Acer Announces Touchscreen Notebook

Acer Announces Touchscreen Notebook

Acer today announced its first touchscreen notebook, the Aspire 5738PG. It will launch with Windows 7 on 22 October for $799.99. The 5738PG has the following specifications:

• 15.6-inch widescreen display with multi-touch support (1366x768 resolution)
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 (2.2GHz/2MB L2/800MHz FSB)
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 graphics with 512MB DDR3 VRAM
• 4GB DDR2-667
• 320GB hard drive
• 8X DVD Super-multi drive
• Intel 5100 N wireless
• 6-cell battery
• Weight: 6.16 lbs

Acer Press Release (BusinessWire.com)

 

Nice thing to come.
Interesting enough, Toshiba did the same...and so did HP, and...wait...do you see a pattern here?

 

Probably in anticipation of W7's improved touch support.

 

I question the usefulness of touch screens on standard notebooks. I used to own a tablet PC and tried using touch to navigate, but found all too often that it was faster and easier to use the mouse. Also, I found that accuracy was a problem (maybe that's because I had a 12" screen with a 1400x1050 res).

Furthermore, I wonder what kind of strength/resistance enhancements were made to the display hinge to keep it steady while touching it. I know if I reached out and touched the display on my notebook it wouldn't stay still enough to keep touching it with any level of accuracy.

 

The resolution is a dealbreaker though. Seriously...who the heck only offers 1366x768 on a 15.6" screen. I really hope this does not become the only resolution available on laptops that are not 17" monsters.

 

I agree with you, but a lower resolution might be necessary on a touchscreen notebook to maintain accuracy while using the touch functionality.

 

At first I wasn't so sure because it's an Acer (with their uninspired <200-nit screens), but then I noticed the $799 pricetag.

Really? Isn't that a little cheap for a touch-screen? With Radeon 4570 graphics at that?

 

Nice specs for the price, but I agree with Chaz that touch screens on full sized laptops does not seem all that useful.

 

But remember, notebooks with similar specs sell for just as much anyway. Touchscreen comes at almost no additional cost for this model.

edit: Happy now Serg?

 

Yeah, me too. At least I am used an prefer to use a touchpad instead of touching the screen, it feels more "natural" to me...lol and the fingerprints on those glossy panels must be terrible!

And the hinges must be impressive to withstand the pressure of multi-touch, at that price, I wonder how much they will hold before the display starts to wiggle...

Asus.

Indeed, considering that the T400s adds like 300+ for the functionality.

T400s, X200 Tablet. It is a premium (at least for Lenovo)

 

I just dont see the practicality if it is not a tablet because you have to reach across the entire keyboard to get the the screen anyway.

It is like the 22 inch HP touch screen desktop, great idea but not used that often.

 

Seeing how I go to great lengths to keep my laptop's screen near immaculate, having a touchscreen on a normal laptop would either go unused, or drive me nuts.

Also, I definitely don't want something that would give other people ANY reason to touch my laptop's screen!

There is one way I can think of having a touch screen would be very handy: when you're taking notes and need to sketch in a graph or diagram of sorts that would be rather difficult to do with a mouse.

 

That if it could pivot...if not is VERY unhandy.
Or at least give a 180 degree and a GREAT hinge to withstand the pressure of me writing on it...

 

I don't even think the Lenovo T400 with the touch screen offers a 180 degree hinge. And that tacks on a $300 premium over a standard T400.

 

it doesnt? The T400 can do it...and the X series too...why the T400s not?

 

Can the T400 do it? I thought I read somewhere the T400 could not. If that is the case, my bad as I must have been misinformed.

 

The T400 is not a tablet, it just can have a touch screen.

 

not pivot, but open 180 degrees.

 

That is what I was referring to also.