TechCentralTechCentral
    Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentral TechCentral
    NEWSLETTER
    • News

      E.tv: ‘We know we must vacate broadband spectrum bands’

      29 June 2022

      E-commerce is killing shopping malls – but, curiously, not in South Africa

      29 June 2022

      Eskom warns recovery from strike chaos could take weeks

      29 June 2022

      Eskom offers workers 7% increase: sources

      29 June 2022

      Eskom employees returning to work

      29 June 2022
    • World

      Napster plots crypto comeback

      29 June 2022

      Pictures: Chinese spacecraft acquires images of entire planet of Mars

      29 June 2022

      Arm aims for leg-up in smartphone games with new chip tech

      29 June 2022

      Warnings of a final bitcoin ‘washout’

      29 June 2022

      Sony launches into PC gaming hardware

      29 June 2022
    • In-depth

      The great crypto crash: the fallout, and what happens next

      22 June 2022

      Goodbye, Internet Explorer – you really won’t be missed

      19 June 2022

      Oracle’s database dominance threatened by rise of cloud-first rivals

      13 June 2022

      Everything Apple announced at WWDC – in less than 500 words

      7 June 2022

      Sheryl Sandberg’s ad empire leaves a complicated legacy

      2 June 2022
    • Podcasts

      How your organisation can triage its information security risk

      22 June 2022

      Everything PC S01E06 – ‘Apple Silicon’

      15 June 2022

      The youth might just save us

      15 June 2022

      Everything PC S01E05 – ‘Nvidia: The Green Goblin’

      8 June 2022

      Everything PC S01E04 – ‘The story of Intel – part 2’

      1 June 2022
    • Opinion

      Has South Africa’s advertising industry lost its way?

      21 June 2022

      Rob Lith: What Icasa’s spectrum auction means for SA companies

      13 June 2022

      A proposed solution to crypto’s stablecoin problem

      19 May 2022

      From spectrum to roads, why fixing SA’s problems is an uphill battle

      19 April 2022

      How AI is being deployed in the fight against cybercriminals

      8 April 2022
    • Company Hubs
      • 1-grid
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Amplitude
      • Atvance Intellect
      • Axiz
      • BOATech
      • CallMiner
      • Digital Generation
      • E4
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • IBM
      • Kyocera Document Solutions
      • Microsoft
      • Nutanix
      • One Trust
      • Pinnacle
      • Skybox Security
      • SkyWire
      • Tarsus on Demand
      • Videri Digital
      • Zendesk
    • Sections
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud computing
      • Consumer electronics
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Energy
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Motoring and transport
      • Public sector
      • Science
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home»News»Acer’s new look and new gadgets

    Acer’s new look and new gadgets

    News By Editor20 July 2011
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email
    Acer Iconia W500 includes a keyboard dock and runs Windows 7

    Taiwanese computer manufacturer Acer on Wednesday unveiled a selection of new products, devices aimed at the education sector and a slightly changed brand image. The company’s logo is now light green instead of dark green.

    It’s releasing a wide range of colourful netbook and notebook computers, which it says is in keeping with consumer demands to have devices that are both “functional and fashionable”.

    It will be hoping the new products can revive its fortunes: the company has lost considerable market share in PCs in the past year, plummeting from second to fourth place in global PC sales in the second quarter of 2011, according to data from analyst firm Gartner.

    It has also expanding its smartphone offerings and will be releasing a wide variety of touch-screen handsets in coming months to bolster its existing range.

    Having recently released its first tablet, the 10-inch Android-driven Iconia A500, the company is now planning a 7-inch model in a variety of colours. “Our research has shown that the biggest buyers of tablets are women, and that they want a variety of options when it comes to a device’s appearance,” says Acer SA product manager Graham Braum.

    As a professional alternative to the Iconia tablets, Acer has also released the Iconia Tab W500: a Windows-based tablet that includes a keyboard dock that attaches to its face to form a case and is pitched as a “multi-usage” professional device that can be used both as a tablet and as a netbook.

    In the education market, Acer has unveiled a range of interactive, projector-driven whiteboards that allow teachers or presenters to record notes, control their computer via it, and control it from either a connected computer or via a supplied electronic pointer.

    It has also developed accompanying educational software that allows teachers to conduct tests and exams electronically, monitor and oversee any number of linked netbooks, laptops or desktops, and even send notes to students via cloud-based systems.

    Teachers can limit what students can access from their devices and can see exactly what students are doing on their devices at any given time.

    Braum says that the system “works both ways, in that it also means entire classes can be recorded, which keeps teachers on their toes, too”.

    As part of its push into the education space, Acer is building education centres in SA as well as classroom management software and looking at ways to incorporate cloud computing solutions into education.

    In conjunction with Microsoft, it has released a netbook aimed at the education market, complete with a rugged, rubberised shell, a bundled mouse and preloaded educational software that costs about R2 500.

    In addition to its new educational products, Acer has also announced a number of changes to its executive staff. Group chairman JT Wang has been appointed as CEO after acting in that capacity since Gianfranco Lanci resigned in late March amid rumours that he was displeased with the company’s long-term goals.

    The company has opted to split its consumer and professional divisions so that each can operate autonomously.

    Acer wants to boost its presence in the commercial PC space, continue the globalisation of its brand and enhance both its consumer and professional lines of what it calls “mobility solutions”.  — Craig Wilson, TechCentral

    • Subscribe to our free daily newsletter
    • Follow us on Twitter or on Facebook
    Acer Gianfranco Lanci Graham Braum
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email
    Previous ArticleProtas Phili is new Sentech finance chief
    Next Article Skullcandy Aviators: classy cans

    Related Posts

    E.tv: ‘We know we must vacate broadband spectrum bands’

    29 June 2022

    E-commerce is killing shopping malls – but, curiously, not in South Africa

    29 June 2022

    Eskom warns recovery from strike chaos could take weeks

    29 June 2022
    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    Promoted

    Think herding cats is tricky? Try herding a cloud

    29 June 2022

    How your business can help hybrid workers effectively

    28 June 2022

    Hands off our satellite spectrum!

    27 June 2022
    Opinion

    Has South Africa’s advertising industry lost its way?

    21 June 2022

    Rob Lith: What Icasa’s spectrum auction means for SA companies

    13 June 2022

    A proposed solution to crypto’s stablecoin problem

    19 May 2022

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2022 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.