However, the competitive pricing of Asus notebooks make them logical contenders and considering the quality of Asus-manufactured PC components, I have little doubt that similar quality is present in their notebooks.

(Source: Acer)

The Australians got these big gizmos a month back, but Acer’s AT-3700 series LCD TVs have only recently been launched in the Middle East. For those who have forgotten, the AT-3700 series primarily consists of two models: The Acer AT-3705 and the AT-3705MGW.

While both models are 37-inchers that are competitive with Dell’s 37″ W3706MC LCD TV, only the AT-3705MGW comes with a built-in media gateway. Acer’s AT-3700 series LCD TVs will retail at AED 7,999.

[News via Strategiy]

When I said earlier that it would be impossible for Acer to continue last year’s growth in Europe this year, I had guessed that the Taiwan PC manufacturer had the same thoughts. So, it isn’t surprising that Acer has announced its intention to lower its inventory turnover time in Europe to as little as 40 days (from 60 days) - even as it currently dominates the European notebook market.

Acer has also announced that its growth markets would be the United States and Asia, but surprisingly, not the Middle East. I had expected more growth coming in from the Middle East, especially given the new investments we’ve seen companies like Dell (and Acer itself) put into the region.

In any case, lowering inventory turnover time is a universal goal that almoast any manufacturing company should strive for, but when a market leader wants it done, it’s all the more significant.

[News via The China Post]

(Source: TrustedReviews)

So far, we’ve only had one Acer digicam review (or more accurately, a preview) on this blog. Therefore, this TrustedReviews review on the Acer CU-6530 Digital Camera makes it two.

The review is a favourable one for Acer as the CU-6530 impressed on almost all fronts, except for the built-in flash. TrustedReviews concludes that “The Acer CU-6530 is remarkable value for money, and compares favourably with many more expensive cameras in terms of both performance and picture quality. It is well made, attractively designed and has an above average specification. It also comes with a generous bundle of accessories, although the supplied 64MB card is very slow. All in all, a genuine bargain and an auspicious debut in the UK camera market for Acer.”

(Source: Acer)

Just another short comparison of the Acer TravelMate 8200 with the new Intel-powered Mac, by a Malaysian newspaper - The Star. It is a pity, however, that the results of their benchmarks have not been reprinted in the online version of the newspaper.

In any case, a few interesting conclusions are presented. One: “…the Acer TravelMate is actually faster than the Intel iMac at Quicktime 7 encoding (indicating that much work remains in optimising Mac OS X itself for the Intel chip). ” Two: “…– while slower – Rosetta apps are actually quite useable. Timed benchmarks aside, Microsoft Word only really slowed down when scrolling through pictures. ”

Earlier, we saw reports that Acer India’s notebook sales had soared in 2005, with 94% growth in the first half - shipping 153,600 notebooks. This growth was apparently only part of Acer’s comprehensive growth in all of its IT products in the rapidly growing Indian market. We’re talking about 800% growth year on year (via retail) in notebooks and display sales, 200% growth year on year in desktops, and over 50% quarter on quarter in projectors.

This superb growth comes on the back of Acer’s retail expansion, resulting in the current tally of over 200 retail outlets in over 80 cities across India. This represents a 50% overall growth in Acer’s retail footprint, but is only part of a strategy aiming at over 400 retail stores in over 160 cities and towns across India in 2006.

[News via EFYTimes.com]