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Laptops

Acer launches C720 Chromebook

By Paul Ridden
October 10, 2013
Acer launches C720 Chromebook
Acer joins the Haswell party with the launch of the C720 Chromebook
Acer joins the Haswell party with the launch of the C720 Chromebook
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Acer joins the Haswell party with the launch of the C720 Chromebook
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Acer joins the Haswell party with the launch of the C720 Chromebook
The C720 Chromebook sports an anti-glare 11.6-inch ComfyView display at 1366 x 768 resolution that's reported to offer comfortable viewing in a variety of lighting conditions
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The C720 Chromebook sports an anti-glare 11.6-inch ComfyView display at 1366 x 768 resolution that's reported to offer comfortable viewing in a variety of lighting conditions
There's a full-sized FineTip keyboard
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There's a full-sized FineTip keyboard
The first Series C720 Chromebook from Acer is slimmer and lighter than previous Acer Chromebooks at just 0.75 in thin, and 2.76 lb
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The first Series C720 Chromebook from Acer is slimmer and lighter than previous Acer Chromebooks at just 0.75 in thin, and 2.76 lb
The C720 Chromebook has USB 3.0 port as well as USB 2.0, HDMI out for connecting the device to a big screen TV, and an SD card slot
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The C720 Chromebook has USB 3.0 port as well as USB 2.0, HDMI out for connecting the device to a big screen TV, and an SD card slot
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When Google announced a new batch of Haswell-based Chromebooks at last month's Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, HP was first off the mark with its Chromebook14. This was followed by the colorful Chromebook11 a few days ago, and now Acer has joined the Haswell party with the launch of its third generation Chromebook. The thin and light C720 promises faster performance and longer battery life than previous models and sports a daylight-friendly anti-glare screen.

The Acer C720 Chromebook is of course built around Google's Chrome operating environment, which is updated automatically, so users benefit from the latest features. The device is 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi-capable, and users will be working and playing online for much of the time. Though documents and media files are stored and accessed from the cloud through a browser interface, offline file access is also available for those times when a hotspot or home network is not available.

The first Series C720 Chromebook from Acer is slimmer and lighter than previous Acer Chromebook offerings at just 0.75 in (19 mm) thin, and 2.76 lb (1.25 kg). It's powered by an Intel Celeron 2955U processor running at 1.4 GHz, supported by 4 GB of DDR3L RAM and 16 GB of SSD storage. It has an anti-glare 11.6-inch ComfyView display at 1366 x 768 resolution (with Intel HD graphics) that's reported to offer comfortable viewing in a variety of lighting conditions, though no further details have been given.

The C720-2800 boots from cold in under 7 seconds, boasts an almost instant resume from sleep, and is claimed to offer up to 8.5 hours of up time between charges. The Chromebook has USB 3.0 port as well as USB 2.0, HDMI out for connecting the device to a big screen TV, and an SD card slot. Remaining specs include Bluetooth 4.0, a full-sized FineTip keyboard, a HD webcam and built-in microphone for webchats and video calls, and stereo speakers.

The Acer C720-2800 Chromebook is up for pre-order now for a suggested retail of US$249.99. Other configurations in the C720 Series are due to follow shortly.

Source: Acer

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LaptopsAcerChromebookChrome OS
5 comments
Paul Ridden
Paul Ridden
While Paul is loath to reveal his age, he will admit to cutting his IT teeth on a TRS-80 (although he won't say which version). An obsessive fascination with computer technology blossomed from hobby into career before hopping over to France for 10 years, where he started work for New Atlas in 2009. Now back in his native Blighty, he serves as Managing Editor in Europe.

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5 comments
BigGoofyGuy
If all one does is go online when using a computer, a Chromebook would the ideal laptop computer. With the price being $249, it is also very affordable, IMO. From the specs, it seems like an excellent deal.
Robert in Vancouver
Good to see this new Chromebook has an anti-glare screen. I'm going to consider buying it.
Glare screens are OK if you live and work in a dark room with no lights or windows. But for normal day to day use, glare screens ruin the visual experience.
Flat TV makers switched to anti-glare screens years ago because of so many complaints about glare ruining the TV picture.
I hope all computer, tablet, and phone makers wise up and switch to anti-glare screens for all their products.
Schuyler19
Right now I have a Lenovo P580, which I cant even close, because the screen is not attached-just like the reviews..anyways, it's a piece of trash, so I am looking to uprade. this look's like a good canidate!
grtbluyonder
In my view, mobile devices that can't be read in sunlight are little more than expensive doorstops or truck wheel chocks.
Until the developers of "mobile" devices learn this basic fact and start producing sunlight readable devices, nothing they have to offer is actually suitable for users (except perhaps if the users are troglodytes).
Matthew Du Puy
1366 x 768 resolution screen? After using modern smart phones and laptops with reasonable resolution screens, going to something like this feels like a cheese grater on my eyeballs.