Acer Aspire E1-470P Review

Pros: Very affordable; Excellent keyboard; Good audio; Solid performance for price

Cons: Finicky touchpad; Short battery life

The Verdict: For just $399, the 14-inch Acer Aspire E1-470P provides a touch screen, excellent keyboard and solid everyday performance.

How much laptop can you really get for less than $400? In the case of the Aspire E1-470P, you get solid Core i3 performance, a 14-inch touch screen and a roomy 500GB hard drive. That's a pretty fair price for those specs, but what do you give up?

Acer Aspire E1-470P Review

Design

The Aspire E1-470P certainly looks the part of a budget laptop: The notebook sports an unremarkable glossy black plastic exterior that easily picks up fingerprint smudges, with a silver Acer logo on the right side of the lid serving as the sole flourish.

The spacious deck shares the same glossy plastic finish as the lid. Though the touchpad is slightly off-center, the deck provides plenty of room for both wrists, and the gently rounded edges ensure a comfortable typing experience. Moreover, we appreciated that Acer chose to place the power button at the top left corner of the deck rather than on the side of the notebook, as the company has done in the past.

A matte black bezel frames the notebook's 14-inch display, and a 720p webcam sits above the screen in the center. Another silver Acer logo is located directly opposite the camera, below the display.

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At 13.5 x 9.7 x 1.0 inches and 4.2 pounds, the Aspire E1 is heftier than other 14-inch budget notebooks, such as the $399 Lenovo IdeaPad S405 (13.25 x 9.5 x 0.33-0.83 inches, 3.4 pounds) and the $329 HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook (13.66 x 9.37 x 0.83 inches, 3.8 pounds). Nevertheless, the Aspire is noticeably lighter than the 15-inch ASUS X550CA-DB31 (14.9 x 9.8 x 0.97-1.2 inches, 4.8 pounds, $449), which boasts an aluminum lid.

Display

The Aspire E1-470P's 14-inch 1366 x 768 display isn't particularly crisp, but it boasts lush colors and viewing angles wide enough to accommodate a few friends. When we streamed a 1080p trailer for "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," the hero's iconic red-white-and-blue shield contrasted nicely with his dark-hued uniform, and we could move about a foot to either side of the screen before the colors started to wash out.

More impressively, the notebook's display is touch sensitive, a rarity for budget notebooks. (Neither the Lenovo Ideapad S405 nor the ASUS X550CA-DB31 offer touch screens.) The 10-point touch screen performed reliably, though the notebook's sluggish Core i3 processor hamstrung its speed. We had no trouble executing gestures like edge-swiping and one-finger scrolling, for instance, but the animation looked choppy.

When we measured the display brightness using our light meter, the Aspire E1 averaged 189 lux. While this is dimmer than the mainstream average (210 lux), it outshines the HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook (143 lux), the ASUS X550CA-DB31 (144 lux) and the Lenovo IdeaPad S405 (173 lux).

Audio

The Aspire E1-470P's bottom-mounted speakers deliver surprisingly clear and accurate audio. When we listened to Iron Maiden's "Where Eagles Dare," Bruce Dickenson's soaring vocals rang out clearly, and we didn't notice any distortion when Adrian Smith hit the high notes during the guitar solo, though the bass line fell a bit flat. We couldn't find software to fine-tune the audio settings, but given the good overall quality of the speakers, this wasn't a serious issue.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The Aspire E1-470P features an excellent island-style keyboard with full-size Backspace, Enter and Right-Shift keys. We didn't notice any flex as we wrote this review, and the well-spaced keys delivered plenty of tactile feedback. The keyboard lacks backlighting, although that's typical for budget laptops. On the Ten Thumbs Typing Test, we achieved a rate of 72 words per minute with a 1-percent error rate, which is slightly higher than our 68-wpm average.

Unfortunately, the 4.1 x 2-inch Alps touchpad proved much less reliable. The pad's textured pattern felt course beneath our fingers, and we often had trouble smoothly executing gestures such as two-finger scrolling and pinch-to-zoom. More annoyingly, the touchpad suffers from terrible palm rejection, which -- when combined with tap-to-click -- frequently caused us to begin typing in the middle of random paragraphs. However, you can adjust the sensitivity by digging through the Tapping tab in the Mouse Properties Control Panel.

Heat

The Aspire E1-470P stayed cool during our testing. After streaming a full-screen video on Hulu for 15 minutes, the touchpad measured 89 degrees Fahrenheit, while the space between the G and H Keys was 85 degrees and the bottom of the notebook hit 88 degrees. We consider anything above 95 degrees uncomfortable.

Webcam

Pictures and video captured with the notebook's 0.9-megapixel camera appear grainy and slightly off-color in artificial lighting, but will suffice for a Skype conversation. In daylight, colors look true-to-life, though we still could not make out fine details such as individual hairs in our beard.

Ports

The Aspire E1 features a healthy selection of ports, including an Ethernet port, a DisplayPort, a full-size HDMI-out port, a USB 3.0 port and a headphone/microphone combo jack on the left, and two USB 2.0 ports on the right. An SD Card reader is located on the front right corner of the notebook.

Performance

Equipped with an older (and less energy-efficient) 1.8-GHz "Ivy Bridge" Intel Core i3-3217U processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB, 5,400-rpm hard drive, the Aspire E1-470P provides enough power to browse the Web, listen to music or stream movies -- but don't expect to use any CPU-intensive programs such as Adobe Photoshop.

Subjectively, we didn't experience any stuttering while surfing the Web on Google Chrome or listening to music on Pandora. On our objective benchmarks, the Aspire E1 tended to outpace competing budget notebooks but still fell far behind the mainstream average, which includes more expensive notebooks with Core i5 and i7 processors.

When we ran PCMark 7, which measures overall performance, the notebook notched a score of 2,038. This beats both the 1,439 turned in by the Lenovo IdeaPad S405 (2.1-GHz AMD dual-core A6-4455M processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB, 5,400-rpm hard drive) and the 1,918 achieved by the ASUS X550CA-DB31 (1.8-GHz dual-core Intel Core i3-3217U processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB, 5,400-rpm hard drive).

Due to its slower mechanical hard drive, the Aspire E1 loaded Windows 8 in a relatively sluggish 22 seconds, one second shy of the Lenovo IdeaPad S405 and seven seconds slower than the ASUS X550CA. The HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook, which uses Chrome OS, booted up in just nine seconds. The average mainstream notebook, by contrast, loaded the operating system in 30 seconds (though that average includes notebooks using the slower-booting Windows 7).

On the LAPTOP File Transfer Test, the Aspire E1 copied 4.97GB of files in three minutes and 34 seconds, for a rate of just 23.8 MBps. While this beats the Lenovo IdeaPad S405 (25.6 MBps), it falls behind the ASUS X550CA (30.7 MBps).

The Aspire E1 completed our OpenOffice Spreadsheet Test in eight minutes and 36 seconds, faster than both the Lenovo IdeaPad S405 (8:59) and the ASUS X550CA (8:58).

Graphics and Gaming

Armed with an older Intel HD Graphics 4000 chip, the Aspire E1-470P struggled on our graphics benchmarks. When we ran 3DMark 11, which measures overall graphics performance, the notebook achieved a score of 546. This falls behind the score of 559 notched by the ASUS X550CA, which also uses an Intel HD Graphics 4000 chip, as well as the score of 560 turned in by the AMD HD 7520G-powered Lenovo IdeaPad S405.

Unsurprisingly, the Aspire E1 suffered from dismal frame rates on "World of Warcraft," averaging an unplayable 28 frames per second with the graphics on Autodetect. Bumping up the graphics to Ultra caused the frame rate to plummet to 10 fps. The Lenovo IdeaPad S405 and ASUS X550CA achieved similarly poor results with the graphics on Autodetect, averaging 28 and 23 fps, respectively.

Battery Life

On the LAPTOP Battery Test (continuous surfing on the Web via Wi-Fi), the Aspire E1-470P lasted a mere 3 hours and 7 minutes, more than 2 hours less than HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook (5:29) and the mainstream average (5:30). The Lenovo IdeaPad S405 and the ASUS X550CA fared only slightly better, clocking in at 3:34 and 4:05, respectively.

After we uninstalled McAfee Internet Security, however, the E1's battery life increased by half an hour, to 3:37.

Software and Warranty

The Aspire E1-470P comes preloaded with a number of third-party applications, including Soluto, a cloud-based PC-management service; Nero BackItUp 12 Essentials, an automatic backup suite; and trial versions of McAfee Internet Security and Norton Online Backup. Other third-party apps include ChaCha, eBay, Netflix and Spotify. Of course, no Windows 8 machine would be complete without Microsoft applications, such as Skype, SkyDrive and a one-month trial of Microsoft Office 365.

Acer also includes a number of its own desktop-based applications, such as Acer Recovery Management, which lets you restore the notebook to its factory settings, create a customized restore point or reinstall drivers and applications. Acer Explorer is an application hub, and Acer Device Fast-lane lets you quickly lock the touchpad, toggle Airplane Mode and enable or disable the Wi-Fi.

The Acer Aspire E1-470P comes with a one-year parts and labor warranty. See how Acer fared in our Best & Worst Brands Report and Tech Support Showdown.

Verdict

Although anyone looking to purchase a laptop for less than $400 should be prepared to make some compromises, the Acer Aspire E1-470P will leave most shoppers feeling like they got their money's worth. For just $399 (through Best Buy), the notebook offers an excellent keyboard, surprisingly rich audio and solid everyday performance. The notebook's touch screen is also a major plus.

However, the Aspire E1's short battery life and finicky touchpad hold us back from awarding this notebook higher honors. If endurance and affordability are the most important considerations, the HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook costs just $329 and lasts almost 5.5 hours on a charge. But if you want a full Windows experience with touch, the Aspire E1 is definitely worth a look. If you're looking for an affordable Windows 8 touch-screen experience, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better deal than the Acer Aspire E1-470P.

See more: Toshiba Satellite E45t Ultrabook Review

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Acer TravelMate P645 Review

Pros: Sleek and lightweight design; Snappy keyboard; Strong security features; Impressive performance; Long battery life

Cons: Sub-par webcam; Design somewhat plain

The Verdict: The Acer TravelMate P645 is a business-friendly Ultrabook with a speedy Core i7 processor, strong security features and long battery life.

Built for business users on the go, Acer's TravelMate P645 packs big power in a thin and light design. This carbon-fiber notebook ($1,299 as reviewed, $949 starting) touts a fast Core i7 processor, discrete AMD Radeon graphics and a host of security features built to protect your laptop inside and out. Read on to find out how this mobile powerhouse stacks up to the competition.

Acer TravelMate P645 Review

Design

The Acer TravelMate P645 stays true to its namesake, as we immediately noticed how thin and light the new notebook is. At 0.8 inches thin, the P645 is just as slim as the Lenovo Thinkpad T440s (13.03 x 8.89 x 0.8 inches), Toshiba Tecra Z40 (13.3 x 9.3 x 0.8 inches) and Dell Latitude 7440 (12.2 x 8.3 x .79 inches). The 3.5-pound TravelMate outweighs the 3.24-pound Tecra Z40, but is lighter than the 3.8-pound Thinkpad T440s and 3.9-pound Latitude 7440.

Two gray hinges hold the laptop's smooth, carbon-fiber lid together, with a matte finish across the interior and exterior. It's Acer's most durable notebook yet, but the TravelMate P645 is not MIL-SPEC certified, like the Dell Latitude and Lenovo ThinkPad are.

While the P645's has a fairly sleek and minimalist chassis, it's not as attractive as the Dell Latitude 7440. We also noticed a few fingerprints on the lid after hours of use.

The TravelMate's touchpad has a fingerprint reader between the left and right click buttons, while each key has an attractive graphite finish. The top right of the deck hosts a quartet of buttons for power, wireless, microphone and the notebook's Launch Manager. The laptop's palm rest and bottom cover have a sturdy, magnesium-aluminum build to protect the device in case you drop it.

The TravelMate's all-black bottom panel sports a battery compartment at the top left, with a vent at the top right, a speaker in the center and two more speakers on either side of the bottom edge.

Ports

 Most of the P645's ports lie on the left edge, where you'll find an Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, one USB 3.0 and separate jacks for headphones and microphones. The right edge hosts two additional USB 3.0 ports, as well as a power input and Kensington lock, while an SD Card slot is on the left side of the front edge.

The notebook's underside can be connected to the optional Acer ProDock, which provides additional ports while serving as a stand for the laptop.

Fingerprint Reader and Security Features

You can use the P645's ProShield application to secure the notebook a variety of ways, from password protecting the laptop's BIOS settings to disabling specific ports on the laptop.

ProShield allows users to register up to 10 fingerprints via the notebook's fingerprint reader for an extra layer of security when logging in. We successfully registered our right pointer finger with ProShield after four quick swipes. Once that was completed, the P645 instantly recognized our finger when we logged in.

You can use ProShield to encrypt and decrypt files, as well as delete anything that you want to be gone for good. ProShield can store your online account information, a function that allowed us to sign into Twitter with a single finger swipe as soon as we registered our credentials.

The Travelmate's Identity Card feature allows you to quickly view and print important information such as your notebook's serial number. Built-in MotionProtect technology will automatically park the head of the hard drive to a safe spot if a fall is detected. But this isn't an issue if you order a configuration with a solid-state drive.

Intel vPro and Acer Office Manager

The TravelMate comes outfitted with Intel vPro technology, which is built to defend against advanced malware for those working in the cloud. All vPro devices feature Intel Active Management Technology, which allows you to access supported laptops remotely regardless of their power state or operating system.

Acer's included Office Manager software provides IT managers with a central hub for managing clients, creating security policies and viewing all devices in a particular network. The notebook complies with TPM (Trusted Platform Module) 1.2, which is an international standard for security processors.

Keyboard and Touchpad

 The P645's black, spill-resistant island keys are generously spaced. The TravelMate has keys for Home, Page Up, Page Down and End at the very edge next to the Enter and Shift keys, which enabled us to easily scroll through websites with our right hand.

The P645's keys provide satisfying, snappy feedback, allowing us to type at 74 words per minute with a 1 percent error rate on the Ten Thumbs Typing Test. The keyboard's blue backlighting is bright, though we noticed less light coming from the spacebar and near the Y and U keys.

The notebook's 3.8 x 2.1-inch touchpad provided instant response for both physical and touch-based clicks, and we were able to pinch-to-zoom with ease.

Display

Our configuration of the P645 packs a 1920 x 1080 IPS LCD display, which is sharper than the Tecra Z40's 1366 x 768 screen. The Latitude E7440 and ThinkPad T440 have the same screen resolution as the TravelMate, but both competitors give you the option of a touch screen, which is not available on the TravelMate.

The colorful 1080p trailer for "Thor: The Dark World" looked rich on the P645's screen, though the faces of characters Thor and Jane Foster were somewhat lacking in detail. The clip remained watchable at sharp viewing angles, but everything was a bit dim at full brightness.

The TravelMate's 235-lux display failed to outshine the 238-lux Latitude E7440 or 294-lux ThinkPad T440s. Still, Acer's screen is brighter than the 169-lux Tecra Z40 and the 205-lux category average.

Audio

With three speakers on the underside, the P645 filled a small room with music. We could clearly hear the muted bass in the intro of Fall Out Boy's "Just One Yesterday," but the song became a bit muddy once the strings and guitars kicked in at full volume.

Kanye West's "I Am a God" gave similarly mixed results, as the song's deep bass and rapid vocals were easy to distinguish but sounded a bit fuzzy with the volume all the way up.

On the LAPTOP Audio Test (sound output as measured from 23 inches), the TravelMate was a loud 83 decibels, higher than the ThinkPad T440s (81 dB) and Tecra Z40 (79 dB), and on a par with the thin-and-light category average. However, the notebook's speakers fell short of the Latitude E7440's 88-decibel performance.

Webcam and Voice Chatting

Acer Crystal Eye is the manufacturer's stock webcam app, featuring adjustable brightness, contrast and noise reduction, with the option to take photos and videos in up to 1280 x 720 resolution. The software also lets you share images via Facebook and YouTube.

In self-portraits taken on the notebook's 720p webcam using Crystal Eye's default 640 x 480 setting, our brown sweater looked washed out and our birthmarks were barely distinguishable. However, we noticed much richer colors and better detail when we kicked the settings up to 1280 x 720.

The TravelMate P645 utilizes Acer's Purified Voice technology, which is meant to reduce background and keyboard noise during voice chat. Our Skype test call sounded mostly clear on the notebook, though we could still hear some keyboard clicking coming from our coworker on the other end.

Heat and Noise

You can count on the TravelMate P645 to keep its cool throughout long work and play sessions. After we watched 15 minutes of HD video, the laptop's touchpad reached 78 degrees, the underside 88, and the G and H keys a warmer 90 degrees. All are below our comfort threshold of 95 degrees. The P645's vent stayed mostly silent during our time with the notebook.

Performance

Our fully loaded TravelMate P645 packs a 1.8-GHz Intel Core i7-4500 processor with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. By comparison, the more expensive ThinkPad T440s has a 2.6-GHz Intel Core i5-4200U chip with the same RAM and storage, while the Tecra Z40 features a 1.9-GHz Intel Core i5-4300U processor with the same RAM and a 320GB SATA drive. The Latitude 7440 has the same CPU as the Tecra Z40, with 4GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.

The TravelMate took 23 seconds to boot Windows 7, longer than the Windows 8-based ThinkPad T440s and Latitude 7440 (both 14 seconds), but outperforming the Tecra Z40's sluggish Windows 7 boot time of 49 seconds as well as the 27-second category average.

The P645 netted 4,886 on the PCMark 7 performance test, falling just short of the higher-end ThinkPad T440s (4,970) while outperforming the Tecra Z40 (2,542), Latitude 7440 (4,544) and the thin-and-light average of 3,538.

When duplicating 4.97GB of mixed media on the LAPTOP File Transfer test, the P645's transfer rate of 175.5 MBps is slightly less than that of the ThinkPad T440S (188 MBps) but better than the Latitude 7440 (130.50 MBps) and miles ahead of the Tecra Z40 (23 MBps) and category average of 63 MBps.

To further test the TravelMate P645 as a work machine, we had the notebook match 20,000 names to their addresses on OpenOffice. The Acer laptop completed the task in four minutes and 42 seconds, getting the job done faster than the ThinkPad T440s (5:14) and edging out the Tecra Z40 (4:45) and Latitude 7440 (4:46).

Graphics

Our configuration of the TravelMate P645 contains a discrete AMD Radeon HD 8750M GPU, while our review models of the ThinkPad T440s,Tecra Z40 and Latitude E7440 packed integrated Intel HD 4400 graphics.

Acer's notebook scored 32,231 on the 3DMark Ice Storm Extreme graphics benchmark, beating out the T440s (25,913), E7440 (21,259) and Tecra Z40 (22,606) by a long shot while also outperforming the 30,785 category average.

The TravelMate's GPU was similarly superior on the 3DMark11 test, as its score of 1,783 far outpaces the T440s (930), Tecra Z40 (869),

E7440 (801) and the thin-and-light average of 967.

The P645 ran "World of Warcraft" at a less-than-stellar 28 frames per second on Ultra settings and 1366 x 768 resolution, but that was higher than the T440s (21 fps) and Tecra Z40 (17 fps) at the same settings. It was just a notch below the 29-fps category average. Still, it was nice to see 60 fps at 1366 x 768 on low settings.

The game slowed to 24 fps at the TravelMate's native resolution, which was once again more playable than the T440s' output of 15 fps, the Latitude 7440's 11 fps and the 22 fps category average.

If you stick with low settings, the P645 can even run "BioShock Infinite" at a playable 43 fps clip. However, that dipped to 18 fps on high.

Software

Users have their choice of Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8 Pro when purchasing a Travelmate P645. Our unit shipped with Windows 7, allowing us to access the classic Windows start button at the bottom left of the screen as well as the traditional Windows toolbar with customizable app icons.

Our Windows 7-based Travelmate P645 includes common Microsoft programs such as Windows Media Player, Skype and Microsoft Office. There are a handful of Acer-specific apps on the P645, including Acer Crystal Eye Webcam for photos and Acer Updater for downloading software updates.

Battery Life

[Acer TravelMate P645] The Travelmate's 4,850-mAh battery is truly travel worthy, as it lasted nine hours and 46 minutes on the LAPTOP Battery Test (Web surfing via Wi-Fi). That's longer than the Tecra Z40 (9:28), the Latitude 7440 (5:52), the category average (6:46) and the ThinkPad T440s (7:01). However, the T440s lasted a whopping 14 hours and 36 minutes with its extended battery.

Configurations and Warranty

The Travelmate P645 starts at $949 for the TMP645-M-6839 model, which packs a 1.6-GHz Intel Core i5-4200U processor, 4GB of RAM, a 120GB SSD, Intel HD Graphics 4400 and a 1366 x 768 display. The TMP645-M-6427 goes for $1,099, offering the same i5 processor, graphics and screen resolution with double the RAM and storage.

The next step up is the $1,199 TMP645-MG-6429, which offers 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD with a sharper 1920 x 1080 display and AMD Radeon HD 8750M graphics.

We received the fully loaded $1,299 TMP645-MG-9419, which adds a faster 1.8-GHz Core i7-4500U processor to the $1,099 configuration.

The entire P645 series comes with a two-year parts and labor warranty, which covers mail-in and carry-in repairs and also includes 90 days of software support. As with all Acer notebooks, the TravelMate is backed by toll-free phone service. See how Acer fared in our Tech Support Showdown

Verdict

With a speedy processor, discrete graphics and long battery life, the Acer TravelMate P645 ($1,299 as reviewed, $949 starting) is an excellent choice for corporate users. The notebook's thin design makes it easy to take to any office, and the host of ProShield security options will keep your files and information safe. While this laptop is durable, some users may miss the reassurance of MIL-SPEC certification available on competing business notebooks.

The TravelMate's processing performance is right on par (and sometimes better than) the Lenovo ThinkPad T440s ($1019 starting, $1,749 as reviewed), which has less RAM and storage than TravelMate but can be outfitted with a touch screen. Throw in the TravelMate P645's Radeon GPU, which blows the competition out of the water, and you've got a thin-and-light powerhouse.

See more: Dell Precision M4800 Review

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Acer Aspire Z3 Review

Pros: Full HD display with wide viewing angles; Good wireless keyboard and mouse; HDMI-in port lets you connect gaming console

Cons: Dimmer screen than competitors; Below-average performance; Somewhat heavy

The Verdict: The Acer Aspire Z3 is a family-friendly, portable all-in-one with a 21-inch, 1080p touch screen and booming speakers, but we'd prefer a faster CPU.

Looking for a desktop system that will bring your family together? Acer's 21-inch Aspire Z3 packs quad-core Intel performance, booming speakers and a full HD display to offer multimedia enjoyment with your loved ones. For $799, this Windows 8 all-in-one also comes with a battery so you're not restricted to the study. Will the Z3 satisfy your family's needs? Read on.

Acer Aspire Z3 Review

Design

 The Acer Aspire Z3 sports a black front with rounded corners and a somewhat chunky white backside. It's pleasant looking but not exciting. The glossy 21.5-inch screen is framed by an inch-thick bezel. At the center of the top sits the Z3's integrated HD webcam, while a physical Windows button lies below the screen in the middle of a speaker grille.

The rest of the Z3 is mostly covered in white plastic. You might have to hunt for the power button, which is a round, white depression on the top right corner that blends into the back of the device. The Z3's right side houses indicator lights, a button for display options and a volume rocker. Pressing the display options button lets you select an input channel -- from PC to HDMI -- and adjust the screen's brightness.

A portion of the Z3's rear protrudes rather sharply, making it feel more disjointed than the Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon 20, whose back portion flows more naturally from the front. An aluminum kickstand is attached to the smaller rectangle on a flexible hinge. The kickstand folds in completely so the device can be laid flat for use on a living room floor, and props the device up almost perpendicular to the surface for desktop use.

The protruding rear portion of the Z3 also houses its ports: the right edge features an SD card slot, two USB 2.0 ports, a headphone jack and a battery indicator light. The left side packs USB 3.0, Ethernet, power and HDMI-in, which lets you use the Z3's display as a TV or with a gaming console.

Despite the Z3 being touted as a somewhat portable device, you may need to muscle up to move the Z3 from room to room. At 21.02 x 14.57 x 1.89 inches, the Z3 is quite the beast. Other all-in-one systems are smaller, such as the Lenovo IdeaCentre Flex 20 (20.5 x 12.2 x 0.8 inches), theSony VAIO Tap 20 (19.9 x 12.0 x 1.8 inches) and the Dell XPS 18 (18.25 x 11.17 x 0.41 inches). To be fair, the Z3 has the largest screen of its competitors.

The 14.6-pound Z3 is also the heaviest of the lot by a significant margin, compared to the Flex 20 (8.2 pounds), the Tap 20 (11.2 pounds) and the XPS 18 (5.2 pounds).

Display

You'll enjoy games and movies on the Z3's glossy, 21.5-inch, 1920 x 1080 HD IPS 10-point touch screen. We watched a trailer for "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" and loved the bright red and blue of Spidey's costume. Details such as individual eyelashes on a close-up of Andrew Garfield's face were impressively sharp. Text and graphics on websites such as Laptopmag.com and NYTimes.com also appeared crisp. Viewing angles were ample; three staffers standing around the Z3 were able to watch a trailer without experiencing distortion.

The main drawback to the Z3's display is that it's not very bright. The panel measured 223 lux on our light meter, dimmer than the average desktop replacement (252 lux), the Tap 20 (254 lux), the Flex 20 (274 lux) and the XPS 18 (307 lux).

Audio

The 2.5W Harman Kardon speakers with Dolby Home Theater enhancement provided booming but somewhat tinny sound. We first played "Lola" by Mika and "Paradise People" by Sam Sparro. While the Z3 filled a large open newsroom with music, higher tones sounded muddled, and there was a lack of bass. A harmonious chorus in "Paradise People" sounded like a cacophony of voices, while the piano and percussion intro for "Lola" was canned and hollow.

The Z3 comes with Dolby Digital Plus Profile Editor to tweak the speakers depending on what you're listening to. Four preset options -- Movie, Music, Game and Voice -- are available, and you can also create two custom profiles. We noticed no big change in audio quality when switching among modes while playing songs such as "Born in the USA" by Bruce Springsteen and "Timber" by Pitbull featuring Kesha

In more nuanced music, though, such as the opening to "League of Legends," we could hear clearer layers of sound in Movie and Game modes than in Voice or Music.

On LAPTOP's audio test (playing a tone at max volume and measuring it from 23 inches), the Z3 registered 88 dB, softer than the average desktop replacement (90 dB) but on a par with the IdeaCentre Flex 20 (88 dB).

Keyboard and Mouse

The Z3 comes with both a wireless keyboard and mouse. Powered by two AAA batteries, the thin and light plastic keyboard has flip-out stands at the top two corners so you can angle it for more comfortable typing. The amply sized keys provided adequate travel and feedback, and did not flex even when we jabbed hard. On the Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor test, we scored an average of 75 words per minute with 0.66 percent error rate, compared to our usual desktop average of 77 wpm with no errors.

Unfortunately, the arrow keys were somewhat squished. We also wish the Function row keys at the top were reversed so we could toggle volume, brightness and playback settings with one touch instead of having to press the Fn button first.

The black optical mouse takes one AAA battery and has curved, recessed edges that proved comfortable for our thumb and ring finger. It connects wirelessly to the Z3 with a USB dongle. The two click-buttons are slightly indented to better accommodate your fingers, and the mouse also has a scroll wheel between the two buttons and an on/off switch at the bottom.

Webcam

The Z3's integrated HD webcam was sufficient for Web chats, but didn't impress. Images we snapped looked dull and pixelated. Our green eye shadow appeared brown, while our gray turtleneck looked fuzzy and lacked detail.

In addition to the standard Windows 8 camera app, Acer offers its Crystal Eye Webcam software that packs additional frames, filters and effects. We enjoyed using the fun frames to create goofy postcards to send to our friends.

Performance

Packing a quad-core 2.41-GHz Intel Pentium J2850 processor with 4GB of RAM, the Z3 is responsive on day-to-day tasks, but it's not meant for heavy lifting. We played a round of "League of Legends" with ease while apps such as Internet Explorer, Camera, Store and Video Player ran in the background.

However, the $799 Z3 didn't fare as well on synthetic tests. On PCMark 7, the Z3's score of 1,728 was far below the average desktop replacement (4,714), the 2.7-GHz Intel Core i5-powered XPS 18 (4,127 score) and the 1.7-GHz Intel Core i3-powered Flex 20 (2,330). To be fair, the Dell we tested costs $1,424, but the Lenovo is cheaper than the Acer, at $749.

With a 750GB and 5,400-rpm hard drive, the Z3 took 28 seconds to boot Windows 8. That's slower than the average desktop replacement (24 seconds), the Flex 20 (15 seconds) and the XPS 18 (19 seconds).

The Z3 duplicated a 4.97GB folder of multimedia files in 3 minutes and 29 seconds, which translates to a rate of 24 MBps. That's slower than the XPS 18 (33 MBps) and Flex 20 (31.4 MBps).

Taking 17 minutes and 11 seconds to match 20,000 names and addresses on the OpenOffice Spreadsheet Macro test, the Z3 significantly trailed its competitors. The average desktop replacement (5:13), the XPS 18 (5:58) and the Flex 20 (8:06) all completed the task in much shorter times.

Graphics

The Z3's Intel HD Graphics GPU will hold up for casual gaming, and delivered decent graphics on "Shark Dash." Those looking to play more graphics-intensive games will find this all-in-one just isn't up to par.

On 3DMark 11, the Z3's score of 251 is well below the XPS 18 (619) and the Flex 20 (715).

When we played "World of Warcraft" with settings on Autodetect at 1366 x 768 resolution, the Z3 delivered an unplayable 16 fps (11 fps at its native resolution of 1920 x 1080). By comparison, the Flex 20 and XPS 18 delivered better frame rates of 27 fps and 31 fps on Autodetect and 1366 x 768.

Battery Life

You can move your Z3 from room to room, thanks to its onboard, six-cell lithium-ion battery. Just don't expect a ton of time to play unplugged.

On the LAPTOP Battery Test, which involves continuous Web surfing over Wi-Fi with the display set to 40 percent brightness, the Z3 clocked 2 hours and 15 minutes. While that's in line with Acer's prediction of 2.5 hours, it's significantly less than the times of the Flex 20 (3:27) and XPS 18 (4:12).

Software and Apps

 Running a 64-bit version of Windows 8, the Aspire Z3 comes with a small suite of preloaded software including the usual Windows 8 apps such as Xbox, SkyDrive, News, People, Bing and Skype.

You also get some third-party apps, including Amazon's Kindle reader, Norton Online Backup, Nero BackItUp Essentials, McAfee Internet Security Suite (60-day trial) and WildTangent Games. If you're looking to do some light work, the Z3 also comes with a trial version of Microsoft Office.

Acer also includes its own Acer Power Button, Recovery Management, User's Manual, AcerCloud, clearFi Media, clearFi Photo, Docs, Hotkey Utility, Identity Card and Live Updater.

Warranty and Configuration

Our unit of the Acer Aspire AZ3-600-UR31 costs $799 and has a 750GB hard drive. For $779, you can get the 500GB configuration (AZ3-600-UB30), which costs $699 on Best Buy.

Acer offers a 1-year limited warranty for parts and labor with each Z3. See how Acer fared in ourTech Support Showdown and Best & Worst Brands report.

Verdict

 With a full HD display, loud speakers and a comfortable keyboard and mouse, the $799 Aspire Z3 is a solid multimedia system for families who don't want to spend too much for a touch-based all-in-one. And while you don't get very long battery life with the Z3, it's nice that you can use it unplugged. However, we wish Acer included a beefier CPU for the price and that the screen were brighter.

For the same price, the Lenovo IdeaCentre Flex 20 provides better performance with a longer-lasting battery and an engaging Aura interface. Its 1600 x 900 display isn't as sharp as the Z3's, but the Flex's system packs nifty voice command features. Bottom line: If you're looking for a family friendly all-in-one, the Z3 is a worthwhile choice, but we'd shop around for a lower price.

 See More: Acer Aspire R7 Review

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Acer Aspire R7 Review

Pros: Sharp and colorful display; Innovative and unique design; Quality audio; Improved battery life; Pen input

Cons: Awkward touchpad placement; Feels heavy in tablet mode

The Verdict: The Acer Aspire R7's stylus input and Haswell processor add value to this unique flip-screen hybrid, but putting the touchpad above the keyboard still feels awkward.

While some laptop makers are creating detachable and convertible hybrids, Acer is catering to the touch experience in a different way. The $899 Aspire R7's Ezel hinge allows its 15.6-inch touch screen to essentially "float" above the keyboard, flip backwards or fold nearly flat against the deck. With a Haswell refresh, a new stylus-compatible display and a more aggressive price point, is the Aspire R7's bold design justified?

Acer Aspire R7 Review

Design

At first glance, the Acer Aspire R7 looks like a large notebook with its lid closed, but it's anything but ordinary. Acer's custom Ezel Hinge, which lets the display pivot at its middle, allows users to adjust the display at various angles when the notebook is open. Acer claims that this form factor is catered to the touch screen experience, and now that the device supports pen input, its moveable display becomes all the more valuable.

But you'll notice another odd physical characteristic when you open the Aspire R7. To accommodate the R7's adjustable display, Acer placed the touchpad above the keyboard rather than below it. So, if you want to move the display closer to your face, you won't have to sacrifice any keyboard space. It's a bold move, but that doesn't stop this hybrid's layout from feeling jarring.

In addition to the standard notebook mode, the Aspire R7 functions in three other primary forms: Ezel, Display and Pad Modes. Ezel Mode takes advantage of the adjustable display, giving the illusion that it's floating above the body. In Display Mode, the screen is flipped around completely, intended for use in watching media or giving presentations.

As its name implies, Pad Mode allows the display to lie almost completely flat against the keyboard. However, we didn't use this mode too often because the R7 feels clunky and heavy as a slate. We found ourselves using the device in Ezel Mode most often while browsing the Web, but switched to classic notebook mode when typing long emails or performing other productivity-related tasks.

The 14.8 x 10 x 1.12-inch, 5.4-pound Acer Aspire R7 is portable enough to stuff in a backpack, but it's designed primarily for home use. The Dell XPS 15 (14.6 x 10 x 0.7 inches, 4.6 pounds) is thinner and lighter, but the HP Envy TouchSmart 15 (14.94 x 9.87 x 1.18 inches, 5.6 pounds) is slightly thicker and heavier.

Keyboard and Touchpad

With the Aspire R7's inverted keyboard and touchpad layout, Acer is betting that the hybrid's users won't need the touchpad very much. When in Ezel Mode, the device's 15.6-inch touch screen display usually keeps the trackpad hidden. We're not sure if it's the flexible hinge or atypical keyboard and touchpad placement, but the keyboard seems dwarfed behind the R7's display in Ezel Mode.

The keyboard boasts smooth keys, relatively deep travel and a sturdy build, but we found ourselves missing the palm rest you'd find on a standard notebook. Unsurprisingly, it also felt unnatural to use the 4.2 x 3-inch touchpad above the keyboard when in notebook mode, which is definitely a learning curve.

Active Stylus Input

In the refreshed Acer Aspire R7's most noticeable change, it supports the $49 N-Trig DuoSense Active Stylus, which is sold separately through Acer's website. The stylus, made of aluminum, features a pen input tip and two customizable buttons for carrying out actions in Windows 8.1 and in various supported apps.

For example, you can program the stylus buttons to execute certain commands in Adobe Photoshop. The bottom button, closest to the tip, automatically serves as a left-click button, but the button above that one doesn't come with any assignments out of the box.

The R7 doesn't come preloaded with too many apps optimized for Active Stylus, but we enjoyed playing with the ArtRage sketching app. The pressure-sensitive stylus made our strokes darker or lighter depending on how hard we pressed the tip on the screen. N-Trig says its stylus boasts 256 levels of sensitivity.

The screen supports palm rejection while sketching, but the placement of the lower button did interfere with our drawing on a few occasions. When holding the Active Stylus in our right hand, we kept accidentally hitting the bottom button on the pen, which made the stylus' cursor disappear from the screen.

We also encountered some issues when trying to handwrite in certain apps. The digitizer failed to detect the correct letters in multiple instances and showed a significant amount of lag as we hand-wrote URLs in Internet Explorer. We encountered the same problem when using Windows 8.1's built-in handwriting tool in Evernote.

Display

The Acer Aspire R7's beautiful, 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080 IPS display boasts bright and vibrant visuals. When watching a trailer for "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," we were captivated by the bright orange explosions in battle scenes and the electric-blue beams Spider Man faced in his encounters with Electro. Not only were colors vivid, but we also enjoyed such details as the wrinkles in Aunt May's worried face during close-up scenes.

The Aspire R7's display didn't catch much glare when we moved it at a right angle to our face, and we could still see the movie clips clearly after sliding our review unit over about one foot to the right. The display also remained bright and never appeared dim when we adjusted these viewing angles.

The refreshed Acer Aspire R7's display registered a slight brighter 306 lux on our light meter (vs. 300 lux for the previous version), surpassing the 215-lux mainstream notebook category average by a fair margin.

Audio

 Acer touts the Aspire R7 as an optimal multimedia notebook, and the speakers back that up. When playing "Can't Hold Us" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, the notebook's bottom-mounted speakers pumped out boisterous sound with plenty of bass. The notebook hit 84 decibels in our testing; that's below the 87-decibel mainstream category average, but we have no complaints about the volume.

Heat

After streaming video on Hulu for 15 minutes, the R7 stayed cool to the touch. The touchpad (83 degrees F), underside (85 degrees F) and area between the G and H keys (79 degrees F) all registered below the 95-degree mark we consider uncomfortable.

Ports and Webcam

The Acer Aspire R7 comes with a slew of ports. Along the right, you'll find a headphone jack, two USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port and an Acer converter port. You can use this last port to attach Acer's 3-in-1 dock, which includes an extra USB port, an Ethernet port and VGA connectivity. One of the R7's USB 3.0 ports has power-off USB-charging capabilities.

The left side of the machine houses a Kensington lock slot, power adapter, the power button, volume keys, a USB 2.0 port and an SD Card reader.

The R7's 720p webcam wasn't very impressive. After snapping some selfies, we noticed that our skin color and the white wall behind us had a yellowish tone. The image also looked grainy and wasn't very bright.

Performance

Despite its upgraded processor, the Haswell-powered Acer Aspire R7 achieved subpar performance compared to its Ivy Bridge-based predecessor in various benchmarks. Running a 1.6-GHz fourth generation Intel Core i5-4200U processor with 8GB of RAM, the newer R7's score on PCMark 7 (2,853) was lower than the score of the 1.8-GHz Intel Core i5-3337U-powered previous version (3,692) and the mainstream notebook category average (3,497). The HP Envy TouchSmart 15, which runs on a 2.4-GHz Intel Core i7-4700MQ processor with 8GB of RAM, also scored much higher (5,363).

The device's 1TB 5,400 RPM SATA hard drive transferred 5GB of mixed media files at 31 MBps, which is the same rate as the 500GB and 5,400 RPM hard drive with 20GB SSD cache found in the previous version. The HP Envy TouchSmart 15's 5,400 RPM, 1TB SSD transferred the same files at a slightly speedier 28 MBps.

The newer Aspire R7 took 17 seconds to boot Windows 8.1, which is slower than the 14 seconds the previous-generation R7 took to load Windows 8. This is still quicker than the 19 seconds it took the TouchSmart 15 to load Windows 8 and the 27-second mainstream notebook category average.

It took the Haswell-powered Aspire R7 5 minutes and 17 seconds to complete the OpenOffice Spreadsheet test, which involves matching 20,000 names to their corresponding addresses. This is slightly faster than the previous R7 (5:57) and the mainstream category average (5:32). The HP Envy TouchSmart 15 completed this task in a speedy 4 minutes.

Despite these below-average benchmark scores, the Aspire R7 performed smoothly during everyday use. We didn't notice any lag when streaming an episode of "Bob's Burgers" on Hulu Plus with eight other apps open in the background.

Graphics

The Acer Aspire R7's integrated Intel HD 4400 graphics performed favorably in graphics-focused benchmarks when compared to its predecessor, but didn't breach the mainstream category average. The new R7 scored 951 in 3DMark11, which is higher than the older model's score of 642 but lower than the 1,430 mainstream notebook category average and the TouchSmart 15's score of 2,021.

Acer's new configuration far outperformed the former model in games. When playing "World of Warcraft" on auto settings with the resolution at 1377 x 768, we saw frame rates of 52 frames per second compared to the first gen's showing of 32 fps. This is still lower, however, than the 71 fps mainstream category average and the Envy TouchSmart 15's results of 110 fps.

When playing at the notebook's native 1080p resolution, however, the frame rate decreased to 31 fps, just like the previous version. Both rates are playable but lower than the 72 fps mainstream category average and the TouchSmart 15's score of 70 fps.

With the settings bumped up to Ultra, the second-gen R7's frame rate dropped to an unplayable 21 fps on 1377 x 768 and an even more miserable 16 fps at the machine's native resolution.

Battery Life

The Haswell-powered Acer Aspire R7 lasted for 6 hours and 20 minutes during the LAPTOP Battery Test, which is almost a full hour beyond the 5:32 mainstream notebook category average. Our previous review unit, which had a 1.5-GHz Ivy Bridge Intel Core i5-337U processor, burnt out in 5:08.

Software and Warranty

The Acer Aspire R7 comes with a host of Acer apps, including its own Docs, Media and Photo software, power- and recovery-management tools, and an Acer Aspire R7 tutorial. Acer also preloaded its MemoryBinder app, which lets users arrange photos, add personal messages and overlay paintbrush effects on images.

Acer Scrapboard creates a virtual scrapbook out of all the screenshots on your PC, and the ArtRage app acts as a personal sketchbook, complete with pencil and paintbrush options, stencils and more. Netflix, eBay, Kindle, ChaCha, Zinio, StumbleUpon and Hulu Plus are among the third-party apps you'll find on the Aspire R7.

The R7 comes with a 1-year warranty that includes parts and labor. See how Acer fared in ourBest & Worst Brands Report and Tech Support Showdown.

Verdict

 The $899 Acer Aspire R7 certainly looks unconventional, but this hybrid has its benefits. Its 15.6-inch, 1080p display offers bright and crisp visuals; the new Haswell processor gives the system about an extra hour of battery life, and the new active pen adds versatility for creative types. Plus, the bottom-mounted speakers pump out clear and full-bodied tunes. However, while we appreciate the Ezel hinge's flexibility, the trade-off is an awkwardly placed touchpad. If you're willing to live with that design flaw, the R7 is worth a look, but we'd like to see Acer better balance innovation and ergonomic comfort going forward.

See More: Dell Precision M3800 Review

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Acer Chromebook C720P Review

Chromebooks are getting even closer to replacing standard laptops. The $300 Acer Chromebook C720P features a 10-point multitouch display, which can come in handy for scrolling Web pages, playing casual games and editing photos. Equipped with a 1.4-GHz Intel Celeron processor (based on the newest Haswell architecture) and a 32GB solid state drive, this version of Acer's Chromebook costs $100 more than the nontouch version. Find out if the delta is worth it.

Acer Chromebook C720P Review

The Chromebook C720P doesn't look or feel like the budget Acer notebooks we've previously reviewed. The company has refreshed the C7 Chromebook series' design language with a moonstone-white color and durable polycarbonate build, which is a welcome change from the tired brushed aluminum we've seen on the C720 and C710 Acer Chromebooks. If white isn't your style, Acer also offers this model in gray.

The C720P's white color reminds us of the $279 HP Chromebook 11, but it has a smooth matte finish, unlike HP's glossy plastic coating. HP's machine has a more premium look and feel, but Acer's isn't as susceptible to picking up dust. Acer outfitted the 11.6-inch display with a glossy black border, which serves as a nice contrast to the mostly white body. The keys below the display are also black.

Measuring 11.34 x 8.03 x 0.78 inches and weighing 2.98 pounds, the Acer C720P Chromebook is heavier, larger and thicker than the 2.2-pound, 11.7 x 7.6 x 0.7-inch HP Chromebook 11. It's also a bit bulkier than the 2.6-pound 0.75-inch thin non-touch-screen Acer C720 Chromebook ($199), which sports nearly the same dimensions. Nevertheless, the C720P is compact and easy to carry.

Ports

The Acer C720P offers an SD Card slot, a Kensington lock slot, a USB 2.0 port, a USB 3.0 port, a headphone jack and an HDMI port. The nontouch Acer C720 comes with the same selection of ports, but HP's offering features only a microUSB port for charging, one USB port and a headphone jack.

Display

The Acer C720P Chromebook's 11.6-inch 1366 x 768-pixel display may be touch-friendly, but the image quality could be better. Colors were noticeably washed-out when we watched a trailer for "Captain America: Winter Soldier." In fact, colors on the C720P's display looked almost entirely different than those on the HP Chromebook 11, which sports the same size and resolution. This was especially noticeable in red shades, seeing as the Marvel logo and Scarlett Johansson's hair lacked the fiery color seen on the Chromebook 11's screen.

Viewing angles are poor as well. When we turned the C720P to the left or right slightly, the screen was barely visible and appeared much dimmer. The HP Chromebook 11 wasn't any better.

The Acer C720P's display registered 161 lux on our light meter, which is way lower than the 256-lux ultraportable category average. The HP Chromebook 11 far outshines the C70P, with a reading of 267 lux, but the C720P's display is still brighter than the nontouch C720 Acer Chromebook (123 lux).

Audio

For a notebook of its size, the Acer C720P is capable of pumping out boisterous tunes. The touch-screen Chromebook reached 91 decibels on the Laptop Audio Test, which blows away the ultraportable category average (84 dB) and edges out the Chromebook 11 (89 dB). Overall, music sounded clear blasting through the C720P's bottom-mounted speakers. When listening to "Someday" by The Strokes, we could easily hear the bass line and appreciated the acute hi-hat in the background.

When compared alongside the Chromebook 11, however, the C720P's music sounded shallow and compressed, whereas the Chromebook 11 blared tunes that were equalized more accurately. This was especially noticeable when we listened to Lady Gaga's ballad "Dope," since her drawling vocals sounded much more vibrant coming from the Chromebook 11 than from the C720P.

Touch-Screen Experience

 Chromebooks are tailored for content consumption and light productivity, and Acer hopes to make these tasks even more intuitive with a touch screen. Overall, the C720P's 11.6-inch, 1366 x 768-pixel touch display was responsive in everyday use, but it felt a bit strange to use touch to navigate an OS with such small icons. When you're accustomed to the sprawling tiled interface of Windows 8 on a touch-screen laptop, a Chromebook's tiny app menu feels cramped.

We enjoyed using the touch screen to play casual games such as "Angry Birds" and scrolling through websites, especially when using Chrome in full-screen view. However, some Chrome apps, such as "Bejeweled," aren't compatible with touch-screen displays, which means you'll have to use the keyboard and mouse.

The good news is that apps that do support touch work surprisingly well. The New York Times app displays news stories in a horizontal format, similar to the way Bing News looks in Windows 8. We swiped to the right to continue reading a multipage story and swiped to the left to return to the New York Times homepage. Swiping up from the bottom of the display triggers a small sidebar with the next three stories.

Pinching to zoom on the C720P's touch screen made it much easier to view precise locations in Google Maps. We also enjoyed swiping between photos when using the included 500px app.

Overall, Chrome OS has a lot of potential to grow into touch-screen displays, but we'd like to see more apps that support touch.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The Acer C720P is a budget notebook at heart, and that is most evident in its keyboard. The keys on the island-style layout felt a little cheap and shallow, although we were pleased to see that the deck remained firm when we pressed down on the G and H keys. During the Typing Test KeyHero challenge, we typed 52 words per minute with an accuracy rate of 98 percent. This is about 10 WPM below our personal desktop average.

Like all Chromebooks, the C720P features a row of dedicated controls that blend in directly with the keyboard's letter keys. These controls include forward and back navigational buttons, a refresh button, display brightness, and sound controls.

The Acer C720P's 3.5 x 2-inch touchpad is the perfect size for its keyboard deck. The touchpad provided smooth, responsive scrolling and navigation, and we also appreciated the integrated click buttons' tangible feedback. The touchpad supports two-finger scrolling and pinch-to-zoom, in case you don't feel like reaching for the touch screen.

Heat

The Acer C720P stays relatively cool in most spots, but the bottom came close to uncomfortably hot during extended use. After streaming video on Hulu for 15 minutes, the touchpad reached only 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which is far below the 95-degree threshold we consider uncomfortable. The area between the G and H keys reached 85 degrees, but the underside registered a toasty 94 degrees.

Webcam

Don't count on snapping too many selfies with this Chromebook. The C720P's 1280 x 720p webcam took dark, noisy photos during our testing. Not only did images look pixelated, but our face looked shadowy and dim. At least the camera app comes with plenty of filters that can make pictures look a little better.

Chrome OS

Chrome OS is an operating system designed to rely heavily on Google's Chrome browser, meaning you'll need an Internet connection to get the full experience. The interface is very bare-bones: Upon logging in with your Google account, you'll be greeted with a plain desktop. In the bottom-left corner, you'll find the app-launcher icon and a shortcut to the Chrome browser, while the time stamp, battery and Wi-Fi indicators live in the lower-right corner.

Clicking the app-launcher icon triggers a small box that houses all of your Chrome apps. Pressing the box with the time stamp in the other corner of the display launches the Settings window for Chrome OS.

Chrome OS is an ideal choice for those who use their notebook primarily for Internet-related activities, such as checking email, working in Google Drive and browsing websites. And since apps live in the cloud and are heavily sandboxed, Chromebooks are extremely secure.

Apps

Chrome OS currently boasts 33,614 apps, according to ChromeOSApps.org, a website that keeps track of apps for the platform. This is far fewer than the more than 100,000 apps available for Windows 8.1.

The Chrome app store includes such household names as "Bejeweled," The New York Times and "Angry Birds," which we used during our testing. The Chrome Web Store offers apps in various categories, including Business Tools, Education, Lifestyle, News & Weather, Games and Utilities.

Some apps that you'll find in the Chrome Web Store, however, aren't compatible with the OS. When we searched for "Plants vs. Zombies" and "Need for Speed," we were greeted with an error message that said "installation not enabled," meaning they're not Web apps that work with Chrome OS.

Many Chromebook apps live in the Chrome Web browser, but others are capable of running on the desktop in their own separate window. These packaged apps, which were introduced toward the end of 2013, make Chrome OS feel more like a traditional operating system. These apps include "Tank Riders," photo-viewing app 500px and the to-do list app Any.do.

Offline and Desktop Experience

Chromebooks work best when you're connected, but Google has made an effort to expand the platform's offline functionality. The "For Your Desktop" section of the app store contains 34 apps that are capable of running in a separate window outside the browser.

You can access these apps easily without an Internet connection, but in some cases, the experience may be limited. Some apps, such as "Angry Birds," worked seamlessly while offline, but 500px only offers the photo-stream Flow feature in offline mode.

It's also important to note that you'll have to either log in or allow access to certain apps before they'll work offline. For example, Google Drive and Gmail won't work offline unless you grant them permission beforehand.

Performance

The Acer C720P's 1.4-GHz Intel Celeron 2955 processor with 2GB of RAM and its 32GB SSD were more than enough for casual tasks. We launched six apps in the Google Chrome browser, played "Angry Birds" and launched four packaged apps without experiencing any lag.

It took the Acer C720P only 8 seconds to boot Chrome OS, which is faster than the Chromebook 11, which took 11 seconds. The Chromebook 11 uses a 1.7-GHz Samsung Exynos 5250 with 2GB of RAM and features a 16GB hard drive. The nontouch Acer C720, which runs a 1.4-GHz Intel Celeron 2955U with 4GB of RAM and a 16GB SSD, also booted Chrome OS in 8 seconds.

The Acer C720P transferred 5GB of mixed media files in 3 minutes and 43 seconds, equaling a rate of 22.8 MBps, while the HP Chromebook 11 couldn't even complete the same task. After 15 minutes and 12 seconds, it gave up with 168 items remaining.

Acer's touch-screen Chromebook performed favorably in Peacekeeper, a synthetic browser benchmarking test. The C720P scored 2,749, which outshines the ultraportable category average (1,993) and the HP Chromebook 11 (1,134), although Acer's nontouch C720 scored a bit higher (2,955).

The C720P also completed the Sunspider Javascript test in just 343.3 milliseconds, which is much quicker than the HP Chromebook 11 (679 ms) and the ultraportable category average (512 ms).

Battery Life

The Acer C720P Chromebook lasted 6 hours and 18 minutes while continuously streaming video on Hulu with the display brightness set to 40 percent. This is much longer than the HP Chromebook 11's battery life during the Peacekeeper Web-based battery test with its display brightness set to 40 percent (3:54). We will update this review once we've had a chance to run additional battery tests.

Verdict

The $299 Acer C720P Chromebook is one of the least-expensive touch-enabled notebooks available, offering an attractive design, plenty of ports and long battery life. Those who primarily use their computer for surfing the Web and light productivity will have no issues replacing their everyday laptop with this budget-friendly machine. However, although $299 is a good price for a touch-screen laptop, Google's Chrome OS and app selection aren't as touch-friendly as what you get on Windows 8.1. We were also disappointed with the C720P's limited viewing angles.

Among Chromebooks, the Acer C720 without touch is still the best deal, at $199. You get the same Haswell-based Pentium CPU and long endurance, just without touch. The $279 HP Chromebook 11 (also nontouch) is more stylish than the Acer and has a more vibrant screen, but that ARM-based system isn't as fast or long-lasting as the C720P. Those looking for a larger canvas should check out the $299 Toshiba Chromebook, which has a bigger 13-inch display, but overall, the Acer C720P is a good value.

See more: Dell XPS 13 (2014) Review

 

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