Mobile Computing

Acer Rolling Out 15.6-Inch Chromebooks

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 02/02/15

Device company Acer is releasing what could be the largest Chromebook. The C910 has a whopping 15.6-inch display, "ideal," the company said, for environments where the computer needs to be viewed by multiple users, such as in a classroom or lab. The display comes in two resolutions: 1,920 x 1,080 for wide viewing angles or the less expensive 1,366 x 768. The machine weighs less than 5 pounds.

The company also introduced the Acer C740, a new 11.6-inch Chromebook, which weighs just under 3 pounds.

Aside from the larger display size of the C910, what distinguishes these from Acer's existing models is their durability features, intended to appeal to the education market: reinforced covers and hinges as well as corners that allow the device to tolerate drops of up to 18 inches without damage.

Other features include:

• An anti-glare display;
• 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0;
• A solid state drive;
• A high definition webcam;
• Three ports: USB 3.0, USB 2.0 and HDMI; and
• An SD card reader for accessing and transferring files.

Users can buy the Chromebooks with either an Intel Core i3-5005U processor or an Intel Celeron 3205U processor. The company claims its smaller device has up to nine hours of battery life and that its larger one lasts up to eight hours.

Chromebooks run the Google Chrome operating system and are designed with the expectation that users will store their files online on Google Drive and primarily use cloud-based applications such as Google Apps for Education.

"Acer Chromebooks are already seen as a proven platform for successful student learning, as they are being used by students to collaborate, conduct research and work on projects in exciting new ways," said company marketer Eric Ackerson in a statement.

Both models will be out starting in February. The Acer C910 will be available with either a 16 GB or 32 GB SSD drive and 4 GB of RAM starting at $300. The Acer C740 will be available with a 16 GB SSD drive and either 2 GB or 4 GB of RAM, starting at $260.