Taiwanese PC manufacturer Acer is taking an each way tablet OS bet with the introduction of a new 10.1-inch Windows 7 tablet along with a 10.1-inch Android based model and a 7-inch model. They have also introduced a dual LCD notebook.
At a press event yesterday, Acer also unveiled a home media system and Clear.fi a media-sharing application and an Acer online media store that will sell applications and content for their tablets.
The first 10.1-inch is a convertible tablet running Windows 7 that is expected to ship in February 2011. The second 10.1-inch tablet uses the Android operating system and will ship in April 2011. Pricing is not set.
Two additional Android models will ship in April 2011. The 7-inch is a more mobile version of its larger cousin claims Jim Wong, Acer’s senior corporate VP who said that all the tablets are not limited to accessing just mobile websites, but can run the full versions.
Acer has also introduced a dual-screen Iconia notebook that has two 14-inch LCDs. Both are multitouch capable and can recognize up to 10 fingers at one time. The device unfolds like a typical notebook, with the lower display being used as either a keyboard or to access the computers content.
The keyboard automatically activates when the user places 10 fingers on the display. When five fingers are placed, a user interface called the Acer Ring appears. The Ring is a virtual wheel that appears on the display to access the computers content.
The Iconia is one of the first full-size, mainstream dual touchscreen notebooks and has two 14-inch, 1366×768 displays that both support Windows 7’s multi-touch for up to 10 fingers when typing. The bottom screen is gesture-aware and can bring up the keyboard, media controls, an app launcher, a window manager and a gesture editor.
Apps themselves get special treatment to use the twin touch displays. The touch web browser (based on Internet Explorer) can occupy both screens and lets users drag to select an area of focus. MyJournal creates a scrapbook of web posts, Scrapbook collects images and other media in a central area, and SocialJogger aggregates Facebook, Flickr and YouTube.
An Acer spokesman said the device currently offers about three hours of battery life and weighs about 2.5 kilo.
