Acer Aspire S7 full review: Windows 8 on the design of high quality touch screen
The sleek Acer aspire windows 8 S7 first sensation was one of the first Windows 8 laptops I spent a lot of time in the weeks before the official release of Windows 8. My colleagues and I agreed at the time that the touch screen 13-inch laptop excellent publicity for the new operating system from Microsoft was, but our demonstration plant of prototype hardware, and not ready for testing reference. Now, with a prepared for final consumption in the same machine in hand version, we report on the performance and results of tests of independence and give this laptop a great number of parts.
In practice, this Acer s7 it was identical to the pre-production sample in October 2012. How many laptops and hybrid / convertible tablet laptops we've reviewed recently, the Aspire S7 Ultrabook is a new field-up, but as a product of the existing Windows 7 with new updated software. The S7 is a thin, sleek-looking ultrabooks I've seen highlighted by a minimalist white chassis and a lid with Gorilla Glass covered (such as the HP Envy Spectre). Inside is an Intel Core i7 processor and this is something that has become commonplace in Windows 8 laptops: a touch screen, built on a 13.3-inch 1,920 x1 0080-pixel screen.
In Windows 8 with its interface and support for new and varied gestures tile-based, touch screen is a secondary tool, as here, or in systems such as the Dell XPS 12 or Lenovo Yoga. This is not something you'll use all the time, but after a few days you will see that to achieve more, usually for a quick success or scroll up and down long Web pages.
Although the material and the design of the notebook Acer aspire is much higher, it's hard to sell at $ 1649, especially with Windows 8 touch laptops for less than $ 529. S7 Intel Core i5 version is available for a reasonable $ 1.399, and the significant investment that receives a 1080p screen, 256GB SSD and an excellent touchscreen
Price $ 1,649
Processor 1.9 GHz Intel Core i7-3517U
4GB DDR3 1600MHz
HDD 256 GB SSD
Intel HM77 chipset
Intel HD4000 Graphics
Windows 8 operating system
Dimensions (WD) 12.7 x 8.8 inches
Height 0.5 cm
Screen size (diagonal) 13.3 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter 2.9/3.5 Books
13-inch class
Design and features
The rest of the body is aluminum. Acer called monocoque chassis, as does Apple, which means that the base of it carved from a single block of material. Materials and colors differ from a Mac-book but there are some stylistic similarity. However, it takes only provide ample evidence that Apple has no monopoly sharp design premium laptops. Several of my colleagues went through, saw the Acer s7, and were very impressed - it's a very useful indicator in an office full of jaded journalists to see all the technical equipment under the sun. In addition, for $ 1,600, it is better an amazing piece of equipment.
The keyboard has keys that island-style flat top, but is hampered by the extremely shallow depth key. I found myself doing a lot of typos because I figure out on the fly when each keystroke had recorded a hard time. This is a long-standing problem with many of the best Ultrabooks (and some not so small). Although the keyboard is not useless, it was not my favorite writing experience in recent history.
The touch screen is a good size for a small laptop, but it is one of the most delicate, I've tried. Elan is a touch screen instead of Synaptics, a company, we talked extensively about its Windows 8 hardware and software and touch pad ambitious plans. I found myself reaching for the touch screen more often, it could have because of the slow response.
The best way to get a laptop with Windows 8, as interact Aspire S7 is a combination of keyboard, touch pad and touch screen. It is a concept that was rarely seen before surprising Standard Windows 8 laptops overnight, with tactile models from Dell, HP, Acer, Asus, Toshiba, Sony, Lenovo and others. It's too early to tell if this is the new standard for all notebook acer aspire, but so far we have seen a handful of samples for testing without a touchscreen, and the prices have dropped below $ 600 for the basic models with Intel Core i3 CPU processor and touch screen . If you can not add substantial cost to increase, I think, a touch screen, the new standard in 2013.
To be fair, it is possible that the touchscreen seems that the best way to interact with Windows 8 controls the touchpad and keyboard are incredibly intuitive. The exchange between the programs, are all open programs, and even switch between browser tabs are a nuisance in Windows 8 if you have a touch screen, in which case a simple movement tasks performed basic navigation system. The touchscreen can mimic the movements, but not so easy to do.
I found myself without much conscious planning to approach and via the touch screen for specific tasks while using the touch screen and keyboard on the other side. It has a touch screen on a laptop is not necessary, but consumers are trained using smartphones and tablets for years, a more natural interaction than it was in previous generations of hardware.
Help you solve a specific problem to laptop computer touch screen that I found before the hinge Aspire S7 screen from the works closed expects to about 120 degrees or higher position. Thereafter, the joint substantially cured. The bottom line: touch and drag on the screen when the laptop is open not take place as planned much excitement or movement. The screen is also a total of 180 degrees, which is the system completely flat, not that this., The kind of thing you used is allowed to open
The screen itself has a total of 0080-pixel resolution 1,920 x1, which is nice, a 13-inch laptop premium feature, and at least part of the reason why this system is so expensive to have. Many PC manufacturers have told me that adding a touch Ultrabook will add some bulk, but in this case, the cover still looks very thin air, with good off-axis viewing and a screen is bright, but not too much thought.
Aser Aspire S7 average category [13-inch]
Micro HDMI Video HDMI or DisplayPort
Stereo audio speaker, stereo speaker combo headphone / microphone jack, headphone jack / microphone
802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
No optical drive DVD recorder
Connectivity and performance
With a small laptop, it is inevitable that some elements are omitted, or other hazards. In this case, the video output, consisting of a single elementary HDMI terminal. You need an adapter to use it, if you send the signal to HDMI or convert it to a VGA input. On top of that, you get two USB 3.0 and one SD card slot connectors so that the S7 passable but not particularly impressive for connectivity.
The good: The Aser Aspire S7 is a premium Ultrabook future, with excellent performance, long battery life and a high resolution touch screen.
The bad: The S7 face is more than most other Windows 8 laptops touch screen fixed. The touch screen is not as sensitive as it should be.
Conclusion: One of the few products in circulation in the first wave of Windows 8 laptops, Aser Aspire S7 shows that Apple has no monopoly on great design.
In our benchmark tests, the notebook acer aspire Intel Core i7 and were near the top of our results for Windows 8 Ultrabook. However, in some cases, does not offer a significant advantage over similar systems, we tested the i5. In anecdotal use tested as pre-production model I mentioned, the S7 has worked very well, and I always felt more agile and efficient, even when using the touch screen. It is certainly more energy than you probably need, and also the version Core i5 should be good for surfing the web, social media, office productivity, and playback of high definition video.
Some have complained that Windows 8 is not ideal for play. You may be right, but I managed to install and steam load without problems, and played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, but with the graphics options are below. With only integrated Intel High definition Graphics 4000 this will not be your main platform game, but it will be interesting to see if someone to make a good use of the touchscreen for casual games.
With such a thin body, and the power of touch screen and a Core i7 processor, it may be too much to expect stellar battery S7. However, the current generation of Intel Core i-series processors have all kinds of ultra-thin laptop battery release impressive results, a short 13-inch laptop and has now helped the exception rather than the rule. The Acer s7 is impressive, even by those standards. He worked for 6 hours and 26 minutes in our video playback battery discharge, more upscale than other ultrabooks, but like behind the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display price.
