Google gets another tablet to run its Chrome OS. In fact, The Acer AC700 is the second laptop designed to run Google’s Chrome OS.
The slate packs 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N570 dual core processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB solid state disks just like in Samsung models. The difference is in their screen size with Acer having 11.6 inch display instead of Samsung’s 12.1 inch screen.
The Acer AC700 also has a full-sized keyboard with special Chrome OS shortcuts in place of Fn keys and also has a large clickpad below the keyboard. The current model only has WiFi, but the company is expected to introduce a 3G capable version with 100MB of free data per month from Verizon Wireless for the first two years from the date of purchase.
If you need more 3G bandwidth than that you’ll need to sign up for a Verizon contract. The 3G version is expected to cost around $429.
The Chrome OS is designed around a web browser so doesn’t take much time to boot (10 seconds tops) and almost no time at all to resume from sleep. When you have logged in, you will find an updated web browser with new features like a file browser which opens in a browser tab and the ability to launch pop-up panels for instant messaging, audio, or video.
If at all you encounter any problems with the Chromebook, you can perform a factory reset with the tools which Google has updated in its system recovery page. The steps for recovering the original laptop software are similar to the instructions for the Samsung Series 5. All you need to do is prepare a 4GB or larger USB flash drive, set your Chromebook to developer mode, and boot from the flash drive.
You can get the Acer AC700 from Amazon.com for $349.
