AMD today launched three new additions to its 2013 A-Series and E-Series Mobile Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) lineup -- delivering solutions ideally positioned to address today's evolving PC market with dramatically increased performance and power efficiency, as well as a portfolio of unique user experiences, and superior gaming and graphics:

• The 2013 AMD Elite Mobility APU (formerly codenamed "Temash") -- the world's first 28nm, quad-core x86 system-on-a-chip (SoC) APU designed for touch small form-factor notebooks, tablets, and hybrids 13-inches and below;
• The 2013 AMD Mainstream APU (formerly codenamed "Kabini") -- the first and only quad-core x86 SoC solution for entry-level and small-form factor touch notebooks;
• New, low power versions of the 2013 AMD Elite Performance APU (formerly codenamed "Richland") -- offer the best graphics and compute in a performance APU for premium ultrathin notebooks.

At a press event held today in New York, Acer unveiled an updated and slimmed down Aspire V5 Series of notebooks and also introduced the powerful new Aspire V7 Ultrabook. The new V Series represents Acer's largest and most versatile line of mainstream notebooks with numerous models available in a variety of colors with varying screen sizes, resolutions, with or without touch and with varying performance and graphics capabilities.

"The new Acer Aspire V5 and V7 Series are all about giving our customers a wide range of performance and entertainment features from which to choose," said Sumit Agnihotry, vice president, product marketing, Acer America. "In addition to adding full high-definition panels, more powerful graphics and solid state drives to the V Series, models are up to 9 percent slimmer than the previous generation."

At a press event held today in New York, Acer unveiled the Aspire R7, a revolutionary 15.6-inch notebook that will redefine the touch and type computing experience. Featuring a Full HD 1920 x 1080 touch screen, the Acer R7 was made for the new computing lifestyle, which increasingly combines touching and typing. With a repositioned keyboard and a revolutionary "Ezel Hinge" that moves the display forward and into different positions, the R7 makes the combination of touching the screen and using the keyboard more intuitive and natural. Its ergonomic design allows users to explore and determine their own preferred way to interact with technology.

"With the Aspire R7, Acer has redesigned the laptop with an approach that's based on how people interact with their notebooks and other devices," said Sumit Agnihotry, vice president, product marketing, Acer America. "Its progressive design redefines the computing experience, so whether consumers are touching or typing, the R7 adapts to allow consumers to create, browse and share content in ways they never have before."

Acer today debuts the Acer Aspire P3 Ultrabook, which delivers all the benefits of an Ultrabook in a unique design that easily transforms into tablet-mode. Today, many users are faced with choosing between notebook, hybrid, convertible or tablet designs when selecting a mobile computing device. The Aspire P3 takes care of that, with no compromises required. The Aspire P3 is the ideal mobile computing device for users who create and consume content.

Weighing only 3.06 pounds and measuring 0.77-inches thin, the newly defined mobile PC delivers on the promise of Ultrabooks with excellent performance and long battery life in a highly portable form factor. It adds the many benefits of tablet with a design that allows the touch-screen display to be used freely or in the keyboard-case. This gives Acer customers enhanced mobility as well as more ways to enjoy their device using touch for the latest apps, viewing photos, keeping in touch and having fun.

Acer America is now offering its Acer B6 and V6 Series LED-backlit displays combining smart ergonomics and eco-conscious materials for both professional customers and consumers in Canada. The new monitors offer a thinner body than the prior generation and a wide array of models in various screen sizes, which feature a vertical alignment (VA) or twisted nematic (TN) panel depending on model.

The Acer V6 Series value line of displays focused on offering great quality at a good price is available in 19- to 24-inch screen sizes. The B6 Series premium line ranges in screen sizes from 22- to 27-inches and boasts a multi-function ergonomic stand, dual speakers and on select models, USB 3.0 with power-off charging for smartphones and other digital devices.

Worldwide PC shipments totaled 76.3 million units in the first quarter of 2013 (1Q13), down -13.9% compared to the same quarter in 2012 and worse than the forecast decline of -7.7%, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. The extent of the year-on-year contraction marked the worst quarter since IDC began tracking the PC market quarterly in 1994. The results also marked the fourth consecutive quarter of year-on-year shipment declines.

Despite some mild improvement in the economic environment and some new PC models offering Windows 8, PC shipments were down significantly across all regions compared to a year ago. Fading Mini Notebook shipments have taken a big chunk out of the low-end market while tablets and smartphones continue to divert consumer spending. PC industry efforts to offer touch capabilities and ultraslim systems have been hampered by traditional barriers of price and component supply, as well as a weak reception for Windows 8. The PC industry is struggling to identify innovations that differentiate PCs from other products and inspire consumers to buy, and instead is meeting significant resistance to changes perceived as cumbersome or costly.

Acer America is now offering its H6 Series LED-backlit displays to consumers in the United States. Svelte and savvy, the new monitors feature near zero frame construction for elegant aesthetics as well as seamless visuals when using multiple monitors simultaneously, including video walls.

Acer's newest monitors are available in two sizes - 21.5-inch (H226HQL) and 23-inch (H236HL). Both models have Full 1080p HD IPS panels, which provide consistent and accurate color performance from wide viewing angles up to 178 degrees. They can also tilt from -5 to 15-degrees, so users can adjust them for the most comfortable fit.

Worldwide PC shipments totaled 89.8 million units in the fourth quarter of 2012 (4Q12), down 6.4% compared to the same quarter in 2011 and worse than the forecasted decline of 4.4%, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. Although the quarter marked the beginning of a new stage in the PC industry with the launch of Windows 8, its impact did not quickly change recently sluggish PC demand, and the PC market continued to take a back seat to competing devices and sustained economic woes. As a result, the fourth quarter of 2012 marked the first time in more than five years that the PC market has seen a year-on-year decline during the holiday season.

The lackluster fourth quarter results were not entirely surprising given the spate of challenges the PC market faced over the course of 2012. IDC had expected the second half of 2012 to be difficult. Consumers as well as PC vendors and distribution channels continued to be diverted from PC sales by ongoing demand for tablets and smartphones. In addition, questions about the use of touch on Windows PCs vs. tablets slowed commercial spending on PCs.

Acer today announced cross-platform support for AcerCloud, the company's file sharing and media management solution, free to Acer customers. Consumers can now share, retrieve and enjoy their multimedia and data files using a variety of computing devices, regardless of which operating system they are running -- Windows, Android or iOS.

AcerCloud uses the free space on a PC's hard drive as cloud storage space. Users simply designate one of their PCs as their "Cloud PC," enabling them to use the available hard drive space on their own PC, giving them security and full control over their storage needs.1 And unlike other cloud solutions, consumers won't receive constant reminders about exceeding capacity with solicitations to pay for more storage.

On taking apart the Acer S7 Ultrabook, The SSD Review discovered a strange new SSD form-factor, which bears the label of Lite-On, and carrying the model number "CMT-256L3M." This is perhaps the first mSATA SSD with two independent SSD subunits, one on each side. The mSATA interface itself is modified to have two SSD ports. The drive registers on the system BIOS as two individual drives, which is then run as a 256 GB (physical) RAID 0 volume by the BIOS and operating-system.

Each of the CMT-256L3M's two subunits feature a Marvell 88S9175 controller, which supports SATA 6 Gb/s interface, two 64 GB dual-channel 24 nm toggle NAND flash memory chips by Toshiba, and a Nanya-made DRAM cache chip. Putting the drive through sequential-friendly benchmarks such as CrystalDiskMark shows a sequential read speed of the drive (combined with its two subunits) to be around 877 MB/s, with sequential writes up to 672 MB/s. Multi-subunit SSDs aren't new, most high-end consumer SSDs from the pre-TRIM, pre-SandForce era used to be dual- to quad-subunit drives. The CMT-256L3M is the first one in the super-compact mSATA form-factor, and its performance numbers could impress more Ultrabook designers.

Acer announced a premium variant of its 11.6-inch C7 Chromebook (model: C710-2605). While the original, which launched last month, features a catchy $199 price-tag, the new C710-2605 costs 50% more, at $299. In return, you get double the RAM, at 4 GB, a larger 500 GB hard drive, and double the battery capacity at 5,000 mAh. Everything else remains the same. The 11.6-inch Chromebook is driven by Intel Celeron 1.10 GHz processor, and features WLAN, GbE, USB 2.0/1.1, and HDMI in addition to D-Sub.

Thin and light with long battery life, Acer America today announced availability of the new TravelMate B113 notebook PC for U.S. and Canadian customers. An ideal solution for institutional customers, the TravelMate B113 meets all the needs for productivity, communication and mobility needed in today's e-learning environment.

"Acer has had great success with the 11.6-inch form factor in the education market because their compact size is ideal in a classroom setting, even for the youngest of students," said Michael O'Beirne, Acer senior director, commercial product marketing. "The TravelMate B113 notebook is an important addition to our notebook portfolio, as it combines everything educators and students need, including exceptional performance, durability and reliability for a best-in-class mobile experience."

Acer America today announced that its new Acer C7 Chromebook is available now through additional online retail partners: TigerDirect, NewEgg and Staples.com, in addition to the existing Google Play, BestBuy.com and Best Buy stores.

The Acer C7 Chromebook mobile computer debuted earlier this month and has quickly gained popularity for providing customers an easy-to-use, speedy and secure computing experience at an affordable price of only $199 MSRP.

Acer America today announced new commercial desktop PCs designed specifically for businesses, schools and government agencies. Fast processing, a tool-less design and essential security and management tools make the new Veriton Series desktops ideal for powering mainstream productivity applications in professional environments.

The Acer Veriton L4620G is an ultra small form factor (ULSF) desktop with prices starting at $599. This platform is compatible with the Acer ErgoStand that is easy to set up and connect to a range of Acer monitors to create a streamlined all-in-one system. Other new models include the Acer Veriton X4620G, a small form factor (SFF) desktop and the Acer Veriton M4620G, a mini tower, both with prices beginning at $619. All models come with a three-year warranty and support up to a third-generation Intel Core i7 processor, which provides significant application and graphics performance benefits compared to prior generations.

Acer launches the H6 Series LED-backlit monitors, featuring a built-in Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) that directly synchronizes and displays content from any MHL supported mobile devices. This single connection allows users to extend the audio and visual enjoyment for a larger display, as well as easy mobile device control.

The H6 Series comes in two sizes: 21.5-inch (H226HQL) and 23-inch (H236HL), with both models featuring 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution and an IPS wide viewing angel panel that can achieve up to 178 degrees, enabling users to view the monitor from different positions without compromising clear imagery and rich details.Image courtesy of yesky.com

Acer America today debuts its new Acer C7 Chromebook, its next-generation mobile computer that runs Google's Chrome operating system and is priced at a low $199. The new Acer C7 Chromebook is the ideal additional laptop for families, students and business people that need a fast, easy and secure way to get online to do their computing in the cloud, such as using Gmail, keeping up on social networks, shopping, and paying bills.

"Today's computer users are doing more online heightening the need for enhanced security, quicker online access and an easy-to-use interface," Jim Wong, corporate president, Acer Inc. "The Acer C7 Chromebook provides all this at an affordable price, making it the right choice for families and students on a budget as well as anyone who wants a new or second mobile PC for web-based computing."

Acer has just announced a new addition to its REVO line of mini PCs, the REVO RL80 which measures 8.26 x 2.13 x 8.26 inches and runs Microsoft's Windows 8. This model features a Celeron or Core i3 processor, Intel HD graphics, up to 8 GB of RAM, up to a 1 TB hard drive, a DVD writer or Blu-ray combo drive, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, a multi-in-1 card reader, two USB 3.0 and four USB 2.0 ports, and DVI and HDMI outputs.

The REVO RL80 is backed by a two-year warranty and starts at €279.

Acer America has unveiled a new all-in-one (AIO) desktop, the Veriton Z2650G-UG645X featuring a 20-inch widescreen LED display and the convenience of the Windows 8 Pro and Windows 7 Professional operating systems for commercial customers. A sleek design, solid performance and smart management tools make the new Veriton Z2650G ideal for commercial environments where space and aesthetics are key considerations.

Developed to save space and provide a professional look to businesses and institutions, this all-in-one desktop is ideal for reception areas, call centers, hotel business centers, school libraries, news rooms and financial bullpens. Encased in a slim and elegant black chassis, the Veriton Z2650G enhances the décor of any work space and has adjustable legs to optimize viewing for maximum comfort. It also features a 20-inch widescreen LCD display with a 1600 x 900 resolution and 5ms response time to provide clear presentations, spreadsheets and images.

Acer announced a delay of its planned Windows RT product line from early-2013 to closer to Q2-2013. The company is keeping a close eye on how Microsoft's recently-launched Surface RT tablet is faring in the market, and could take strides towards its Windows RT-based products, perhaps even redesigning them, based on its performance in the market.

In a recent interview with Reuters, Acer President Jim Wong said "Originally we had a very aggressive plan to come out very early next year but because of Surface, our R&D development doesn't stop, but we are much more cautious," adding "Originally our plan was Q1, but now I don't think it will be earlier than Q2." Windows RT is a version of Windows 8 designed for the ARM machine-architecture, which allows for low power non-x86 tablets that compete with Apple iPad, and various Android-driven tablets.

Acer is currently making the final arrangements for the retail release of a new S Series monitor, the 27-inch S275HLbmii. This model features a slim casing with a Zero Frame design, a glossy black bezel, an asymmetrical stand, an IPS panel with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, LED backlighting, a 6 ms response time, a dynamic contrast ratio of 100,000,000:1, and one D-Sub plus two HDMI connectors.

The S275HLbmii is backed by a three-year warranty and can be found (on pre-order) priced at £213.38 (~ $344 / €265).

DisplayLink, the world leading provider of USB graphics, today announced that its DL-165 USB 2.0 chipset has been selected for the new universal USB 2.0 docking station by Acer, the world's number two notebook PC brand.

The new Acer universal USB2.0 docking station is optimized for the cost conscious business user to benefit from a single plug-and-play cable expansion solution, enabling easy peripheral expansion to the notebook while also providing businesses the ability to easily setup hot desking solutions, which can connect to the whole PC portfolio. The dock includes one external video port for DVI/VGA display connectivity, 10/100 Ethernet support and USB2.0 ports to expand connectivity further.

DisplayLink, the world leading provider of USB graphics today announced that the new USB3.0 universal docking station by Acer is powered by DisplayLink's latest SuperSpeed USB3.0 engine, which offers simultaneous dual-video graphics output and Gigabit Ethernet.

Acer's new universal USB3.0 docking station provides the ultimate multi-monitor productivity and hot desk expansion with two simultaneous video ports for HDMI and DVI/VGA displays, as well as Gigabit Ethernet, headphones and mic audio jacks, supporting up to 5.1 channel audio via HDMI, and USB3 and USB2 expansion ports.

MarketResearch.com has announced the addition of "Ultrabooks Market to 2016 -- Financial and Technological Support from Intel Corporation Coupled with Demand from Business Users Segment Will Drive Growth," to their collection of market reports.

GBI Research's new report, "Ultrabooks Market to 2016 -- Financial and Technological Support from Intel Corporation Coupled with Demand from Business Users Segment Will Drive Growth," provides key information and analysis on the Ultrabooks market. The Ultrabook is defined by Intel as being any notebook using Intel processors and meeting certain chip manufacturer specifications. However, in general the term is being used for notebooks that are lightweight (less than four pounds), ultra-thin (less than 2.1cm thick) and have screen sizes varying from 13 to 15 inches. GBI Research expects the global Ultrabooks market to reach $75.8 billion in revenue in 2016, from just $1.3 billion in 2011, growing at a CAGR of 69.2% during 2012-2016.

Acer America today has delivered savvy new consumer desktops for customers in the U.S. The new Acer Aspire ME and XC Series feature Windows 8, a savvy new ergonomic design and all the essentials for personal productivity and digital entertainment. Available in two sizes, the Acer Aspire ME Series micro towers are made for those desiring a power-packed workhorse with ample room for upgrades, while the Aspire XC Series small form factor (SFF) desktops are built for those looking to save space.

Acer's latest desktops sport an aesthetically-pleasing black chassis that provides handy cable management. All buttons are located on the front or top of the system for easy access and making the system both left and right hand neutral. "We've retooled our latest Aspire desktops to deliver ample power and practical features in a stylish, understated chassis that will appeal to a wide range of users," said Irene Chan, senior business manager of consumer desktops for Acer America. "Combined with Windows 8, the new Acer desktops are ideal for use as a central entertainment hub for an entire household as well as a student requiring a robust system for homework and social media."

Designed to boost business productivity with advanced performance and multi-level security, the new Acer TravelMate P453 is the answer to the needs of SMB/SOHO looking for the perfect balance between security, productivity and ergonomics. All details have been fine-tuned by Acer to offer the optimal user experience whether in the office or on the go.

Acer takes the protections of users' data and valuable assets very seriously. To secure the IT investment, protect data and reduce TCO thorough remote management features, the TravelMate P453 comes with Acer ProShield Security, a suite of security and manageability tools integrated in a unified user interface. Acer ProShield secures the notebook from unwanted access with multi-level security features including BIOS/HDD password protection and Trusted Platform Module (TPM) solution.