Acer Aspire Switch 10 unveiled

Acer unveiled the 2-in-1 Acer Aspire Switch 10 that’s a notebook and tablet combined in one flexible device with four modes for touch, typing, viewing, and sharing at any time. Acer Chief Marketing Officer Michael Birkin said, “The Acer Aspire Switch 10 is a winner. A brilliant package of portability, flexibility and vibrancy. It is a stunning addition to the Acer portfolio of Connected Devices putting you in control of your world work or play.”

The smart device features a magnetic detachable Acer Snap Hinge with a magnetic keyboard dock, allowing you to use it in 4 modes: notebook mode, pad mode, display mode and tent mode. Though the dock has a pair of spiky anchors to guide the tablet in, it’s mainly magnets holding the two pieces together. Despite the otherwise cheap build quality, the tablet and dock do indeed click together seamlessly, with little effort required on the part of the user. At the same time, they’re easy enough to pull apart when need be. As for the dock, it brings a full-sized USB 2.0 port, micro SD slot and a miniature HDMI port, and there will also be an optional keyboard dock with integrated hard-disk offers additional storage of up to 500GB

The Aspire Switch 10 is one of the thinnest 2-in-1 devices on the market, measuring less than 8.9 mm thin (0.35 inches) in tablet mode and 20.2 mm (0.44 inches) with the keyboard dock. Weighing just 0.59 kg (1.29 lb.) for the tablet only and 1.17 kg (2.58 lb.) for the tablet and keyboard, the light and ultra-thin design is ideal for bringing on the road.

The 10.1-inch display (1366 x 768 pixels) with IPS technology provides wide viewing angle of up to 178-degrees, and richer colors. Zero Air Gap technology delivers more vibrant and crisp images, while Acer LumiFlex solution further optimizes screen visibility during outdoor activities, even under sunlight.

The Acer Aspire Switch 10 with up to 64GB of storage and 2GB of RAM is powered by an Intel® Atom (Bay Trail T) quad-core processor for fast performance and multitasking in all modes. Windows 8.1 includes several intuitive features, such as InstantGo that keeps data and apps up-to-date even when the screen is off by maintaining an Internet connection along with an efficient power-saving feature so it’s ready to go at any moment. It comes pre-loaded with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013 at no additional expense and AcerCloud, which is Acer’s own cloud storage system. As for battery life, Acer promises a battery life of eight hours which is relatively low considering the device’s Bay Trail processor.

Optional accessories include the Acer Snap Case that protects and packs the tablet and keyboard for easy carry, and the micro USB cable that serves as a connection and charging hub. The price for Acer Aspire Switch 10 will start at $379.99 in the US or €349 in Europe, while the release date has been set to May 2014, without a specific launch date as of yet.