Acer Intos The 'Gemstone Blue' Notebooks

Acer drummed up their best cloak and dagger today, and when it was all said and done, dropped two new bad ass laptops. The Aspire "Gemstone Blue" notebook comes with a Blu-ray drive, CineReal sound, true high-def screen, and comes in two sizes. The 8920G is the monster notebook weighing over 9 pounds, claims of 3 hours playback , and sporting a 1920x1080 18.4" screen. The smaller 6920G has a 16", 2.5 hours of playback, and the same resolution as it's big brother, and both support full Blu-ray playback.

Both feature Intel Centrino Core 2 Duo processors and up to 4GB of DDR2 667MHz memory, depending on your pocket. Finger printer reader, draft-N wireless, Bluetooth, webcam, and CineDash media controller is all standard.

Both will be available in a month, with a starting price of $900 and topping off just under $2000.

Acer Gemstone Blue [Acer.com via Crunchgear]

Birth of a Deathstar?

That's not a PC manufacturer, that's a Deathstar. The word is getting around that Acer has purchased Gateway. The Taiwanese manufacturer now can count US-based Gateway in its solid bid to be the third largest PC manufacturer. The good news is that there are no plans to retire the black and white cow motiff that has been a Gateway signature since.... well, day one. In fact, Acer plans to grow the Gateway brand, and is also thinking of buying HP.

I've been using an Acer 4212 laptop for the past couple of years. It's a nearly-permanent fixture on the dining room table, and despite having it on and open with cat fuzz, coffee spills, and breakfast crumbs, it still ticks like a clock. I've logged zero issues that were not user-centric.

I remember a few years ago that Gateway was going to try the retail space and open brick-and-mortar stores. I've never heard a peep out of that effort since then, so I sort of assume that idea flopped. If they needed a new direction, I hope Acer can supply it.

Cow Bell Deal: 22-Inch Acer For $200 (Today Only)

All right guys I'm not even sure I can pass this one up.

Today only, Staples.com has a 22-inch Widescreen Acer monitor for $199. And you don't even have to deal with a rebate..... I hate rebates!!!!

It has 1680×1050 resolution, 700:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m2 brightness, a 5ms response time, a 3-year warranty, and DVI/VGA connections.

Not bad for $200 dolla.

Acer AL2216Wsd 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor [Staples.com via Crunchgear]

Lanci: Windows Vista Is A Disappointment

Acer Boss man Gianfranco Lanci has gone on record, dissing Windows Vista stating that he's 'disappointed' with the application. Lanci, is the first major PC maker to go on record stating that Vista isn't that good.

Lanci said that the OS had many problems, and that it gave businesses and users no reason to buy a new computer. He also stated that many people are still asking for Windows XP to be loaded on their new machine. Check the quote:

"The whole industry is disappointed with Windows Vista, despite the long wait between Windows XP and Vista, the latest operating system still lacks maturity, he said. "Stability is certainly a problem."

Hopefully, the SP1 will turn it around for Vista.
Hit the jump to read the article. [PC World via Crunchgear]