Earlier this week, we dropped by an Acer news conference in New York where the company made a pitch for getting into the U.S. market in a big way. We've heard big talk from Acer before, and they're a huge player globally (made even bigger by merging with Gateway), but not the first name you think of when shopping for a laptop domestically.
So while were we all fairly impressed with Acer's plans to introduce new form factors with its upcoming 16-inch Acer Aspire 6920 and the 18.4-inch Acer Aspire 8920, we didn't expect much of a mainstream consumer push. After all--if U.S. buyers know Acer for anything, it's probably the company's overpriced
So imagine our surprise to pick up the New York Times the next day, and see a full-page advertisement for the new Gemstone Blue laptops, right in the middle of the "A" section and specifically touting the new CineDash media console (basically some touch-sensitive media buttons arranged somewhat like a traditional remote control). Even better, Friday's New York Times also had a full-page Acer ad (different image and copy, but for the same laptops).
That seems like a pretty hefty investment (although with Acer touting the "Blue" branding so heavily, they might have sprung for a color ad), so expect top hear more about these two laptops as we get closer to the April release date.