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Acer’s new PCs think they’re LEGO, and its phones think they’re PCs

IFA 2015 kicks off this week in Berlin. Before the show opens to the public, developers and manufacturers will hold keynotes to show the world what they’ve been working on.

Acer’s press conference took place this morning and was hosted by the Acer CEO Jason Chen who guided attendees, and viewers streaming the conference from around the world, (a first for an Acer press conference) through the new releases. Here’s everything you need to know:

Acer Revo Build – Modular PC

The Revo Build is the standout of Acer’s line-up, if you ask us.

Remember Razer’s Project Christine? That was a modular PC concept design that never quite made it to market. Today Acer announced its answer to the modular PC, Revo Build.

Acer's version of a modular PC was announced and features a portable hard drive and power bank.
Acer’s version of a modular PC was announced and features a portable hard drive and power bank.

Revo Build is a small form factor PC that starts out with a base block that contains your CPU and RAM attached to that is a graphics processor block. You are then able to add blocks to these base blocks which use magnetic connectors built into each block. Continuing the trend of portability a hard-drive block that can double as a portable hard drive and power bank block were unveiled as well.

Each part of Revo Build breaks off so you can pick, mix and plug together. Just like LEGO.

Acer Predator Range

Acer's gaming family took up most of the conference and for good reason, they revealed many many things.
Acer’s gaming family additions took up most of the keynote and for good reason.

The Predator Gaming laptops came in for another set of feature boosts, with FrostCore technology being the standout in the line up. This allows gamers to swap out an optical drive for a third fan in Acer notebooks increasing their thermal performance by as much as 5%.

According to Acer, the new AeroBlade fan fitted with metal fins 0.1mm thick, increases airflow by another 15% too. So by combining the FrostCore technology with the AeroBlade fans Acer claims to have improved thermal performance in their notebooks by as much as 14%. This is great news for gamers who worry about melting a hole through their desk when gaming on a laptop.

Acer Jade Primo

The Jade Primo incorporates Microsoft’s Continuum software and is Acer’s first PC phone. The phone ships with a docking station, a wireless keyboard and a wireless mouse. If you’re wondering why a phone needs a wireless mouse and keyboard that’s because the Acer Jade Primo runs Windows 10 Mobile and can be used as a desktop PC.

Predator 6 is a gaming smartphone packs the punch of a mid range desktop PC into the palm of your hand.
Predator 6 is a gaming smartphone that packs the punch of a mid range desktop PC into the palm of your hand.

That’s right, the Jade Primo can connect to a monitor through the docking station and operate as a full desktop, when you’re done working you pick up your phone and all of your work is in your pocket. The Jade Primo features a 21MP camera at the back, an 8MP selfie camera and 5.5 inch Super AMOLED screen.

Xplova

Acer has acquired Xplova, a company that specialises in developing software and smart hardware for bicycles. Xplova is able to direct cyclists as they cycle and connect cyclists to a social network of sorts. In this network users are able to upload planned routes and share them with other users.

Acer CEO Jason Chen announces the company's acquisition of Xplova at IFA 2015
Acer CEO Jason Chen announces the company’s acquisition of Xplova at IFA 2015

There are currently 15 000 members connected to each other with 52 000 planned routes shared through the service. Acer will be adding iits cloud solutions to the Xplova to increase the reach of the service and give additional benefits to the user.

Acer 2-in-1 Detachables

The Acer Aspire Switch 12 features an Intel processor and Thunderbolt 3 input. The Gorilla Glass 4 screen and anodised aluminium cover could make for a stylish 2-in-1 hybrid that packs massive punch. Of course as we’ve come to expect from a 2-in-1 the keyboard can be removed and the Switch 12 can be used as a tablet. Kirk Skaugen, Senior Vice President at Intel joined Chen on stage to announce that Intel’s new RealSense camera technology, that will work perfectly for Youtubers on the move, has been included in all new Acer 2-in-1 detachables.

Don't need an optical drive? FrostCore lets you swap it out for an additional fan.
Don’t need an optical drive? FrostCore lets you swap it out for an additional fan.

You may remember the 34 inch Predator X34 curved gaming monitor announced in New York earlier this year. Today Acer refreshed the monitor by announcing the Predator Z35 gaming monitor. The 35 inch monitor can be overclocked to reach a refresh rate of 200Hz and has a 21:9 aspect ratio. The monitor also has support for Nvidia’s G-sync technology. Speaking about the monitor Trackmania eSports star and member of Team Acer, Kalle “frostBuele” Videkull said, “The curved monitor is great for racing games especially, since you see more to the sides”.

The newest addition to the Predator family is the Predator Projector. The projector is designed for gamers who want to play split screen games but the technology inside means its for anybody looking to play games using a projector. Placing the Predator Projector 50cm away from a wall can create a 120 inch screen. Unfortunately some details are classified and couldn’t be shared with us today but we’re going to watch the news around this projector very closely.

The Predator Projector is designed specifically for gamers and features an Ultra White setting for a crisp, clear image.
The Predator Projector is designed specifically for gamers and features an Ultra White setting for a crisp, clear image.

Finally, during the six months between announcing the Predator 8 gaming tablet and this morning Acer has developed a gaming smartphone, the Predator 6. The smartphone is powered by the latest Mediatek deca-core (that’s ten cores) processor and 4GB of RAM. Outside you get a 21MP rear camera and four speakers. You also get haptic feedback when you’re using the phone in landscape mode. This looks like a powerful piece of hardware and we hope that it ushers in a new era of mobile gaming.

Acer’s attention really does seem to have shifted from a manufacturer of business machines to a company that listens to what the market is doing. The release of the Jade Primo is one of our favourites and shows how committed Acer is to keeping people productive while on the move. The Predator range of products has received a great update with two new additions that will get people talking.

Unfortunately we don’t know much about performance of these devices as that wasn’t really discussed during the keynote. However, the appearance of Intel’s Senior Vice President during the keynote inspires the thinking that all this new beautiful looking hardware will have the brawn to make it stand out in two markets that are defined by constantly evolving technology.

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