Acer Cloudbook 11 and 14 Release With Windows 10: Cheapest Laptop Takes Aim at Chromebooks

Aug 05, 2015 06:08 AM EDT

Starting at $169, Acer's Aspire One Cloudbook 11 is the cheapest laptop available in the market that runs on Windows 10. The Cloudbook 11 will hit the North American shelves this month while the Aspire One Cloudbook 14's release date in North America is between September and October starting at $199 depending on the model.

The Cloudbooks will also launch in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with the Cloudbook 11 available in September and the Cloudbook 14 in October.

"The Aspire One Cloudbook series is the perfect answer for those looking for an online-oriented and portable notebook with a full Windows experience," said Jerry Kao, president of Notebook Business Group, Acer Inc. "With cloud-enabled services1 such as Microsoft Office 365, OneDrive, and Acer's Build Your Own Cloud (BYOC), consumers can enjoy the convenience and value the cloud brings with these exciting new products."

Acer announces its online-oriented and highly portable notebooks, Aspire One Cloudbook 11 and 14, feature 802.11ac wireless technology and the latest Intel mobile processors, keeping users productive with a faster connection.

"This new Cloudbook from Acer is a sleek, affordable device that takes advantage of new functionality of Windows 10 together with Microsoft services including Office 365 and OneDrive," said Peter Han, Vice President of Worldwide OEM Marketing, Microsoft Corp. "This device offers the total package for both consumers and students to get more done while on the go."

But despite their low price, the new Acer Cloudbooks are packing with high-end internals.

The Cloudbook 11 and Cloudbook 14 are powered by Intel Celeron processors, 2GB of RAM, and 1366-by-768 resolution. The 11 comes with either 16GB or 32GB storage, and the 14-inch comes in 32GB or 64GB configurations.

The Aspire One Cloudbook 11 and 14 feature the latest 802.11ac wireless technology, allowing up to three times faster2 connection speeds, while eMMC configurations up to 64GB3 provide adequate storage for work and play. The notebooks are powered by the latest Intel Celeron mobile processors and 2GB of DDR3L system memory, and feature a HD (1366x768) 16:9 LED-backlit display.

They both have the usual USB Type-C, but you do get HDMI, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, 802.11ac, and an SD expansion slot. The laptops come with dual digital microphones with "enhanced digital signal processing (DSP)" to better cancel background noise and help boost your Cortana experience.

The Aspire One Cloudbook 11 and 14 come with a 1-year subscription of Office 365 Personal1 and up to 1TB1 OneDrive online storage, making it ready to use out of the box. Acer's cloud-enabled abApps, including abPhoto, abMusic, abDocs, and abFiles, allow consumers to easily sync their files and documents with their smartphones or tablets, all securely and privately in their own personal cloud. Dual digital microphones with enhanced digital signal processing (DSP) that cancel background noise ensure online calls are heard loud and clear, while also allowing a smooth experience for Cortana, Microsoft's personal digital assistant.

The highly-portable Aspire One Cloudbook Series packs everything into a beautiful, clean, and fan-less design of just 17.9mm thin, while the 11-inch model is just 1.15kg light and the 14-inch weighing in at only 1.6kg. Sporting a mineral gray cover with dotted textile pattern that provides good tactile feedback, these notebooks offer full-sized HDMI, USB3.0, USB2.0, and SD Card ports to eliminate the need for additional adapters, while a full-sized chiclet keyboard and large touchpad supporting Windows 10 gestures, provides a comfortable typing and navigation experience.