Acer Aspire S3 ($ 899.99 direct) is the first book in ultra-PCMag Labs, the first of many in the coming months. If this fragment of a laptop is the shape of things to come, keep us excited. This new generation of laptop to check all the boxes are designed for ultra-book category Intel, the ultra-thin, ultra-fast and ultra-low-cost, more than 5 hours of battery life. Compared to similar laptops and some ultra-Books, we spent time with, like the UX31 Asus Zenbook ($ 1,099 direct) and Lenovo IdeaPad U300s (1199 dollars directly) (stay tuned for our review of both), falls short a couple of features, but it gives you a thin, portable mobile premium compared to competitors.
Ultra-Word Books
When Intel announced guidelines for the ultra-books, it became clear that the intention is to create a new laptop category that most closely resembled the specifications of the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (Thunderbolt) 's (1299.99 $ direct, 4 stars) with the requirements for thickness (less than 0.83 inches), the battery life (at least 5 hours), and faster boot times, which would be based on the Intel Rapid Start . Intel also made it clear he wants to achieve ultra-books sub-$ 1,000 price tags.
Ultra-Word Books
When Intel announced guidelines for the ultra-books, it became clear that the intention is to create a new laptop category that most closely resembled the specifications of the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (Thunderbolt) 's (1299.99 $ direct, 4 stars) with the requirements for thickness (less than 0.83 inches), the battery life (at least 5 hours), and faster boot times, which would be based on the Intel Rapid Start . Intel also made it clear he wants to achieve ultra-books sub-$ 1,000 price tags.
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| Acer Aspire S3 |
There are some laptops that meet these requirements, especially in the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (Thunderbolt), but this is the first device that satisfies everyone. Samsung Series 9 results many of these points, but it costs a lot and the lack of Intel Rapid Start. So even if your MacBook Air 13-inch Samsung Series 9 (NP900X3A) ($ 1,599 street, 4 stars), there are many similarities, there are ultra-books unless the definition of Intel. So even if we are able to compare the Acer Aspire S3, for example, Choice Editors' Toshiba Portege R835-P50X ($ 889.99 list, 4.5 stars), is still technically in the same category. Until there is a chance to dig other ultra-books recently announced as the Asus UX31 Zenbook, we can not compare the Acer Aspire its closest competitors in any but a superficial level.
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| Acer Aspire S3 |
Design
As Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (Ray), the Aspire S3 is ultra slim, measuring just 0.51 inches thick, not including some additions by the thickness of four feet of foam below. It measures 0.7 by 12.6 by 8.5 inches (DRC), so it is small enough to fit in a backpack or tote bag, while adding less space than a single-subject notebook in college failed. It is also very light, weighing only 2.94 kg, which is little more than the MacBook Air 13-inch (2.9 pounds).
One of the first differences you'll notice when you get your hands on the S3 Aspire is how it feels. Although the shell of magnesium and silver laptops similar pattern with all metal construction, the rest of the chassis (including palm rest) plastic. As the 13-inch MacBook Air, it is thin and light, but the MacBook feels solid and luxurious, while the S3 Aspire feels less complete.
The 13.3-inch widescreen, 450 nits is even brighter than the screen is on the Samsung 9 series with a LED backlit display. The 1366-by-768 does not match the 1440-by-900 on a MacBook Air, or 1600-900-on the screen of the Asus UX31 Zenbook. He was also very narrow viewing angles, and anyone who tries to share the screen, you'll probably see the negative image, so the content consumption is mainly a matter of one person. Audio is another story: Aspire 3DSonic S3 has two speakers, one on each side, with the best audio experience Dolby Home Theater v4 improvement. The quality of sound produced by the thin ultrabook is unexpected loud and clear.
As Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (Ray), the Aspire S3 is ultra slim, measuring just 0.51 inches thick, not including some additions by the thickness of four feet of foam below. It measures 0.7 by 12.6 by 8.5 inches (DRC), so it is small enough to fit in a backpack or tote bag, while adding less space than a single-subject notebook in college failed. It is also very light, weighing only 2.94 kg, which is little more than the MacBook Air 13-inch (2.9 pounds).
One of the first differences you'll notice when you get your hands on the S3 Aspire is how it feels. Although the shell of magnesium and silver laptops similar pattern with all metal construction, the rest of the chassis (including palm rest) plastic. As the 13-inch MacBook Air, it is thin and light, but the MacBook feels solid and luxurious, while the S3 Aspire feels less complete.
The 13.3-inch widescreen, 450 nits is even brighter than the screen is on the Samsung 9 series with a LED backlit display. The 1366-by-768 does not match the 1440-by-900 on a MacBook Air, or 1600-900-on the screen of the Asus UX31 Zenbook. He was also very narrow viewing angles, and anyone who tries to share the screen, you'll probably see the negative image, so the content consumption is mainly a matter of one person. Audio is another story: Aspire 3DSonic S3 has two speakers, one on each side, with the best audio experience Dolby Home Theater v4 improvement. The quality of sound produced by the thin ultrabook is unexpected loud and clear.
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| Acer Aspire S3 |
Also, significant is the keyboard. Chiclet-style keys look the same square tile keys of the MacBook Air, and also manage to spread the same smooth writing and a low-key. The quality is pretty good, but you can not find the S3 Aspire backlight while about the MacBook Air. The touchpad can not be huge, but big enough for all actions to complete the glass trackpad. The left and right mouse buttons are integrated into the surface of the trackpad, as well, and the ticking is as simple as pressing the front of the mouse, or a corner. These are mostly the Apple experience I saw him play with the ClickPad Windows laptop, and managed to pull it off quite well. While the test was, however, I noticed that the multi-touch controls, such as zooming and scrolling, not always properly recorded.
Properties
The ultra slim profile is achieved in part by offering a few features. Along the trailing edge of the Acer Aspire S3, you'll find two USB 2.0 ports and an HDMI port. On the right edge of the laptop, you'll find a memory card reader (SD, MMC) and to the left, you'll find a headphone jack, which combines a headset and microphone plugs into one. Internally, the S3 is equipped Aspire Wi-Fi 802.11n and Bluetooth 4.0 wireless options, and a 1.3 megapixel webcam placed on the screen of 13 inches. But what you do not get? To maintain that the greyhound-thin profile, Acer dropped compounds as common a VGA port, Ethernet and optical drive, which is comparable to developments in all textbooks Ultra we saw so far. You will not enjoy the faster speed of USB 3.0, you will find on Zenbook UX31, and the fastest speeds of the Thunderbolt technology that exists only on Apple products right now.
Although several competitors have chosen to use anything other than flash memory semiconductors in Ultrabooks, Acer has opted for a mechanical hard drive, which provides more for less. The 320 GB 5400 rpm hard drive storage offers more than 128 GB SSD (SSD) found in the MacBook Air and Asus UX31 standard Zenbook. On the back, making the reader is more prone to damage from bumps and falls, and does not offer the same speed and responsiveness that can offer a SSD. Acer addresses the problem of reactivity with an additional 20 GB of flash memory, which allows the S3 aspire to the same boot faster and waking hours provides a SSD. To protect the unit from physical damage, the Aspire S3 is equipped with an accelerometer that enables the protection unit when the laptop is moved.
Acer includes many pre-installed hardware on the Aspire S3. Some, it is useful Clear.fi, Acer wireless solution for sharing media, Microsoft Office 2010 Starter and a 60-day trial of McAfee Internet Security. Others are simply bloatware, as a reader of the New York Times, Barnes & Noble Nook App Blio e-reader, Acer Game, and links dedicated to eBay and Netflix. There are also a number of utilities for all Acer tweaking settings to use the webcam sleep.
Performance
The Aspire S3 running on a dual-core Intel Core i5-2467M 1.6 GHz processor If the model sounds familiar it is because the CPU is the same ultra-low voltage in the 11-inch MacBook Air and the new crop of Ultrabooks Asus UX21 including Zenbook ($ 999 direct is not yet rated) and Lenovo U300. It is energy efficient and less prone to overheating, which makes it ideal for CULV processor ultrabook thin, lightweight and durable. Although reinforced with 4 GB of RAM, 7 PCMark scores have shown that there is a good match for the Intel Core i5-2557M processor in 13-inch MacBook Air. In PCMark 7, our performance test on a daily basis, the Aspire 1899 S3 scored points, well behind the 3186 mark for the MacBook. In tests such as Cinebench R11.5 (1.93) and Photoshop CS5 (5:37), the Aspire S3 performing well. Although it has fallen behind Apple MacBook Air, which has met or exceeded the scores of the Samsung Series 9 (1.36 in Cinebench, 05:53 in CS5) and Toshiba R835-P50X (2.
Cinebench 04, 5:36 in CS5). Only time and laboratory testing will tell how Aspire S3 cells against the incoming ultra-book competitors.
Properties
The ultra slim profile is achieved in part by offering a few features. Along the trailing edge of the Acer Aspire S3, you'll find two USB 2.0 ports and an HDMI port. On the right edge of the laptop, you'll find a memory card reader (SD, MMC) and to the left, you'll find a headphone jack, which combines a headset and microphone plugs into one. Internally, the S3 is equipped Aspire Wi-Fi 802.11n and Bluetooth 4.0 wireless options, and a 1.3 megapixel webcam placed on the screen of 13 inches. But what you do not get? To maintain that the greyhound-thin profile, Acer dropped compounds as common a VGA port, Ethernet and optical drive, which is comparable to developments in all textbooks Ultra we saw so far. You will not enjoy the faster speed of USB 3.0, you will find on Zenbook UX31, and the fastest speeds of the Thunderbolt technology that exists only on Apple products right now.
Although several competitors have chosen to use anything other than flash memory semiconductors in Ultrabooks, Acer has opted for a mechanical hard drive, which provides more for less. The 320 GB 5400 rpm hard drive storage offers more than 128 GB SSD (SSD) found in the MacBook Air and Asus UX31 standard Zenbook. On the back, making the reader is more prone to damage from bumps and falls, and does not offer the same speed and responsiveness that can offer a SSD. Acer addresses the problem of reactivity with an additional 20 GB of flash memory, which allows the S3 aspire to the same boot faster and waking hours provides a SSD. To protect the unit from physical damage, the Aspire S3 is equipped with an accelerometer that enables the protection unit when the laptop is moved.
Acer includes many pre-installed hardware on the Aspire S3. Some, it is useful Clear.fi, Acer wireless solution for sharing media, Microsoft Office 2010 Starter and a 60-day trial of McAfee Internet Security. Others are simply bloatware, as a reader of the New York Times, Barnes & Noble Nook App Blio e-reader, Acer Game, and links dedicated to eBay and Netflix. There are also a number of utilities for all Acer tweaking settings to use the webcam sleep.
Performance
The Aspire S3 running on a dual-core Intel Core i5-2467M 1.6 GHz processor If the model sounds familiar it is because the CPU is the same ultra-low voltage in the 11-inch MacBook Air and the new crop of Ultrabooks Asus UX21 including Zenbook ($ 999 direct is not yet rated) and Lenovo U300. It is energy efficient and less prone to overheating, which makes it ideal for CULV processor ultrabook thin, lightweight and durable. Although reinforced with 4 GB of RAM, 7 PCMark scores have shown that there is a good match for the Intel Core i5-2557M processor in 13-inch MacBook Air. In PCMark 7, our performance test on a daily basis, the Aspire 1899 S3 scored points, well behind the 3186 mark for the MacBook. In tests such as Cinebench R11.5 (1.93) and Photoshop CS5 (5:37), the Aspire S3 performing well. Although it has fallen behind Apple MacBook Air, which has met or exceeded the scores of the Samsung Series 9 (1.36 in Cinebench, 05:53 in CS5) and Toshiba R835-P50X (2.
Cinebench 04, 5:36 in CS5). Only time and laboratory testing will tell how Aspire S3 cells against the incoming ultra-book competitors.
