Acer America Corporation, one of the leading worldwide suppliers of laptop PC solutions, today introduced the Aspire 2000, a true thin and light notebook PC that delivers high-performance mobility and enhanced multimedia options for users who enjoy digital entertainment. Featuring Intel™ Centrino® mobile technology and up to 5 hours of battery life, the Aspire 2000 includes several multimedia advancements including Aspire Arcade, a state-of-the-art software feature that plays movies and music, records and edits videos, and burns CD/DVD media via an intuitive user interface. The Acer Aspire 2000 provides an innovative platform which delivers an exceptional combination of mobile functionality and cinematic performance.

Featuring a 15.4” panoramic WXGA LCD screen with a 16:10 wide-aspect viewing ratio, the brightest and fastest commercially available display, and ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9200 graphics chipset with 64MB of DDR VRAM, the Aspire 2000 offers a visual experience previously only available with expensive desktop offerings. The wide-screen layout also enables the viewing of multiple documents and Web pages simultaneously for enhanced work productivity and ease. Built-in speakers and a sub-woofer deliver enhanced audio output.

“From our recently announced Tablet PCs to our more traditional laptops, Acer America has led the industry by delivering systems with superior performance and battery life along with unmatched innovative designs. The Aspire 2000 extends our leadership and is a dream system for digital entertainment enthusiasts and mobile travelers alike,” said Jeffrey Friederichs, vice president, Notebook Business Unit, Acer America. “With more than enough power to handle tasks that were previously only the domain of desktop solutions such as video editing and playing games, and an appealing thin and light profile, the Aspire 2000 is ideal for road warriors and mobile professionals.”

Enhanced Multimedia Experience

The Acer Aspire 2000 includes Aspire Arcade, a state-of-the-art software feature that offers an integration of the best in digital media in one convenient and easy to use software application. Arcade delivers exceptional movie, video, photo, burning and music enjoyment through a simple to navigate and robust interface. Aspire Arcade also includes an “Instant On” feature that allows users to access the digital music jukebox without turning the computer on. Aspire Arcade puts everything needed to enjoy digital media in one program that can be accessed directly via the Aspire 2000 or connected to and viewed via television.

“By integrating Intel Centrino mobile technology into the Acer Aspire 2000, end-users have a unique platform that harnesses the best of multimedia performance in a flexible and mobile solution. This new offering will allow users to communicate, be entertained or be productive wherever and whenever they want,” said Don MacDonald, director of marketing, Intel Mobile Platforms Group. “Intel Centrino mobile technology provides a great complement to the high-end audio and visual qualities of the Aspire 2000 and will allow greater freedom to connect from new places.”

In addition to the Aspire Arcade, the Aspire 2000 also includes other unique multimedia features, including:

Cinema vision—With the Aspire 2000’s 15.4” wide-screen display, users
can fully enjoy 16:10 films in full screen. If the movies are encoded in
4:3 aspect ratio, Cinema vision stretches the video to a full 16:10 image
with a non-linear stretching algorithm.

Clear vision—Detects the video frame by frame and changes the
saturation, brightness and contrast controls dynamically to deliver a
sharper, more vivid image. Aspire 2000 users will be able to view DVD
movies with the sharpest and richest video quality possible due to Clear
vision, which will bring every detail and color to life.

Aspire Virtual Surround Sound—The Aspire Arcade not only provides
visual benefits, but also audio. Users can use the Aspire Virtual
Surround Sound to enjoy their favorite movies, videos and music with this
surround sound feature. When combined with the integrated sub-woofer, the
Aspire 2000 delivers audio quality normally only available with desktop
solutions.

“By including the top mobile performance of an Intel Centrino-based offering with high-end multimedia features such as a 15.4” panoramic, screen, the Acer Aspire 2000 is a perfect system for digital entertainment aficionados and road warriors alike,” said George D’Errico, senior director of product management of PC Connection, Inc. “With the addition of the Aspire 2000 to their portfolio of products, Acer can meet the needs of a broad range of end- users with this single solution. This is an ideal system for enterprise users who want the power of a desktop replacement but don’t want to sacrifice mobile functionality.”

Performance and Flexibility

The Acer Aspire 2000 is a full-featured, thin and light notebook with a brilliant 15.4” WXGA (1280×800) TFT display and 512MB of DDR333 SDRAM upgradeable to 2GB system memory. In addition to wireless 802.11b, the Aspire 2000 offers 3 USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire® (IEEE 1394) port, 10/100 LAN connection, and a 56K V.92 modem.

This newest Acer Aspire notebook incorporates up to a 60GB ATA/100 removable hard drive as well as a tray-less slot-loading optical drive with a choice of DVD-RW or DVD /CD-RW combo drive. A high capacity Li-ion battery delivers up to 5 hours of battery life—enough to view two movies and then some. The Acer Aspire 2000 notebook also offers a 4-in-1 PCMCIA Multimedia reader for optional MultiMediaCard™ (MMC), Secure Digital (SD) card or Memory Stick™. Preloaded with Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional and weighing just 6.6 pounds, the Acer Aspire 2000 provides the freedom and performance suitable for both mobile executives and entertainment aficionados.

Pricing

The Acer Aspire 2000 will be available through Acer authorized resellers throughout North America starting at approximately $1849.

Service and Support

All Acer Aspire notebooks have a standard one year parts and labor warranty, including Acer’s one year International Traveler Warranty. Additionally, all notebooks are backed by Acer’s toll free service and support call center. Online support is available via the web at www.acersupport.com.