Acer adds a low-cost all-in-one hardly bigger than a laptop
The $599 Acer Aspire ZC-605 has a 19-inch screen and an Intel Pentium CPU.
- Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
Powerful desktop replacement laptops with 17-inch and even 18-inch screens are common, while most all-in-one systems we see have 23-inch or 27-inch displays. Acer finds some common ground with the just-announced Acer Aspire ZC-605, a 19.5-inch all-in-one that the company calls, "compact, comfortable, and affordable."
At $599, the ZC-605 is certainly at the lower end of the desktop all-in-one prince range. And with a 19.5-inch display, it's hardly larger than some of the bigger laptops we've reviewed.
't="" optimal="" for="" screen="" this="" size.="" more="" interesting="" is="" choice="" of="" an="" intel="" pentium="" dual="" core="" 2127u="" processor="" --="" it's="" been="" while="" since="" we've="" seen="" something="" other="" than="" i-series="" cpu="" from="" intel,="" although="" some="" small-screen="" hybrids="" tablets="" have="" even="" lower-power="" atom="" chips.="" <="" p="">On the positive side, there's a full 1TB HDD, two USB 3.0 ports (and two more USB 2.0 ports), and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are built in. The frame itself tilts from 10 degrees to 30 degrees for easier viewing, and there's an HDMI input for using the screen as a standalone display.
We haven't seen this Pentium-powered all-in-one in person yet, but it will be interesting to see how it does with Windows 8 and its tile-based interface. The Acer Aspire ZC-605 will be available from Amazon for $599.