Acer TravelMate 6292

Shortly after introducing its Aspire 5290 media notebook, Acer has followed up with the first of its newly remade ultraportables. The TravelMate 6292 applies the shock-resistant magnesium case and unique curved keyboard to a 12-inch widescreen system with Intel's Santa Rosa-based Core 2 Duo at the heart, including the 802.11n wireless chipset and Intel's relatively faster X3100 integrated video. In a very rare addition to small portables, the new TravelMate will also have the option of an HD DVD drive for movie watching. Acer includes a webcam for communication and gives the choice of a Bluetooth VoIP phone for Skype and similar Internet calls. Battery life will range from 5 hours on a standard battery to 12 hours with the combination of stock and extended batteries.

The TravelMate 6292 will be a worldwide model, with release dates and exact specifications varying from country to country. It should be available soon with either Windows Vista Business or XP Professional.

Other new models expected soon are the 6492, a 14-inch equivalent to the 6292 with a 160GB drive and 8.3 hours of battery life; the 6592, a 15.4-inch model with 2GB of memory and a 128MB Mobility Radeon HD X2300 for video; and the 5720/7720, two desktop replacements with 2.4GHz Core 2 Duos. Full details of these systems should follow with their official announcements in coming weeks. [Acer, via Notebook Italia]

By Electronista Staff