Acer rolls out low-cost Vista notebook

Acer today became one of the latest computer makers to introduce a budget Windows Vista notebook with its TravelMate 2480-2779. The 14-inch widescreen system is designed primarily to handle Vista Home Basic and is loaded with enough features to make good use of the new OS, according to Acer's claims. A 1.6GHz Celeron M, 512MB of RAM, an 80GB hard drive, and a DVD/CD-RW combo writer form its performance baseline. Expansion is broad for the price range with both a PC Card slot and a 5-in-1 card reader.

As suggested by its focus, price is the key selling point for the Acer portable, which ships now from NewEgg and other online shops for $540. [via Laptoping]