Acer Unveils Windows 10-Based Chromebook Rivals With Cloudbook Lineup

Acer is reminding users that the Chromebooks aren't the only cheap-priced laptops available on the market. The Taiwanese computer manufacturer, on Tuesday, launched three Windows 10-powered laptops in its Aspire One Cloudbook series that are priced between $169 (roughly Rs. 10,800) to $199 (roughly Rs. 12,700).

For what they cost, the laptops - the Cloudbook 11 AO1-131-C7DW, Cloudbook 11 AO1-121-C1G9, and Cloudbook 14 AO1-431-C8G8 - don't sport sluggish hardware. All the Aspire One Cloudbook models are powered by dual-core Celeron N3060 processors clocked at 1.6GHz with Turbo Boost Technology that can speed it up to 2.16GHz. On the memory side, all the models sport 2GB of RAM. The C7DW, the lower Cloudbook variant comes with 16GB internal storage, while others rock 32GB (presumably) SSDs. The Cloudbook 11 models sport a 11-inch display of the resolution 1366x768 pixels, whereas the Cloudbook 14 series model comes equipped with a 14-inch display but with the same resolution.

If the internal storage is bothering you, Microsoft is giving a 100GB OneDrive voucher with the Cloudbook 16GB-specced laptop, and 1TB with the other two. The cloud storage space is available for one year. You also get an Office 365 Personal subscription plan valid for one year.

On the connectivity front, the laptops support Wi-Fi 802.11a/c and Bluetooth 4.0, and come with USB 3.0, USB 2.0, HDMI, and SD card slots. The company has obviously cut corners on some sides to make up for the cheap price. The webcam, for one, won't please many with its 480p image shooting capabilities.

Acer claims that both the laptops in Cloudbook 11 series will offer up to 7-hour of battery life on a single charge, whereas the Cloud 14 series model will run for 6 hours.

The big picture here is the software. All the models run Windows 10 Home, which as you may realize, would alone cost you about $120 (in addition to hundreds of dollar for OneDrive and Office 365 plans). Sure, the hard drive isn't voluminous to carry tons of data, the display isn't the most pleasant to look at, but you're getting a full-fledged Windows desktop operating system.

If you're interested, the Cloudbook 11 will begin to sell later this month in the US, while the Cloudbook 14 will find its way to the store next month. The company will hopefully release it in other part of the world soon enough.