Acer unveils 360-degree convertible Chromebook Spin 11 (R751T) for education
Just yesterday, Acer unveiled a beautiful new Windows 10 360-degree convertible laptop for the education market. For many, Microsoft's operating system makes the most sense for preparing a student for the business world. After all, being well versed in things like Windows, Office, and Sharepoint look good on a resume.
Still, Windows is not the best operating system for all cases. Actually, the very secure Linux-based Chrome OS is a smart choice where learning is done entirely through the web or web portal. Today, Acer announces another 11.6-inch laptop for education, but this time, it is a Chromebook. The Spin 11 (R751T) can double as a tablet thanks to the 360-degree dual-torque hinge.
"Built on the Chrome operating system, the notebook has an 11.6-inch HD IPS display with highly accurate touch sensitivity. It is powered by either an Intel Celeron quad-core processor N3450 or Intel Celeron dual-core processor N3350 depending on model. It also and comes with 4GB/8GB LPDDR4 memory and either 32GB/64GB on–board storage through eMMC flash," says Acer.
The manufacturer also says, "Wireless connectivity comes through with 2X2 MIMO 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, while wired connectivity comes through with 2 USB Type-C ports (USB 3.1 Gen 1 - up to 5 Gbps transfer of data, DisplayPort over USB-C and USB charging) and two type A USB 3.0 ports as well as a MicroSD card reader."
You know what? I am very much impressed with this Chromebook. It comes with a Wacom stylus for note-taking and drawing. The Celeron processors should be quite nimble, and a minimum of 4GB of RAM will guarantee a quality experience. Dual USB-C ports is a welcome edition, although they are only USB 3.0 speed. The addition of a micro SD card slot -- instead of a full SD slot -- could prove quite useful for students that utilize the smaller size card in their smartphones.
Like the company's TravelMate Spin B1, this Chromebook is shock resistant (MIL-STD 810G) and can handle liquid spills. In fact, the Chromebook Spin 11 has a special drainage system that will guide water away from components. Very cool.
Unfortunately, pricing and availability is a bit of a mystery. Acer promises these details "at a later date."