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Casio's EXILIM PRO EX-P505

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Casio, Inc., in conjunction with its parent company, Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, has released the newest model in its popular EXILIM digital camera series. The new EXILIM PRO EX-P505 is a stylish digital camera equipped with a 5.0 megapixel imaging element and a 5X optical zoom. It not only takes superbly detailed digital photos, it is also capable of shooting extended video scenes with high-image quality. The EXILIM PRO EX-P505 will be available at retail the end of February, MSRP $499.99.

"We are very excited about this new addition to our award-winning EXILIM line. With the new EX-P505 you can now shoot videos and take quality digital photos. Casio's top-of-the-line EXILIM cameras are engineered for high image quality, high-speed operation, lower power consumption, and extremely compact dimensions," said John Clough, president of Casio, Inc. "We achieved these objectives through the use of Casio's remarkable "EXILIM engine," an extremely compact image module that represents the crystallization of Casio's advanced technology."

The new EXILIM PRO EX-P505 is a high-performance digital camera with an amazing high- quality video capability. The EX-P505 features a 5X optical zoom, an imaging CCD with 5.0 mega effective pixels, Casio's "EXILIM engine", and a large 2-inch TFT color rotating screen that makes angle shots a snap. It offers the same manual operation made famous by the EX-P600, as well as high-quality video shooting capability of 30 frames per second, in VGA size, thanks to the incorporation of MPEG-4 technology.

The very first EXILIM PRO model, the ground-breaking EX-P600, is equipped with a 6.0 megapixel imaging element and a 4X optical zoom, along with user selectable aperture, shutter speed and other effects, assuring the exact desired results when taking portraits or other types of photos. Manual operation is so easy that beginners can enjoy taking great pictures right away. The EX-P700, the second in the series, continued the tradition of the EXILIM PRO series, and remains hugely popular with photographers of all levels.

-- Authentic manual operation puts the user in control With a CCD imaging element with 5.0 mega effective pixels, along with the advanced EXILIM engine, remarkably detailed images can be taken with ease. The 5X optical zoom lens has macro capability down to 1 cm, as well as aperture priority or shutter priority automatic setting, along with manual exposure mode for completely manual operation. -- High quality video shooting The adoption of MPEG-4 technology enables full-scale high quality video shooting in VGA size (640 x 480 pixels) at 30 frames per second. "Movie BEST SHOT" allows the user to select from sample scenes for a wide range of shooting styles. "Short Movie" lets users film short movies during a single shutter, while other shooting and editing functions such as "MOTION PRINT" can be used to obtain a still image from a movie. EX-P505 MAIN FEATURES Authentic manual shooting of photo subjects -- CCD with 5.0 mega effective pixels and the EXILIM engine assure detailed images -- Optical 5X zoom lens with macro shooting down to 1 cm -- Super Life Battery such as sony NP-F550 battery, sony NP-FR1 battery, sony NP-FM50 battery, sony NP-FM51 battery, sony NP-F10 battery, sony NP-FE1 battery, Sharp VL-Z900W battery, Canon BP-512 battery, Canon BP-508 battery, sony DSC-T7 battery, Sony NP-68 battery, Sony NP-98 battery gives approx. 220 pictures per battery charge (CIPA standards*) * CIPA standard "Standard Procedure for Measuring Digital Still Camera Battery Consumption": Until recently there has been no standard measurement for battery life. This has resulted in inconsistencies between camera products and their catalogs and instruction manuals. As of December 2003, CIPA (Camera & Imaging Products Association) established the Standard Procedure for Measuring Digital Still Camera Battery Consumption, and hopes to reduce confusion among consumers by having this adopted by the world's digital camera manufacturers and retailers. -- High-speed startup enables shooting only 0.8 seconds after the power is turned on* * With internal flash off, using internal memory -- Release time lag of only 0.01 sec. means images are recorded approximately 0.01 seconds after the shutter is released* * With internal flash off -- High-speed picture playback of approx. 0.1 sec. interval -- Automatic power ON/OFF when the LCD panel is opened and closed -- "BEST SHOT" function: 22 different types of shooting possible by simply selecting a scene from various samples -- Flash automatically pops up when needed. (Auto pop-up flash) -- Aperture priority, shutter speed priority and manual exposure modes can be selected -- "EX Finder" shows shooting information by easy-to-understand graphics -- Various manual settings can be quickly set on a single screen (EX Button) Various shooting effects possible by changing the manual settings are shown in sample images (Manual Assist) High-quality video shooting -- MPEG-4 format used to enable long-playing video shooting -- VGA size (640 x 480) pixels), 30 frames/sec, stereo audio high-quality video possible -- Optical 5X zoom lens with macro shooting down to 1 cm -- Movie BEST SHOT: select a scene* from among the samples to achieve the desired shooting effect * Note: 5 different scenes: Portrait, Scenery, Night Scene, Fireworks, Silent -- Approx. 2 hours of movie shooting on a single battery charge (continuous recording). -- Past Movie function enables video recording to begin from five seconds before the shutter is pressed -- Short Movie function enables up to eight seconds of movie to be taken during a single shutter -- MOTION PRINT function enables either 9 or 1 frames to be converted to a still photo -- Movie Playback Zoom function enables zoom display during video playback -- Three types of Movie Editing operation (before, during or after) can be used to eliminate unwanted scenes Other features -- New compact body reflects the high performance features of this stylish line of cameras -- Large 2-inch TFT color rotating LCD panel enables angle shooting -- High-speed USB 2.0 compatible for high-speed image transfer -- Both still images and video images can be viewed on a television or monitor -- Photo Loader PC software included to enable automatic transfer of images to the user's personal computer -- Windows Media Player 9 video playback software and Ulead Video Studio video editing software included -- Menu display can be set in 10 languages, including Chinese (simplified and traditional), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish -- Compatible with PictBridge specifications for direct connection to a printer -- ExifPrint (Exif 2.2) and PRINT Image Matching III compatibility EX-P505 SPECIFICATIONS Imaging pixels: 1/2.5-inch CCD (5.25 million pixels total; effective 5 million pixels) Recording formats: Still, JPEG (Exif Ver 2.2) / DCF-compliant / DPOF-compatible; video: AVI system MPEG-4 compliant; audio: WAV Recording media: internal flash memory (image recording area 7.5MB), SD memory card / MMC compatible. Image recording pixels: still: 2560 x 1920 / 2560 x 1712 / 2048 x 1536 / 1600 x 1200 / 1280 x 960 / 640 x 480; video: 640 x 480 (HQ) / 640 x 480 (NORMAL) / 320 x 240 (LP) Data recording volume details: Pixels Photo quality/ File size Internal SD memory recording time memory card(1) (7.5MB) 256MB Still 2560x1920 Fine/Normal/ Approx. Approx. Approx. photos Economy 2.1MB/1.7MB/ 3/3/5 116/131/ 1.3MB photos 178 photos 640 x 480 Fine/Normal/ Approx. Approx. Approx. Economy 190 KB/140 36/47/75 1188/ KB/90 KB photos 1559/2495 photos Movie 640 x 480 Approx. Approx. Approx. (HQ) Shooting time: 4.2 M bit/ 14 8 min Unlimited(2) sec. seconds 10 sec (30 frames/ sec.) 640×480 Approx. Approx Approx. (NORMAL) 2.2M bit/ 28 15 min sec. seconds 34 sec (30 frames/ sec.). 20 x 240 Approx. Approx. Approx. (LP) 790 k bit/ 1 min 42 min sec 17 sec 46 sec (15frames/ sec) (1) When using the Matsushita (Panasonic) 256 MB card. (2) Depending upon memory capacity and battery life. Lens: 10 lenses in 8 groups, including aspherical lens; F3.3~F3.6, f=6.3 (W) ~ 31.5 (T) mm (35mm conversion; approx. 38.0 ~190.0mm) Zoom: optical 5X, digital 8X (40X when used together) Focal point adjustment: Contrast-detection auto-focus; spot, multi and free auto focus; macro mode; pan focus (video only); unlimited distance mode; manual focus Focal lengths: Still photo, standard: approx. 15.75" ~ infinity, closeup: .39" ~ 19.69" (W); video, standard: approx. 3.94" ~ infinity, closeup: .39" ~ 19.69" (W). Varies by optical zoom. Exposure control: Light measurement system; multi-pattern light measurement by image element, center-weighted light measurement, spot measurement; Control systems: Program, aperture priority, shutter speed priority, manual exposure. Exposure compensation: -2 EV~+2 EV (1/3 EV units) Shutter: CCD electronic/ mechanical shutter, aperture priority 1/8 ~ 1/2000 sec.; shutter speed priority and manual exposure 60 ~ 1/2000 sec. Aperture: In six stages, F3.3 ~ 7.4(W) Note: varies according to optical zoom. White balance: Auto/fixed (7 modes) / manual Sensitivity setting: (still photos) Auto / ISO 50/ISO 100/ISO 200/ISO 400 Shooting and recording functions: Still photos: still image with audio (approx. 30 seconds), macro, self-timer, BEST SHOT, Movie (with audio); video: Movie BEST SHOT, Short Movie, Past Movie, MOTION PRINT, Movie Editing. Self-timer: 10 sec./ 2 sec. triple self-timer Internal flash: Auto pop-up flash; flash modes: auto flash/flash off/flash on/red-eye reduction; operating range: approx. 1.3' to 9.8' (W) Note: varies with optical zoom. Viewfinder: LCD panel monitor Monitor: 2-inch TFT color rotating angle liquid crystal display; 84,960 pixel (354 x 240) Clock function: Date and time; recorded simultaneously with the image data, Auto calendar; up to year 2049 World time: 162 cities in 32 time zones worldwide, city name, date and time, summer time (daylight savings time) In/out terminals: DC IN, USB/AV terminal (NTSC/PAL standard compliance, stereo audio) Batteries: Dedicated lithium-ion rechargeable battery Battery life: Approx. 220 images (CIPA standards); continuous shooting: approx. 550 images (approx. 1 hour 50 minutes), wide-telephoto switch approx. every 12 seconds; display ON, flash OFF; continuous playback: approx 3 hours 20 minutes (still photos); continuous video shooting: approx 2 hours. Dimensions: 3.88" W x 2.19" H x 2.89" D (except protruding parts) Weight: Approx. 7.58 oz (without battery or accessories) Supplied accessories: Lithium-ion rechargeable battery, quick recharger, USB cable (high-speed USB 2.0 compatible), AV cable, strap, lens cap, cap holder, lens hood, CD-ROM

EXILIM is a registered trademark of CASIO COMPUTER CO. LTD. CANON is a registered trademark of Canon Inc. Any other company or product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of those companies.

Kodak Introduces Latest Digital Camera

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Eastman Kodak Company today introduced the new KODAK EASYSHARE M590 Digital Camera, the ultimate social networking accessory for people who love to share their pictures. With Kodak's exclusive Share Button, consumers can tag pictures and videos directly on the camera for effortless uploading to popular social networking sites including FACEBOOK, KODAK Gallery, FLICKR, ORKUT, and YOUTUBE. Pictures can also be tagged to email and to send to any KODAK PULSE Digital Frame.

The new KODAK EASYSHARE M590 Digital Camera with battery like Panasonic CGA-S101A Battery, Olympus Li-10B Battery, Olympus BLM1 Battery, panasonic NV-GS10 battery, panasonic VHS-C Battery, canon EOS 400D Battery, panasonic VW-VBD1E Battery, panasonic VW-VBD1 Battery, Panasonic CGA-S002 Battery, HITACHI DZ-HS300E Battery, Olympus FE-230 Battery, canon MV930 Battery is the world's thinnest* 5X optical zoom digital camera. On top of its sleek, modern and stylish design, the camera also boasts advanced features including Kodak's Face Recognition feature that makes it simple for consumers to find and share the pictures they want, and Kodak's Smart Capture feature that helps them take better pictures automatically.

"We are thrilled to see how people have embraced Kodak's Share Button as an easier way to share life's moments with family and friends, in three simple steps," said Phil Scott, Vice President of Marketing, Digital Capture and Devices, Kodak. "With the new KODAK EASYSHARE M590 Digital Camera, we are continuing our commitment to bring to market innovative, intuitive and stylish products that make it fun and easy for today's socially savvy crowd to share all their favorite moments."

Kodak's Share Button gives consumers the ability to share pictures to multiple destinations at once; when they connect the camera to their computer, their pictures are automatically sent to the tagged destinations, saving valuable time and effort.

KODAK M590 Digital Camera Features:

Share Button for easy upload to KODAK Gallery, FACEBOOK, FLICKR, ORKUT, and YOUTUBE sites, as well as email
World's thinnest* 5X optical zoom digital camera (uses SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH VARIOGON lens)
Built-in image stabilization
Kodak's Face Recognition feature
Kodak's Smart Capture feature
2.7-inch bright LCD with KODAK Color Science technology
Li-Ion rechargeable batteries and in-camera charging
HD picture and video capture
Uses MICROSD/MICROSDHC Card

The KODAK EASYSHARE M590 Digital Camera will be available this fall for US $199.95 MSRP in silver, red, purple and blue at major retailers and Kodak#com.

Releases the Battery BacPac

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HALF MOON BAY, Calif., March 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- GoPro, the world's leading wearable and gear mountable camera company, today announced the launch of the Battery BacPac, the second in a line of removable expansion modules for the company's best selling 1080p HD HERO camera.
The Battery BacPac is a standalone GoPro battery charger that also attaches to the back of the 1080p HD HERO, nearly doubling video and time-lapse photo record times to over 5 hours. This adds to the HD HERO's reputation as one of the most versatile cameras in the world.

Available for order today at GoPro.com and subsequently shipping to retailers around the world, the Battery like canon NB-1L battery, canon NB-2L battery, canon BP-511 battery, canon NB-5L battery, canon NB-4L battery, canon NB-5H battery, nikon CR-V3 battery, nikon EN-EL2 battery, Olympus FE-250 battery, Fujifilm NP-40 battery, Samsung VP-MS12 battery, Sharp VR-BL1 battery BacPac has an MSRP of $49.99.

The Battery BacPac follows the incredibly successful LCD BacPac released by GoPro this past February. The LCD BacPac is a removable LCD screen for the 1080p HD HERO camera and, along with the Battery BacPac, illustrates GoPro's dedication to providing its customers with innovative ways to expand the functionality of their GoPro camera without requiring them to buy an entirely new camera.

"Our customers have been asking us to produce a standalone charger for their spare HD HERO batteries, and we asked ourselves to consider what else a device like this could, and should do," says Nicholas Woodman, GoPro's founder and CEO. "Thanks to the rear expansion port featured on all 1080p HD HERO cameras, the decision was clear. Make a battery charger, yes, but also allow customers to plug this charger and included battery into the back of the HD HERO camera to almost double video and time-lapse photos record times to 5+ hours. The Battery BacPac isn't just about longer record times...it's about enabling our customers to use their HD HERO cameras in more creative ways than ever before."

Features:

Plugs into any USB charging source (computer, wall, auto chargers) to charge GoPro 1100mAh Lithium-ion batteries
Attaches to the back of the 1080p HD HERO camera, providing nearly 2x video and time-lapse photo record times
Built-in LED lights indicate battery charge status

Included Items:

1 Battery BacPac
1 1100mAh Li-ion Battery
1 Waterproof Door for HD HERO housing
1 Skeleton Door for HD HERO housing
1 USB cable

Show us what you can do.

GoPro wants to see what video and photo content you can create with longer record times. Share your footage with us at www.facebook.com/goprocamera and celebrate the versatility that is the HD HERO camera with GoPro fans from around the world.

Based in Half Moon Bay, California, GoPro is the world's leading activity image capture company. GoPro's HD HERO line of wearable and gear mountable cameras and accessories are sold in over 60 countries, in specialty sports retailers, Best Buy, and online at gopro.com.

Asus Padfone: Turducken of the mobile world

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What do you call a phone stuffed into a tablet, stuffed into a keyboard dock? Awesome.

Asus Padfone
BARCELONA, Spain--It may be early days yet, but I'm really liking what I'm seeing so far of the Asus Padfone and Padfone Station. Or, as I like to call it, the turducken of mobile devices.

The Padfone essentially mashes up the concept of the Asus with battery such as Asus A42-A3 Battery, Asus A2000 Battery, Asus A42-A2 Battery, Asus A3000 Battery, Asus A6000 Battery, Asus A42-A4 Battery, Asus A4000 Battery, Asus L5800 Battery, Asus A42-L5 Battery, Asus L5000 Battery Transformer Prime tablet with its docking station, and the concept of the phone-in-empty-laptop-dock (like the Motorola Atrix 4G and laptop dock) to create a zany triple-play that has you snapping your shiny Padfone into a tablet shell to get a slate, then sliding the phone-powered slate into a docking station for a keyboard (it doubles as a stand).

The illusion is that you get three portable devices with one, but the reality is that you only have one device that can fully function on its own--the Padfone itself.

Asus may not be a typical manufacturer of high-end smartphones, at least not in the U.S., but at first glance, the Padfone design strikes me as solid.

As expected, the Padfone is an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich experience with little extra tampering, plus it's outfitted with respectable high-end features--a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED qHD display, a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, and an 8-megapixel HD camera, to name highlights.

Then there's the slate itself, which sports a 10.1-inch screen with 1,280x800-pixel resolution, Corning Gorilla Glass 2, and the same Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor you find in the Transformer Prime.

Don't forget, all that can slide into a docking station that can store extra power and adds a keyboard too.

I also appreciate the Super Note note-taking app that takes on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1--though unless you pick up an accessory like a Bluetooth stylus pen that can also answer calls when your phone rings--while snapped inside the dock--you'll be using your fingers to doodle and regular Bluetooth headset to answer calls you don't want to go to voice mail.

Asus clearly put thought into connecting the Padfone and dock, but you do need to know the tricks for inserting and releasing the elements, and the sequence of events does matter.

An ecosystem like this can certainly multiply the utility of your smartphone exponentially, by stacking it into a larger screen and a keyboard dock. Think of the movies you can watch, notes you can take, e-mails you can draft, and Web sites you can surf from your choice of three different form factors, but only one source of content.

The benefit is keeping your stuff in one place (the Padphone) is clear, but there are drawbacks that include battery drain (the docks will store some extra charge though), pricing for the bundle (it'll be expensive), and the limitations of a tablet for processing tasks versus a full-fledged laptop. It'll be great for taking notes during a meeting, but if you're trying to store large amounts of data or process video from a video camera, forget it.

I still haven't ever tasted turducken 'round the dinner table, but I'm already looking forward to a second helping of the Asus Padfone clan when it comes out in the U.S. in the upcoming months.

Acer Brings “All Day Computing”

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Acer America, part of the world’s second largest manufacturer of notebook PCs (1), today introduced the U.S. availability of its much anticipated Aspire Timeline Series of “all day computing” notebooks. Averaging more than 8 hours of battery life(2), Acer Timeline sets a new standard for value, mobility and productivity.

The Aspire Timeline breaks the notebook paradigm with a thin and light mainstream notebook that doesn’t break the bank. The secret to its extended battery life lies in Acer’s unique design that combines Intel’s ultra low-voltage processors, advanced power management, high-capacity batteries such as Acer UM08A31 battery, Acer UM08A71 battery, Acer UM08A72 battery, Acer UM08B71 battery, Acer Aspire One battery, Acer SQU-410 battery, Acer TravelMate 2100 battery, Acer 1556 battery, Acer BTP-89BM battery, Acer TravelMate 4600 battery and LED backlit displays, which result in a thinner, lighter, more energy-efficient and longer lasting notebook PC.

For road warriors and others on-the-go, concerns about battery life, spare batteries and cables just became a thing of the past. On just a single charge, consumers can remain productive or entertained an entire coast-to-coast flight, or work remotely from 9 to 5 without ever stopping to plug in and recharge.

“Acer has introduced yet another game changer in the world of notebook PCs,” said Sumit Agnihotry vice president of product marketing, Acer America. “The Timeline sets new standards in both value and battery life, which are sure to be well received in this economy by on-the-go, yet always connected consumers.”

With prices beginning as low as $598, the Timeline delivers high-end styling and excellent performance in a thin and light design. Finally, the pricey ultra portable class of notebooks, long coveted by high-paid corporate business executives, is now more affordable to general consumers.

Unparalleled Battery Life Achieved with Low Power Components and Acer’s PowerSmart Features

While most notebooks with long battery life use higher cell batteries which protrude from the back of the notebook, Acer combined numerous low power components with a standard high-capacity 6-cell battery, allowing them to keep the design as small as possible.

In addition, a conveniently located PowerSmart button located above the keyboard allows consumers to easily extend battery life. A simple press of the button activates the advanced power savings settings, traditionally a tedious procedure accessed through numerous software-based steps. This one-button approach simplifies the process.

Lastly, an Acer PowerSmart adapter senses when the notebook is unplugged, and stops sending needless energy. It also stops pulling power from the wall outlet when the adapter is full.

Battery Testing by Principled Technologies® Validates Revolutionary Battery Life

Using Bapco’s MobileMark 2007 Productivity benchmark test, an industry standard created to measure PC battery life and performance, Principled Technologies, the industry leader in technology assessment services, found Acer’s Aspire Timeline notebook PCs averaged more than eight hours of battery life. The AS3810T achieved 9 hours and 7 minutes of battery life, while the AS3810TZ logged in a whopping 9 hours and 48 minutes, clearly outpacing the industry norm and significantly outlasting competitive systems.

Acer Aspire S5 Ultrabook

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Acer America received Laptop Magazine's coveted Best of CES award for its new Acer Aspire S5 Ultrabook. The Aspire S5 was selected by popular vote as the Readers' Choice.

The new Ultrabook is an ultra-slim device that measures only 15 mm (0.59) at the maximal point. It weighs less than 1.35 kg (less than 3 lbs.) and is built with a 13.3-inch (34 cm) LCD. Its delicately curved chassis in Onyx Black is a magnesium-aluminum alloy and provides protection for the thin-and-light design.

One of the most commended features of the new Aspire S5 is its MagicFlip I/O port panel. This design feature is concealed just below the hinge, ensuring sleek and streamlined design, while also providing a selection of I/O ports: HDMI®, USB 3.0 and 20 Gbps Thunderbolt.

Laptop Magazine stated, "Taking home 46.9 percent of the votes, the Acer won over the crowd. This super sleek laptop weighs in at a mere 2.9 pounds and sports a slim 0.6-inch profile. To maintain its girlish figure and provide much-needed connectivity options at the same time, the Acer S5 has a 'MagicFlip' I/O panel that flips out from behind the hinge to reveal HDMI, USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt ports. Acer touts the S5′s long life battery like Acer AS07A31 Battery, Acer AS07A51 Battery, Acer Aspire 4520 Battery, Acer AS07B72 Battery, Acer Aspire 5520 Battery, Acer BTP-43D1 Battery, Acer TravelMate 220 Battery, Acer BTP-58A1 Battery, acer BTP-60A1 Battery, Acer TravelMate 240 Battery and shock resistance."

"The Acer Aspire S5 Ultrabook was incredibly well-received at the consumer electronics industry's premier event," said Hugues Gontier, senior director of marketing for Acer. "The notebook has so many features that appeal to technology enthusiasts. The cutting edge design paired with ultra-fluid contours and materials make it beautiful, strong and powerful, and are an ideal complement to the feature set and performance capabilities. We're so pleased by the favorable response from consumers to the Aspire S5 and we'd like to thank all of the readers who voted for Acer."

The new Acer Aspire S5 features the unique Acer Green Instant On technology for fast boot and resume, and Acer Always Connect, which lets users manage their multimedia and data on all their devices at anytime, anywhere -- even from sleep. Innovative Acer Green Instant On and Acer Always Connect technologies enable data upload and retrieval anytime, anywhere, and deliver power-saving features as well.

The Aspire S5 features an Intel® Core™ processor, SSD storage for speed and increased shock resistance, professionally-tuned Dolby® Home Theater® v4, long battery life via the PowerSmart battery pack (with a 3X longer life cycle than traditional batteries)(1), and is equipped with a chiclet keyboard.

The Aspire S5 will start shipping in Q2 2012.

Acer Aspire One 722 Review

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The Aspire One line has a look that's now becoming classic, but we're not complaining. The 722 looks sleek, thanks to the tapered edges and clean lines. The ripple effect on the lid, which evokes a pool of water disturbed by a single stone, is a nice touch. It helps the 722 to stand out without being gaudy. Given this effect, we prefer the aquamarine version of the model, especially as the color extends from the lid to the deck. For those who aren't a fan of blue, the Aspire One 722 also comes in black.

Unfortunately, the glossy lid picks up smudges easily (it doesn't help that we were drawn to touch the ripple all the time). This problem doesn't extend to the deck, where the plastic is matte. Even with the eye-catching color, the overall impression of the notebook with battery such as Acer Aspire 1300 Battery, Acer BTP-52EW Battery, Acer BTP-APJ1 Battery, Acer BTP-AQJ1 Battery, Acer BTP-ARJ1 Battery, Acer BATCL32 battery, Acer BATCL32L battery, Acer Aspire 2000 battery, Acer Aspire 2016 battery, Acer Aspire 2200 battery, Acer BATBL50L6 battery under the hood is clean, not busy. Aside from the keyboard and touchpad, there's just the power button on the upper left and the status lights on the lower left.

Measuring 11.2 x 7.9 x 1.0 inches and weighing 3 pounds, the Aspire One 722 is relatively light and portable. At almost half a pound heavier than most netbooks, we did notice the weight in our bag, but we had no problem carrying this ultraportable around all day.

We've always had mixed feelings about Acer's FineTip keyboards, and this one did not impress. The keys lacked good tactile feedback and springiness, and the keyboard flexed noticeably when we typed. This caused us to make more errors than we usually do. We never got comfortable with the layout, but it gets the job done.

By contrast, the large 3.2 x 2.0-inch touchpad on the Aspire One 722 didn't give us any trouble. The matte surface is the same texture as the deck, but it sits in a small indentation, so you can find it by feel. The single mousebar underneath is long enough that we didn't confuse right and left click. We found it responsive and appropriately clicky.
The Aspire One 722's LED-backlit 11.6-inch, 1366 x 768 resolution display has a glossy finish, though it wasn't too reflective under fluorescent lights. Colors are slightly muted, which is unusual for a glossy screen, and even at 100 percent brightness the panel seems slightly dim. Horizontal viewing angles aren't super wide, but three people sitting together should be able to see the screen without encountering color distortion or darkness. While watching an episode of Murder, She Wrote on Netflix, we found that pushing the display past about 25 degrees (when looking at it head-on) made colors look darker and in shadow, so there isn't a wide vertical range, either.

The two small speakers under the Aspire One 722's front lip don't produce very loud volume - we had to turn the notebook up to 100 percent to get decent audio when playing some Adam Lambert tracks.
The 1-GHz AMD C-50 Fusion APU and 4GB of RAM earned the Aspire One 722 a score of 1,598 on PCMark Vantage and 1,193 on Geekbench. Compared to the average netbook, these scores are above average (1,375 and 993, respectively). However, this laptop scored way below other Fusion ultraportables on PCMark that use the E Series processor, such as the HP Pavilion dmz1 (2,198) and the Sony VAIO YB Series (2,112). The Aspire One 722 even pales next to the Nvidia Ion-powered ASUS Eee PC 1215N (1,921).

The 500GB, 5400 rpm hard drive on the Aspire One 722 decently speedy, earning a score of 25MBps on the LAPTOP File Transfer Test. That's faster than the average netbook (21.5) and the dm1z (18.4) and on a par with the VAIO YB (24.2). Thus we can only attribute the slow boot time of 1 minute and 21 seconds to apps that load at start.

If you want to use your ultraportable for video transcoding, you may want to look elsewhere. It took the system 4 minutes and 18 seconds to transcode a 114MB MP4 file to AVI with Oxelon Media converter. The average netbook takes almost 6 minutes, but other Fusion-powered notebooks take less than 3.

Acer Iconia Tab A200 Review

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Still, the A200's thicker size allows for a full-size USB 2.0 port, which can be found on the left along with a mini-USB port, a headphone jack and a chrome power button.

Click to EnlargeDirectly below the USB 2.0 port, a microSD slot and a Reset button are hidden under a cumbersome plastic cover. A lone power jack sits at the top of the right panel. A chrome volume rocker and a rotation-lock switch are located on the top of the tablet. Since Android tablets are optimized for use in landscape mode, having the volume controls up top is annoying.

The front face of the Acer with battery like Acer BTP-550P Battery, Acer BTP-73E1 Battery, Acer BATCL50L Battery, Acer TravelMate 290 Battery, acer BTP-44A3 Battery, Acer TravelMate 4000 Battery, Acer TravelMate 2300 Battery, Acer Aspire 1680 Battery, Acer Aspire 1410 Battery, Acer TravelMate 4500 Battery, Acer LCBTP03003 Battery Iconia Tab A200 is wrapped in glossy plastic. Chrome-lettered Acer and Inconia Tab insignias pop against the thick black bezel surrounding the 10.1-inch display. A 2.0 megapixel front-facing camera sits centered above the display. It's a much-needed change from the Iconia Tab A500, whose camera was in the upper left-hand corner, which made video chats awkward. The A200's slightly rounded side edges taper into straight, flat light grey panels.

Although it's on the bulky side, the soft-touch titanium-colored back on the A200 has a nifty dimpled pattern. This treatment delivers a firm grip while eliminating the majority of fingerprints. Aside from the pair of speakers along the bottom of the tablet, an embedded chrome Acer logo is the only accent. Unlike most other 10-inch tablets, the A200 lacks a rear-facing camera. Users looking for a splash of color can purchase the A200 in metallic red.

The Iconia Tab A200's features a glossy 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 display. The panel delivered vivid colors in our testing, but had narrower viewing angles than the Transformer Prime's IPS screen. During the HD trailer of "Snow White and the Huntsman," we marveled at blood-red crimson war flags that popped against a dreary gray background. Despite the rich color, though, we couldn't help but notice the pixilation throughout the background, which muddied the trailer as a whole. Text had a reasonable amount of sharpness on websites such as CNN.com and Joystiq.com.

The A200's 287 lux failed to match the 367 average for Android tablet display brightness. By comparison, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 delivered a gleaming 550 lux, and even in the Asus Transformer Prime's Standard ISP mode, the tablet averaged 348 lux.

Ths slate delivered mixed results on audio. As we listened to Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On," we could easily distinguish the guitars, drums and bass. However, Gaye's throaty, silky tenor voice sounded hollow on the A200's rear speakers, which were unable to fill a small room. When we switched to Frank Ocean's bass-heavy "Novacane," both Ocean's vocal and the bass line fell flat.

The A200's stock Android keyboard provided large dark gray keys with generous spacing in both portrait and landscape modes. We preferred the XT9 Text Input keyboard, which offered nice key spacing in both perspectives. We also liked how it resembled our desktop keyboard.

Although both keyboards provided mild haptic feedback, we wish we didn't have to switch to an alternate keyboard to access punctuation marks and numbers. Also, we would have appreciated the inclusion of a Swype keyboard for faster text input, as well as easier access to special characters.

Powered by a 1-GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 Dual Core Mobile CPU and backed with 1GB of RAM, the Acer Iconia Tab A200 delivers solid performance and a snappy user experience. The A200 played taxing games such as "Grand Theft Auto III" with ease despite streaming music from the Aupeo! app and having multiple tabs in the web browser open.

Apps and menus opened quickly and switching between apps, Web browsers and homescreens was quick and seamless. Multitouch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom and scrolling were also quick. As we zoomed in, though we noticed text and images became fuzzy and took about a second or two to sharpen. When we zoomed out or scrolled up or down a page, we encountered large blank boxes as we waited for the Web page to resize.

During the Benchmark CPU test, which measures overall performance, the A200 scored 3,137, well above the 2,666 Android tablet category average. However, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, which also has a 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 CPU, scored a slightly higher 3,159. The ASUS Transformer Prime and its 1.3-GHz quad core Nvidia Tegra 3 CPU notched 4,097.

When we played graphically demanding games such as "SoulCraft THD," we saw smooth frame rates and great responsiveness. On An3DBench, which measures overall graphics performance, the A200 scored 7,713. That showing beats both the 7,171 category average and the Galaxy Tab 10.1's 7,526. The Transformer Prime maintained the lead with a score of 8,050.

Acer chooses AMD chips for new netbooks

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The company announced two new netbooks with chips from AMD, boosting the chip company's aspirations to capture netbook market share from Intel. The category-dominating vendor is using Athlon II Neo processors
Acer Inc. on Friday announced new netbooks based on chips from Advanced Micro Devices Inc., a win for the chip company's efforts to grab market share from rival Intel.

Acer, the world's largest netbook vendor, announced two Aspire One netbooks with AMD's Athlon II Neo K125 processors. The Aspire One AO721 and AO521 come with 11.6-inch and 10.1-inch screens, respectively, and include integrated ATI Radeon HD graphics to display high-definition multimedia content.

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Intel's Atom processors go into most netbooks, the small, portable PCs designed for basic Web surfing and productivity applications.

But AMD is raising the bar in performance with its Neo chips, which, combined with graphics hardware, can process high-definition multimedia that Atom can't.

The AO521 is just under an inch thick, weighs about 2.75 pounds (1.24 kilograms) and is priced starting at US$349.99, Acer said. The AO721 netbook is similarly sized and slightly heavier, and is priced beginning at $429.99. Those system configurations are available in the U.S. and Canada; Acer did not provide information about how the netbooks, available worldwide, could be configured elsewhere.

Neo chips have until now mostly been used in the faster-performing and more expensive ultrathin laptops with battery like Acer AS07A31 Battery, Acer AS07A51 Battery, Acer Aspire 4520 Battery, Acer AS07B72 Battery, Acer Aspire 5520 Battery, Acer BTP-43D1 Battery, Acer TravelMate 220 Battery, Acer BTP-58A1 Battery, acer BTP-60A1 Battery, Acer TravelMate 240 Battery. In May AMD released faster and more power-efficient laptop chips, including the single-core K125 chip, which operates at a clock speed of 1.7GHz and includes 1MB of cache.

Intel's Atom chips have been criticized for limited performance and poor graphics capabilities, but the company is also looking to improve performance. It recently announced new DDR3-capable Atom netbook processors and plans to release a dual-core version of the Atom processor.

AMD has been signing up more PC makers to offer systems using its chips, said Roger Kay, president of Endpoint Technologies Associates.

Last month AMD said that PC makers would launch more than 135 new laptops based on its chips this year. Major vendors Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo have also started offering PCs based on AMD chips in larger numbers.

AMD has also made progress in making its chips smaller and more power-efficient. It plans next year to release chips for thin-and-light laptops that integrate the CPU and graphics processing unit in a single piece of silicon.

AMD's chips are typically cheaper, and also provide a better graphics experience than Intel's chips, Kay said. But the company can't rest on its laurels and must keep pace with Intel's chip development in order to remain competitive, Kay said. Intel is a generation ahead in the chip manufacturing process, which allows it to bring better computing performance and power-saving features to its chips.

Acer to launch 7-inch and 10-inch tablets before July

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The company expects tablets to supplant netbooks. The devices will use Intel's new Sandy Bridge processors and run an Android operating system
Acer Corp. will begin selling two or three new tablet PCs in the first half of the year, including one with a seven-inch screen, a company sales manager said on Monday.

The tablet launches will begin a gradual replacement of Acer's small laptop with battery such as Acer Aspire 1300 Battery, Acer BTP-APJ1 Battery, Acer BTP-AQJ1 Battery, Acer BTP-ARJ1 Battery, Acer BATCL32 battery, Acer BATCL32L battery, Acer Aspire 2000 battery, Acer Aspire 2016 battery, Acer Aspire 2200 battery, Acer BATBL50L6 battery -style netbook computers, in line with market demands, Taiwan sales manager Lu Bing-hsian said.

"They are aimed at phasing out netbooks," he said. "That’s the direction of the market."

They will use Intel’s new Sandy Bridge processors and run an Android operating system, Lu said. The largest will have a 10-inch screen, Lu said. The Taiwan-based computer giant will keep making netbooks, adding to its millions sold to date, but it will stick to simple models and manufacture fewer than in years past as tablets gain popularity, he said.

The tablets will run faster than laptops with Windows operating systems, and will use a four-core processor, he said. The company has not revealed any other product details. The tools will be made for common users, Lu said, rather than expressly for gamers.

Lu declined to estimate the sales price or the size of the first production run of new tablets.

Acer’s first tablet, a 12-inch version costing just under NT$30,000 (about US$1,000), sold 200 to 300 units per month until it was discontinued in July. Acer’s president and CEO hinted in October that more tablets were on the way.

The tablet market headed toward a boom last year after Apple released the iPad. Other companies have rivaled Acer in following the iPad with comparable products that use touchscreens. One is the Samsung Electronics Galaxy Tab.