Depending on who you ask we’re now in the post PC era, where mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets are becoming more and more popular with the crowds that regular PCs. But essentially these are smaller and smaller personal computers that are slowly picking up some of the workload from their older brothers, the regular keyboard-and-mouse PCs.
That’s especially true with this year’s flagship devices, that offer better and better specs and can be used for a variety of daily computer-related operations.
But can a device like an Android smartphone be used to completely replace a PC? A new video posted by ColdFustion proves that the Galaxy Note 2, hooked up to a monitor via a HML Samsung adapter and an HDMI cable, and further hooked up to a wireless keyboard and mouse combo, can be used for a variety of tasks that are/were usually done on a PC.
There are limitations and this is not a complete PC experience – we’re probably getting there in the following years – but things like web browsing, email, content consumption, running productivity apps and even gaming can be done on such a setup in order to take advantage of the bigger display.
Sure, the downside of relying on such a computer model is that you’d have to carry with you all the extra accessories needed, and make sure that a decent monitor awaits for you at your destination. But the video above proves that in the future, the better, more efficient and smaller smartphone and tablet components will get, the more PC-like support they’ll be able to offer.
Anyone using or interested in using such a setup on a regular basis?
While Apple’s latest iOS Maps offering is languishing with precision errors, messed up aerial images and a general disdain among the mobile community, Google is continuing to innovate and improve on its own Maps application. The latest update: 10,000 new indoor locations for your desktop viewing pleasure.
Google Maps has updated its desktop offering with 10,000 new indoor locations, mostly done through establishment floor plans. Access to this information is seamless. Users just need to zoom in on an establishment and can then see a detailed floor plan, with labels appropriate to the establishment.
For instance, zoom in on an airport and you can see the location of the gates. Zoom in on a shopping mall, and the establishments will appear, including retail stores, restrooms and even ATMs. A few key points to note:
Google has a big mapping community. The crowd-sourced effort works in conjunction with Google’s own acquisition of GIS data. As such, we can expect more and more establishments to upload their information to make it easier for patrons to browse and navigate.
Android usually gets first dibs on whatever improvements Google has to offer, and so the indoor navigation functionality has been available on the platform for some time now. Expect more hair-pulling from iOS Maps users who get frustrated with the slow speed and lack of detail on Maps (I know! I have it on my iPhone and I want to rip it straight out of the touchscreen).
The locations are limited as of now, with support for Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the U.S. More locations will be added soon, and submissions from other countries will greatly help in this effort.
While indoor locations are more useful when accessed from mobile devices, this can still be useful when planning a trip to the mall, museum, library, train station, airport, or any place of interest. If you’re planning to go gadget shopping at brick-and-mortar stores this Cyber Monday, then you might want to check out store layouts before you go, and then use Google Maps on your Android device to help find the establishments when you’re actually in the area.
If you’re a store or establishment owner, you might want to submit your floor plans to Google, which can help encourage people with their virtual exploration.
Unlimited data plans are going the way of the dodo. You see carriers clamping down on unlimited bandwidth, and even with so-called “unlimited” plans, these usually come with fair-use clauses in which heavy users’ accounts are throttled.
It’s all in the name of fair use, carriers say. If everyone uses too much bandwidth, then the entire network suffers. As such, if you’re fond of downloading big files through peer-to-peer networks or BitTorrent, you might want to steer clear from accessing your downloads through cellular data.
With BitTorrent for Android, though, it might be tempting to do downloads straight from your mobile device. That’s all right if you’re running on a WiFi connection, but the moment WiFi gets disconnected, you might find your cellular data use jumping from all the torrent packets being transferred.
The latest update to the uTorrent client addresses this, with its WiFi-only feature. “The new WiFi-only mode feature pauses download activity when you’re outside a WiFi area, and automatically resumes downloading once WiFi is accessible again.”
This update should be a boon for users who just want to download a file through BitTorrent and forget about it. You shouldn’t have to keep on pausing downloads manually whenever you’re on the move.
uTorrent is an Android exclusive for now. Users on other platforms are not likely to get the app anytime soon, especially the more closed ones like BlackBerry, iOS and Windows Phone. Well, not officially, at least. Head on to the source link to download or update uTorrent.
With Black Friday come and gone, holiday shoppers are now eagerly waiting for Cyber Monday to arrive. But you don’t have to wait until Monday to start enjoying the Cyber Weekend offers on Google Play. Following the discount treatment that many apps and games are getting, you’ll find that there are more deals to be had on Google’s online store.
Over at Google Play Movies, several titles are up for grabs for $2.99, including oldies but goldies like Jaws, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Scarface, Serenity, Ray, and several others. The newer ones like The Social Network, Eat Pray Love and Burlesque can be had for $9.99.
The deals for TV series are pretty limited, but they include beloved shows like House and Friday Night Lights, where the complete full season of the two are going for $12.99 and $9.99, respectively. It’s a great saving considering that an episode of the show costs $1.99.
The music selection is more varied and compelling, as the list contains some of the best albums of 2012. New-ish offerings from Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj and Ne-Yo are selling for $2.99, while you can get Frank Ocean’s excellent Channel Orange LP for $4.99 and fun.’s Some Nights for $5.99.
As for books and magazines, Google is giving up to 80% and 50% discounts, respectively, on some e-book titles and magazine subscriptions.
No mobile device is perfect – in case we’d have such a thing, then we’d probably stop buying anything else – so we’re always expecting new releases to come with some bugs and/or issues that can be discovered by users in regular day-to-day situations.
Such is the case with the Nexus 4, which isn’t sparred when it comes to problems either.Phandroid reports that “a small but growing number of Nexus 4 owners” found that there’s some strange “buzz or click” sound coming from the earpiece/camera area, that can be heard only when near the phone, and whether or not the handset is turned on or off.
Other Nexus 4 buyers say that they have experienced distorted calls on the device, “especially at higher volumes.” The two issues appear to be unrelated so far.
Google or LG are yet to acknowledge the issues and the publication speculates that a simple software update may not be enough to fix things, as there may be some “shielding problem within the phone’s electronics.”
The earpiece problem has apparently been signaled at least 69 times in Google’s datapase (Issue 39936: Nexus 4 constant buzzing in earpiece) and we’re certainly going to keep you updated on the matter.
Did you experience anything like this on your Nexus 4? What about the LG Optimus G, which is very similar to the Nexus 4, does it comes with similar buzzing issues?
For an Android phone that was released in 2010, it’s nothing short of amazing to see how the Nexus S has made the jump from Gingerbread to Ice Cream Sandwich, before finally resting on Jelly Bean. Then again, we’re talking about a Nexus here.
Although Google has announced that the Nexus S won’t get updated beyond Android 4.1.2, this inconvenience doesn’t seem to deter developers from trying to bring Android 4.2 to the aging phone.
A member of XDA-developers forum by the handle knzo has released a working build of Android 4.2 for the Nexus S. While there are the usual issues and bugs that currently stop the latest flavor of Jelly Bean from becoming a daily driver, the ROM is deemed stable and usable.
Unfortunately, the Android 4.2 ROM has been taken offline by the maker. The developer said that it’ll be put back up when it’s “ready to be used a daily driver”. Check out the original threadfor more details and future announcement of when you can test the ROM out on your Nexus S.
Samsung, South Korea’s largest industrial conglomerate, is supplying many crucial components that go into Apple’s insanely popular devices, including displays, processors, and memory modules. If you’ve been following us over the past few weeks, you might know that the once rosy relationship between the two industry titans is slowly turning sour.
Apple is trying to give up its Samsung addiction, by looking for other suppliers for processors, displays, and other components. Now, news broke that Samsung will no longer sell batteries for tablets and laptops to Apple, and that the American company has switched to two Chinese manufacturers for future battery orders.
It’s not clear from the original news report if it was Samsung or Apple that initiated the break up. Given the contentious nature of the legal and commercial relationship between the two, either option it’s possible. All we know is that Samsung and Apple are drifting apart at increasing speed, and, in a year or so, their collaboration might be history.
You might have heard of Google’s latest foray into the Internet and entertainment industries. Google wants its presence to become even more pervasive in your home. You already use Google Search, an Android device, Gmail and all kinds of services. But current broadband connections are not enough for Google. With Google Fiber, the company wants you to run these services on their own pipes.
Google Fiber is basically a fiber-optic service that offers 1 Gbps of speed both down- and upstream. For $70 per month, you can get the basic Internet service, but an additional $50 monthly also gets you a subscription to Google’s cable TV killer. Sure, Google’s content partners are still limited at this time. But given Google’s industry clout, it’s probably just a short time until they get more content into Google Fiber.
BTIG Research went to Kansas City — where Google is doing its initial run of the service — to look into how Google Fiber fares. Their conclusion: it’s awesome. Business Insider gives us a glimpse of what the analysts think of Google’s latest broadband service. Here is a quick summary.
Installers set an appointment and make it on time. You might have been used to having to wait all day for the cable guy to fix your installation. With Google Fiber, they arrive on time so you need not waste half a day waiting during their window period.
The first step involves connecting your house to the utility pole with fiber-optic cables. These are literally a single thread of glass. It’s amazing how these pipes can carry data at 1 Gbps.
The second step involves installing sleek TV and Internet boxes in your house. Who said Apple was the only company into great looking hardware? Google’s boxes are not like the usual cable or satellite boxes, which are bulky and cumbersome. The boxes support WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, reducing the need for wires.
The “TV” services comes with several functionalities. These include a channel guide with DVR functionality and a recommendation engine. The box comes with 2 Terabytes of storage for all your DVR needs.
The service comes with a free Nexus 7. The tablet acts as the Google Fiber remote and the TV remote, as well. Note that this comes with a two-year subscription contract.
Limitations
Google Fiber is far from perfect, as it still lacks some services and content you would expect Google to have taken care of at this point. For instance, there’s still no YouTube integration, nor can you access content from HBO. But if you’re out for raw speed at this point,then Google Fiber will be sure to excite.
At this time, Google Fiber is running only within Kansas City, although the company looks serious in expanding to more areas and regions soon. I attended a conference keynoted by Google VP for infrastructure Dr. Eric Brewer this October, and he says Fiber will connect even the remotest of islands in the next five to ten years. Is this an ambitious plan by Google? And with this plan, should telcos and cable providers be afraid?
Word has it that Google has made a deal with the city government for a city-wide WiFi service. This might render cellular data plans obsolete if Google Fiber plus city-wide WiFi service will be the norm in the future.
The BTIG analysts say that in their site surveys, cable providers are already going door to door to check if customers are satisfied with their service. This only means that providers will need to step up their game in order to better compete against Google Fiber.
Are you excited for Google’s latest broadband and TV service? Do you think this is how everyone will get online and watch content a few years down the line?
Thoughts on the patent system aside, we’re all pretty tired of the constant litigation. OEMs are spending money and time in court battling one another instead of on their products. As it turns out, not everyone shares that opinion. Patent Chief David J. Kappos believes everything is working fine.
Yes, there was no typo. Despite some ups and downs, Mr. Kappos believes that our patent system isn’t broken and is functioning as it should be. A study conducted by the USPTO showed that over 80% of patents being used in high profile cases right now are valid. Apparently, four out of five is good enough for the USPTO.
According to The New York Times, Mr. Kappos talked about the patent wars with a little indignation. He defended the patent wars, stating that it’s just the process working as it should. As the New York Times put it, all these lawsuits aren’t a bug, but a feature.
So Mr. Kappos thinks there is nothing wrong with our patent system?
For the most part, yes. Mr. Kappos stepped back from his defense once to admit that software patents aren’t everything they should be. He’s quoted as saying, “We know that inconsistency in software patent issuance causes uncertainty in the marketplace and can cause threats of litigation that in turn can stifle innovation and deter new market entrants.”
That couldn’t be further from the truth. With Apple frequently obtaining patents on such bleeding edge technology as the page turning animation, software really should be given more scrutiny. Unfortunately, there is some room to disagree that the rest of the patent system is okay. After all, Apple was granted a patent for a basic geometry shape.
So for those who were hoping that the patent system would be changed up, you’re going to be very disappointed the the USPTO. While the words of Mr. Kappos bring hope for at least the software side of patents, it seems the system as a whole isn’t making any significant changes. Let us know what you think about that.
For the longest time, Android owners put removable batteries on the list of pros that they’re phones had over arch rivals, iPhones. Recent offerings from OEMs like HTC and Motorola have been devices with non-removable batteries. The Federal Environment Agency in Germany wants to do something about it.
The Federal Environment Agency in Germany has called for a ban on sealed smartphone batteries. Also called non-removable batteries, The President of the agency is quote as calling them grotesque and environmentally unfriendly. After all, if you can’t remove the battery, how are you supposed to recycle them?
They aren’t pushing for a ban like the bans you read about in patent lawsuits. What the FEA would like to see is an amendment made to the Ecodesign Directive to include restrictions on non-removable batteries.
Is Germany on the right track with this?
They made a number of logical arguments, so it makes a lot of sense. Android OEMs only use non-removable batteries to give devices a larger battery without affecting the size. However, the aforementioned environmental concerns seem to make more sense. Many OEMs have no trouble keeping a low profile while including bigger batteries.
Phone Arena has also mentioned the cost of replacing non-removable batteries as well as the lives of the batteries themselves. According to Phone Arena, iPhone batteries only hold 80% of their charge after a year of use and they’re pretty expensive to replace.
Is Germany on the right track with asking for bans on sealed batteries in smartphones? Let us know what you thought.
Recent rumors suggest that Microsoft is looking to take on Google and Apple TV with a set top box of their own known as Xbox TV. Sources close to the company seem to believe that Xbox TV will be competitively priced, and will run on Windows 8.
Much like the Xbox Surface tablet, Microsoft has yet to confirm or deny any Xbox TV rumors. If Xbox TV can match the prices of Apple TV, and Google TV devices like Vizio’s Co-Star, then Microsoft will have a good chance of winning the battle for the living room.
Microsoft’s flagship console, the Xbox 360, already offers a wide variety of non gaming uses, such as streaming movies, music, live sports, and web browsing. It’s no secret that many Xbox 360 owners use their consoles as a dedicated Netflix box, and Microsoft could capitalize on this with Xbox TV.
The real question is whether or not consumers will flock to the Windows 8 powered set top box simply because of the Xbox branding. Image has long been a concern of Google TV, a platform that is still struggling to break-out in terms of sales. Apple has had a fair amount of success with its Apple TV largely because of Apple’s successful image, and has yet to heavily market the device.
If these rumors are to be believed, Xbox TV is set to launch late 2013, just in time for the holidays.
The Wii U has been available in US (we use the term “available” loosely, of course) for a little under a week, but folks in Europe are still waiting for the console to arrive. The Wii U is set to launch in Europe on Friday, November 30, and if you happen to live in London, you might want to stop by the launch event Nintendo is holding at HMV’s Oxford Street store. That’s because if you get there early enough, you might be able to snag a couple free games.
Eurogamer reports that the doors will open at 11 PM on November 29, and the first 100 Wii U purchasers in line will get two free games. These include New Super Mario Bros U and another game of your choice from a pre-determined selection of titles. If you don’t manage to snag one of the first 100 spots in line, don’t despair, because there will be goodies for other launch event attendees too.
For example, if you’re one of the next 100 people in line, HMV and Nintendo will give you £5 off the purchase price of Wii U hardware or software. The freebie isn’t nearly as good as two free games, but it’s better than nothing. Finally, the first 500 people in line will be taking home goodie bag full of mysterious presents. If you’re planning to pick up your Wii U and HMV’s Oxford Street store, it seems your chances of leaving the store with some free extras are pretty good.
There will also be playable demos of New Super Mario Bros U, ZombiU, and Nintendo Land at the launch event, so if you’re on the fence about which games to buy, you’ll at least be able to check out a few while you wait for sales to start. Here’s hoping that you get to take a console home with you, because if the Wii U’s European launch is anything like its North American launch, the console will sell out quickly. Are you buying a Wii U at launch?
While Black Friday might be the only day where brick-and-mortar stores see the rush of shoppers, online establishments have been feeling the rush all week long, with many online retailers starting their Black Friday deals at the beginning of the week. However, Thanksgiving Day saw the most mobile traffic ever when it comes to shopping.
It turns out, shopping from smartphones and tablets is becoming pretty popular, especially when you need to buy something and you don’t have a computer around. According to IBM Smarter Commerce, the number of consumers making Thanksgiving purchases from their mobile devices rose 65.3% from last year, mostly thanks to the rise in the number of mobile devices now being used around the world compared to last year.
Tablet users were big spenders on Thanksgiving, with iPad users specifically making up 10.7% of mobile shopping activity during the day. In total, internet retailers recorded 17.4% more sales on Thanksgiving Day compared with last year’s Thanksgiving, and that’s mostly due to the rise in mobile shopping.
Of course, smartphones have always been a great tool for comparing prices on items while you’re in the store, and if you find a better deal online, you usually wait to get home in front of your computer before you pull out the plastic. However, some users may not have been able to get up from the Thanksgiving dinner table and were forced to make that pre-Black Friday purchase under the table.
The larger of the two big-hitters in the Acer Aspire S7 series Ultrabooks sits here on our desk like a high-powered glass-covered knife, ready to bring the best we’ve seen in touchscreen-totingWindows 8-optimized notebook action to the market. This machine has been delivered to our doorstep in its most powerful configuration, all $1,649 USD of it – complete with a 3rd Generation (Ivy Bridge) Intel Core i7-3517U Processor clocked in at 1.9GHz. The 13.3-inch display here is a beastly Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution widescreen CineCrystal LED-backlit bit of technology with 10 finger touch and a 16:6 aspect ratio. Now we’ve got to see if this is enough to match up with that price – or if after all is said and done, the price will be the last of your thoughts in this next-generation experience!
Hardware
This machine works with a set of two USB 3.0 ports, one micro-HDMI-out port, a combo headphone/mic jack, and a DC-in jack for your power cord. On the right you’ve got a dual memory card reader for SD and MMC, and also included in the box you’ve got a couple of adapter cords, one made for VGA output, the other allowing you to use an Ethernet cord (USB to RJ-45). The camera up front is a 1.3 megapixel HD webcam able to pick up 1280 x 1024 for video chat, the battery inside is a 4-cell lithium polymer at 4680mAh, and you’ve got 4096MB DDR3 dual-channel memory (4GB onboard memory) as well as Intel HD Graphics 4000 to keep that massively dense display high-powered.
This machine works with Optimized Dolby Home Theater v4 audio enhancements with two built-in stereo speakers and high-definition audio support. There’s also a built-in digital microphone for use with your video chat adventures, and under the hood you’ve got a lovely 256GB SSD drive as well. The touchpad is what Acer calls their “ZoomPerfect” unit with single and multi-finger scroll action – that’s up to 5 fingers to scroll, pinch, rotate, flip, and the like.
Weighing in at 2.86 lbs / 1.3kg and measuring in at 17.2″ W x 3.58″ D x 10.67″ H (437mm W x 91mm D x 271mm H), you’ll find this mix of metal and glass to be a joy to use – and to look at. When you open it and feel the unique edges around the touchscreen as well as the Gorilla Glass top, you’ll find yourself dually impressed. This machine is an Acer triumph without a doubt in its hardware build – the aesthetics alone make this easily one of the most beautifully full-looking notebooks on the market – and not just in the Windows 8 category.
The machine folds down to a thinness that’s straight up surprising, making it opening it for the first time an experience that may very well have you skipping the pleasantries and kicking your pocketbook out immediately. But you’ll want to take heed: there are some drawbacks to such a thin beast with a display that’s both touch-capable and incredible sharp, not to mention bright as you could possible want it to be. Battery life – as I’m sure you’re wondering about – will betray you if you’re expecting to go more than 4 hours at full-blast high-action video streaming and interactive touchscreen gaming.
But if you’re a realist and never go anywhere with your notebook computer without a power cord anyway, you’re going to have a bit more difficult a time finding reasons not to want this machine. Of course the price is always going to be a factor here in our present when it’s above $1,600 USD. That’s a massive price for a computer, especially if you only plan on using it to impress your friends and surf the web. That’s not what this computer is made for.
Instead you’re going to want to focus on what you get for the price. Acer has created a masterpiece for the Windows 8 generation. This is the computer Steve Ballmer should be carrying around to show off what Windows 8 can do – it’s that slick.
Peruse the rest of the reviews of this machine as they appear popping up across the web over the next few weeks and see where the low points are – you’ll find many folks saying the price is prohibitive while the rest suggest that the battery life in any notebook should be 6 hours or more. First you should know that we’ve gotten 5+ hours out of the device on multiple heavy-use occasions – great by your average user’s standards. Next you’ll be glad to hear that standby time for this notebook is undeniably great – Acer assures that with “Acer Hybrid Standby Technology” you’ll be able to get 80 days of standby power: that’s intense, and we’ve not seen any evidence yet to suggest they’re telling us anything less than the truth there with months of up-time. These “low points” are completely forgivable for what Acer is presenting here in the Autumn of 2012.
Software
The 10-finger touchscreen you’re working with here includes some software enhancements – most of them aesthetic – that make your Windows 8 experience the best we’ve seen thus far. You get tiny momentarily-visible transparent dots wherever you tap the screen, and as you move your fingers around, you get ghostly trails from your fingertips, allowing you to instantly understand how your tips are touching and moving. Having used several touchscreen PCs before the dawn of Windows 8, we can safely say that this is a major leap forward in real-world usability, without a doubt.
Have a peek also at our full Windows 8 review to see exactly what we’re dealing with here, with a few additions that include mostly new apps and security measures from Acer. You’ve got Acer Theft Shield, Acer Cloud, Acer Backup Manager, ePower Management, and eRecovery Management, and a whole lot more. For the most part, Acer’s additions to the basic Windows 8 build include connections to their own ecosystem – most of which are entirely positive and worth the effort you’ll be using to attach yourself.
System - Acer Aspire S7-391
Manufacturer
Acer
Product Type
Notebook
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 8 (64-bit)
Motherboard
Acer Storm
Processor
Intel Core i7-3517U
Processor ID
GenuineIntel Family 6 Model 58 Stepping 9
Processor Frequency
2.39 GHz
Processors
1
Threads
4
Cores
2
L1 Instruction Cache
32.0 KB
L1 Data Cache
32.0 KB
L2 Cache
256 KB
L3 Cache
4.00 MB
Memory
3.82 GB DDR3 SDRAM 666MHz
FSB
99.8 MHz
BIOS
Insyde Corp. V2.05
You’ll be using your touchpad here in combination with the touch screen, but you’ll be able to use one or the other exclusively if you’re up for it. There’s an on-screen touch keyboard you can use if for some reason you want to move your hands up 4 inches above your perfectly capable physical keyboard, and the touchscreen isn’t necessarily required, so to speak, for anything if you don’t want to. You also get a Bluetooth mouse with the package if you’re feeling like some standard plastic mouse action – it’s standard, and certainly usable, but not a whole lot more than that. The physical keyboard also uses the computer’s light sensing abilities to keep your eyes happy, with backlighting activating as the atmosphere dims.
If you have trouble with “setting up” your computer, you can refer to the included “Setup Poster” included in the box, or you can use your Wireless Setup Card too – Acer has made the process simpler than ever before here – strange since the process includes no more than a few button taps and maybe even a connection with password to your wireless network. Important point here is that it’s simple enough for your parents to do themselves – really!
Have a peek at our standard benchmarking results here with Geekbench and feel the power – it’s a top of the line experience whether you’re cruising through your newest massively power-hungry game or viewing your favorite HD feature film.
Benchmark Score - Acer Aspire S7-391
Section
Description
Score
Total Score
Windows x86 (64-bit) - Microsoft Windows 8 (64-bit)
Integer
Processor integer performance
6089
8100
Floating Point
Processor floating point performance
11149
Memory
Memory performance
7016
Stream
Memory bandwidth performance
6638
Sound
The speakers on this machine are good enough for a personal computing experience and accurate even up to their loudest positions. Acer isn’t messing around with the external speaker sound quality here, with two Acer 3DSonic stereo speakers backed up with sound enhancements by Dolby. The fans on this machine, working with Acer TwinAir cooling technology, can get a bit louder than we’d like to hear on a regular basis. It’s not an issue unless you’re working with high-powered gaming or hours and hours of streaming video, and the trade-off is a rather pleasant lap experience – we’ve not felt anything hot going on yet.
Unique Touchscreen Experience
This machine has a hinge that allows it to fold back to 180 degrees – that means you’ll be able to go flat against a table, keyboard and touchscreen included. If you’ve used a machine that folds back further than this, you’ll find yourself feeling a bit limited by the flat-stop. If you’ve only ever used a notebook that folds back to 45 degrees, on the other hand, you’ll be surprised by how often you’ll want to push that screen back further, and further, and further. The viewing angles on the display are also near-perfect, making any angle look as great as the next (unless you count the high-gloss reflection-intense glass, of course).
This will also be a new experience for those of you used to using a tablet computer exclusively, as it really does combine the notebook and tablet experiences into one. If you’ve ever found yourself tapping your notebook screen after extensive tablet use, you’ll fall right in line with the S7′s experience. Windows 8 and the developers optimizing their applications for touchscreen action here in the first Windows 8 wave of app upgrades make this touch-and-tap combination one we’re really, truly enjoying. Working with the Aspire S7 will make you want to convert to this new universe – it’ll make you want to change and be assimilated.
Wrap-Up
This machine is Acer’s best effort yet. It’s an Ultrabook that makes the Windows 8 experience an enjoyable one – and on a personal note, it’s the first in many moons that’s made certain Apple-exclusive family members of mine think about trying a switch (having seen it at Thanksgiving, of course). You’ll certainly have to weigh the benefits of having this top-class machine in your position against the amount of cash you’re going to have to dish out since it’s certainly not the most budget-minded beast on the market, but after that, it’s all smooth sailing.
As with all of our reviews of products large and small, this is not the end of the review – let us know if there’s anything else you’d like to know about the machine and we’ll do our best to let you know what we know! We’ll continue to test this machine into the future and will let you know if anything ground-shattering changes our experience in any grand way – meanwhile feel free ask any and all questions you may have and make requests to your heart’s content!
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