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Acer's new range of Gemstone computers is a little shinier than the previous models, and there's one major difference in screen size.
While most notebooks come are either 15in or 17in widescreen models, the new Acers use 16in and 18in screens instead.
The company says this is going to become more common but for now they're the first such products we've seen.
The 6920, available through Comet, has a 16in screen and an Intel Core 2 Duo T5750 processor, which runs at 2GHz, along with a generous 3GB of memory.
There's also an Nvidia Geforce 9500M GS graphics card with 512MB of its own memory, and a large 250GB hard disk.
All of those specifications are quite impressive – if not at the top of the range (see our review of the Alienware M15x for that) they're high enough to make mincemeat of most tasks.
Word processing and internet use are not a problem, nor is video playback or editing. Games are less of a forte, although this notebook is better than most, and can certainly deal with recent games at moderate quality settings.
It looks the part, too. The glossy black case is nicely rounded and generally well designed. There is a media panel to the right of the keyboard with controls for playback and volume – this, too, is well designed in a space-age fashion.
The trackpad, which also houses a fingerprint reader, is pleasant enough to use, although it's textured rather than smoot, which takes some getting used to.
The keyboard is a bit of a problem – it's shallow, making it hard to use if you're a heavy-fingered typist, and uncomfortable for long stretches of typing. We found our fingers getting caught underneath the keytops, too, when moving from one key to another, too.
Sound quality is good – the notebook is Dolby-certified and includes a reasonable 'virtual surround sound' that does a good job of making it sound like the audio is coming from around the room. Sounds were clear and distinct – while it's tinnier than a proper set of desktop speakers or a hi-fi, the sound from the 6920 is about as good as we've heard from a notebook.
Connections are made at the side, with no sockets at the back and only a memory card reader at the front. There's a VGA port for attaching a monitor, HDMI, network and 8*modem and four USB ports, along with the DVD writer. The power connection is set beneath a detachable cover, which is a nice idea, but we'd guess that most people's covers will be lost or discarded before long.
It also comes with support for all current wireless networks, and Bluetooth. The squat 16in screen (which is bright and clear, if a little too reflective in bright light) makes it reasonably portable, as does the 3.3kg weight.
It's supplied with Windows Vista Home Premium and a one year warranty. It's a pretty powerful computer, and although £700 is not at the low end of current notebook prices, it's well worth paying in this case. The only big problem we have with the Acer 6920 is its dodgy keyboard – apart from that it's a winner.
See also:
A fast portable computer with sleek looks 02 Apr 2008
All Notebooks & Tablets PCs
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