Acer ekes out a bargain

In order to make way for its Centrino Duo line of laptops, Acer is having a fire sale of one of its older Pentium M-based Centrino models. Those who don't mind being one step behind the cutting-edge are sure to find it a bargain.

The model in question is the Aspire 1640Z, which Acer is virtually giving away for AU$1299. Given its specs, Acer is describing the notebook as "Centrino at Celeron price" -- Celeron of course being Intel's low-end, value processor.

On paper, the notebook's specifications look fairly impressive for the price, but the laptop is far from a speed demon. Below is a brief run-down:

Processor - Intel Pentium M 1.7GHz processor
Memory - 512MB DDR2-400 memory
Display - 15.4-inch 1280x800 display
Graphics - Integrated Intel GMA 900
Hard drive - 60GB 4200RPM
Optical drive - Dual-layer DVD burner
Weight - 2.94kg
Dimensions - 364x279x33.9-38.9 mm
Claimed battery life - 2 hours

According to an Acer spokesperson, the company expects its remaining stock of the 1640Z to sell out within two weeks. "They [Acer] are trying to get more at this price, but can't guarantee this," the spokesperson told CNET.com.au.

All of Acer's retail partners are stocking the notebook, including Officeworks, Dick Smith, Betta Electrical, Retrovision, Leading Edge and Bing Lee.