Building on the success of its award-winning and best-selling Acer C7 Series Chromebook, Acer has announced the expansion of its Chrome OS devices with the new Chromebox CXI and Chromebook 11.
Acer’s Chrome devices are ideal for education, businesses, organisations, budget-conscious users, and those who are either invested in or want to leverage the affordability and security of the Google Chrome ecosystem.
With the Chromebox CXI, Acer is offering users the speed and security of Chrome in an alternative space-saving form factor.
Like the C7 Chromebook series, the Acer Chromebox CXI is fast; it boots up in about eight seconds and resumes nearly instantly from sleep mode thanks to the 16Gb Solid State Drive.
For those who don’t require a mobile platform, the CXI is housed in a compact 0,6 litre (165,45 x 130,21 x 33,20 mm) chassis that stands upright. The Acer Chromebox CXI maximises space, a key consideration for libraries, cube and classroom environments as well as businesses with task-based user terminals.
“The Acer Chromebox CXI is an excellent fit for schools or businesses where conserving costs and space are high priorities,” says Simon Hwang, president of Acer Stationary Computing and Display Business Group, “Due to the ease of management, the Chromebox can significantly reduce the technical support and consequently lower the total cost of ownership.”
The new Chromebox CXI is powered by a Celeron 2957U processor based on the Intel Haswell micro-architecture.
Customers can power through web pages and documents, and enjoy fluid HD video and applications with the support of up to 4Gb of DDR3 1600Mhs memory and Intel HD graphics.
Plus, the Acer Chromebox CXI provides excellent wireless connectivity via 802,11a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and Gigabit Ethernet. Four USB 3.0 ports include two with power off charging for smartphones and tablets. They can also access other media and files through the SD card reader that supports up to a 32Gb SD card.
The Chromebox CXI pushes video and content to external displays and HDTVs via HDMI and DisplayPort. In addition, a combo audio jack is provided for connecting a microphone and headset, while a LAN port enables a wired network connection. The systems come bundled with a VESA mount kit and a Google approved USB keyboard and mouse, powered by an AC adapter.
The new Acer Chromebox CXI is Citrix certified to deliver virtualised remote desktops and applications through a single platform and can effectively be a thin client.
The Acer Chromebook 11 enhances life on-the-go with an even faster wireless connectivity and long-lasting battery life that extends productivity from day to night on a single charge. There are two models: the CB3-111 consumer model in an immaculate Moonstone White colour, and the C730 commercial/education model in Granite Gray.
The Acer Chromebook 11 meets the needs of students, families, anyone on a budget, as an affordable secondary device, and for the growing number of customers who enjoy the Google ecosystem for school, work and entertainment.
Up to 3x faster connection is achieved via the latest 802,11ac wireless communication, which vastly improves coverage in distance and range. The Chromebook 11 features Bluetooth 4.0 technology and one USB 3.0 port that lets users share and send data faster. Up to 8,5 hours of battery life means users can fit in plenty of work and entertainment throughout the day.
The Intel Celeron N2830 processor, based on the Intel Bay Trail M architecture, and eMMC 16/32 Gb solid-state drive helps this system boot fast and perform well without slowing over time. The Chromebook 11 comes with an 11,6-inch HD 1366 x 768 display, 16:9 wide aspect ratio, and Acer ComfyView LED backlit TFT LCD. Input/output ports include USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports for quick and easy data sharing and external storage, SD Card reader, combo headphone/speaker jack, and HDMI port.
The Chromebook 11 (CB3-111) for consumers is slimmer than its predecessor measuring 299 x 202 x 18,65 mm with a reduced height, and weighs 1,1kg (2,43 lbs.) so it can be taken anywhere for exploring online, staying in touch, running Chrome apps and more.
The Chromebook 11 (C730) for the commercial/education with improved structural design can withstand a 60% higher drop test than the consumer model, and features a water spill proof keyboard/touchpad with drainage channel designed to tackle the higher possibilities of spills and drops in businesses and schools. This model measures 302,6 x 206,6 x 21,75 mm and weighs 1,4 kg (3.09 lbs.)
The New Acer Chromebox CXI and Chromebook 11 pack all the speed, security and auto-synchronisation convenience of Chrome OS.
Powerwash enables IT to quickly and easily clear all local user data stored in the Chrome device by resetting it to its original factory state. Using this feature, all data stored on the device such as files, photos, owner permissions, and saved networks, will be deleted for all accounts. After clearing this data, the IT professional is guided through the initial setup again. Resetting the device doesn’t affect the accounts themselves, or any data synced to these accounts.
IT professionals will find that it’s simple to control a fleet of Chrome devices via the web-based Google Management Console, which makes it possible to deploy an app from 1 to thousands of Chrome-based devices with a single click of a button. The OS and all downloaded applications are automatically updated every six weeks, saving IT staff’s time and assuring users the freshest software and security features.
Acer’s Chrome devices come with pre-installed web apps and over 30,000 additional apps, themes and extensions on the Chrome Web Store. Since all applications run within the browser, there is little to no computer management required.
Acer’s Chrome devices are easy to use. After the user signs into Chrome with a Google account, they’re immediately immersed in the Google ecosystem and signed into Google services. Their bookmarks, history and settings are synced across all of their devices and computers running Chrome. Once logged in, they can surf the Internet with the Chrome browser, read and send emails from Gmail, search the web with Google Search, create documents, spreadsheets, presentations and more with Google Drive, as well as watch videos from YouTube, etc.
Chrome devices are simple to use and ideal for sharing by multiple users, such as families, schools or at different shifts at a business. Users can log into their own account to access Gmail, Docs, website bookmarks and other information. Storage on Google Drive 4 protects files, documents, and photos safely in the cloud, and ensures that the most current version of the file or document is always available and safe, even if the Chrome device is lost or stolen. Plus, users of Acer Chrome devices can view, edit, create and collaborate on-line and off-line with a growing number of programs, such as Office documents and Gmail.
Multiple layers of security features including data encryption and verified boot defend the device against online threats, malware and viruses. Every time the Chrome OS boots, it checks the integrity and validity of system files. If it detects any anomaly or unauthorised change, the system will restore from a prior backup. User and system files are stored on separate partitions that keep data secure and make restoration from a backup simple. Individual user’s data is encrypted automatically and protected by the TPM 1,2 chip, which generates and stores secure cryptographic keys, enabling IT professionals to read data from a stolen Chrome device.
Via individual accounts, data is kept safe when the device is used by multiple users. Storage on Google Drive safeguards files, documents, and photos in the cloud, and ensures that the most current version is always available. IT staff will also appreciate that the Acer Chromebox CXI has a Kensington lock to secure them to a desk or mobile cart.