Acer neoTouch and beTouch E100 will be exclusive to SingTel customers. The next generation Windows Mobile touchscreen interface supports hundreds of Microsoft-certified mobile apps

Singapore, 9 October 2009 – SingTel and Acer today jointly announced the Singapore launch of Acer’s first Windows phones, Acer neoTouch and beTouch E100, exclusive to SingTel customers from 17 October 2009. They will be among the first in the world to enjoy both smartphones, which run the new Windows Mobile 6.5.

These two phones will be the first of Acer’s second generation 2009 models to be launched in Singapore. The devices continue Acer’s goal to break down the barrier between technology and people, and form a cornerstone in the company’s strategy towards becoming a leader in the ‘mobility market’.

“The neoTouch is Acer’s flagship smartphone model of 2009 and will spearhead our highly anticipated range of devices that will be launched in the fourth quarter,” said Mr Roger Yuen, Vice President Asia Pacific, Smart Handheld Business Group of Acer Inc. “We are very excited about this partnership with SingTel. With neoTouch’s powerful 1GHz processor, we see this as a perfect fit for SingTel’s customers who want a mobile device that can meet their need for speed and real-time internet access. The other device we are launching exclusively with SingTel is the beTouch E100. This device is a great, intuitive smartphone that allows people to network with their friends on Facebook, Flickr and Instant Messaging. It is the perfect device for the young who are tech savvy and demand connectivity with their contacts on the go.”

He added, “We are confident that the neoTouch and beTouch E100 will be highly appealing to tech-savvy SingTel customers who are looking to upgrade from a feature phone.”

“We are pleased to partner Acer on this exclusive launch of the latest Windows phones. The next generation features like My Phone syncing service and Windows Marketplace for Mobile, coupled with its high-speed processor will allow our customers to enjoy an integrated and richer mobile experience, similar to that on a PC,” said Mr Shane Da Silva, SingTel’s Vice President of Consumer Sales.

“In addition, customers will enjoy a differentiated and hassle-free Windows phone experience with SingTel’s one-stop Windows Mobile Support where they can call a centralised hotline for enquiries and assistance. With SingTel’s MobileM@il Exchange service, bundled with 1GB data and PHONESafe security service, customers can have peace-of-mind while surfing to their heart’s content,” added Mr Da Silva.

Pricing, availability and promotions
Customers who purchase any of the two phones will enjoy the following:

• Sign up for MobileM@il Exchange 1GB at $9.95/month (50 percent discount off normal subscription of $19.90/month). The data plan comes with 1GB of bundled data, allowing customers to surf the Internet and access their emails on-the-go affordably. MobileM@il Exchange customers will also enjoy free access to PHONESafe service, a mobile phone security solution that allows customers to lock their handsets and backup important data remotely.
• Customers who purchase the phones with any of SingTel’s Youth plans will enjoy free IM on Mobile for 12 months, PHONESafe for 6 months and 50 per cent discount for BroadBand on Mobile Plus (1GB) (normal subscription is $19.90/month). This is on top of the youth perks of Free Unlimited SMS (to any service provider) and Free Camp / Campus Calls.

neoTouch and beTouch 100 will be available for pre-ordering at https://www.singtelshop.com/ from 10 October, Saturday. Both phones will be sold island-wide from 17 October 2009 at SingTel Shops, hello! stores, selected SingTel Exclusive retailers and its online store, www.singtelshop.com.

About Acer neoTouch
The Acer neoTouch is an iconic product that brings together performance and style. The flagship Acer smartphone promises high speed Internet connectivity and processing – providing a full PC experience on a mobile handset. It runs on the new Windows Mobile 6.5 platform which was officially unveiled on 7 October, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon chip which allows for up-to-double processing speed over current industry standards. It is anticipated to be a leader in the Windows phone arena and is a fully touch-operated smartphone that will provide seamless user-experience.

The neoTouch will appeal to the top range of smartphone users who want a light and convenient device that can function seamlessly as a PC (Personal Computer), employing both leisure and business applications. Pragmatic users who value a reliable smartphone that is effective and efficient, will also be attracted to the neoTouch, particularly for its ability to access and manipulate word processing and spreadsheet applications.

About Acer beTouch E100

The beTouch E100, also known as the ‘C1′, will appeal to both feature phone users looking to upgrade to a smartphone, and customers looking for a fresh and bold design. With a variety of colours to choose from, the beTouch E100 features a large touch screen with Acer’s intuitive user interface, a whooping 3.2″ touch screen and a 5-way navigation wheel.

The beTouch E100 comes in white, and customers can choose battery covers that come in lime green, red or pink to further personalize their phones. This phone will be especially appealing for the youth who want a smartphone that is trendy and easy to use.

Photos of the Acer neoTouch and the Acer beTouch E100 are available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/acer_smartphones

Press Release: SingTel launches Acer’s new Windows Phones
GSM ArenaAcer neoTouch S200
GSM ArenaAcer beTouch E100

Introduction
The new Acer Aspire Timeline series mark the beginning of a new era in mobile computing, where users stay connected and enjoy entertainment with their notebooks for a longer time. With the new Aspire Timeline series, Acer reached a delicate equilibrium between computer lightness and battery life, creating a series of featherweight notebooks that give you an entire day of computing on a single charge.
Long lasting battery life for all day computing Acer based the new Aspire Timeline notebooks on a simple yet revolutionary idea: a series of ultra thin and light notebooks which are more efficient, reducing energy consumption to the minimum for maximum usage time. The result is a notebook as light as 1.6kg, and with more than eight hours battery life, so that important tasks will not be interrupted by a loss of
power.

In addition, with the Acer Smart Power key, battery life can be further extended through advanced settings. Press the Smart Power key to boost power saving capabilities and extend battery life, thus expanding the time of computing freedom to more than 8 hours.

Front View

Side View

Features

• Acer Comfy Touch Technology – An innovation with Intel Laminar Wall Jet Technology
  Besides enhancing battery life, Acer is dedicated to improve user experience with the Acer Aspire Timeline by developing a cooling technology in collaboration with Intel – Laminar Wall Jet Technology. It exploits the technology that has been used successfully for cooling turbine blades. Through the addition of louvers to the inlet vents, the cooling airflow is redirected along the bottom side of the notebook chassis, putting fresh air precisely where it’s needed to better cool the skin. The result of Acer Comfy Touch technology – thermal comfort of close to 6 degrees lower than the user’s skin temperature.
• Ultra Thin and Lightweight
  Through designing the Aspire Timeline, Acer broke another barrier by creating the finest and lightest notebooks to provide all-day computing. The Aspire timeline is 24mm (less than one inch) at its thinnest point. All thanks to the aluminum cover, it remains featherweight, ranging from 1.6 kg for the 13.3″ model up to just 1.9 kg for the 14″, making it both lighter and easier to carry around than anything else.
• Go Eco-friendly with energy efficient components
  The Aspire Timeline Series complies with the strictest Energy Star 5.0 prerequisites, with the notebook being efficient even when using the power adapter. Acer Power Smart adapter does even more, as it consumes 66% less than required by Energy StarPlus, the Power Smart adapter enters adaptive charging mode automatically when the battery is fully charged this stops consuming energy and reduces the tear and wear on the battery.
• High Definition Enjoyment
  Available in two form factors, 13.3″ and 14″, presenting bright, lifelike images through Acer CineCrystal LED backlit display with true 16:9 aspect ratio, 1366X768 HD resolution for exceptional media playback. To let users enjoy a fully immersive entertainment, the Aspire Timeline series is equipped with Dolby Sound Room that offers a spectacular surround sound from any pair of speakers or headphones.
• Data freedom
  Harnessing the latest Intel Core 2 Duo Processor Ultra Low Voltage solutions, the Aspire ,Timeline series comes with integrated Intel Graphics and is equipped with DDR3 system memory to breeze through multitasking requirements. Ample storage is provided by an HDD with up to 500 GB of capacity. Born to offer ultra-mobility and total freedom, the Aspire Timeline Series comes with the most up to date communication options: built-in Wi-Fi functionalities, supporting Acer SignalUp, allowing full connectivity for unprecedented mobility. The Acer Crystal Eye webcam with enhanced Acer PrimaLite technology delivers superior video performance on the Aspire one for video conferencing. higher-quality images, smoother video streaming performance are delivered with better frames-per-second (FPS)
  rate.
• Effortless Backup
  For a total ease of mind, Acer Backup Solution, combining Acer Backup Manager and Easy Launch Back up key, places back up at your fingertips. Acer Backup Manger offers flexible management, allowing efficient and hassle free data back up. Data backup can be scheduled at specific intervals with compression of files across different media types such as external hard disk drives, USB medias or optical discs. The data backup solution also boasts more security enhancement: a password can be added to protect user. With the Acer Timeline notebooks the limits of space and time become blurred taking you in a dimension where you are the master of your time.

Prices
It will be available at all Acer Authorised Resellers from 15th May 2009 onwards and prices range between SGD$1,598 and SGD$1,998.

Specifications
The official Acer Timeline Specifications is in a terrible mess, I can’t understand a thing from it. I have taken the liberty to scan the brochure that were given to us. You can view it here (532.3KB).

Personal Comment
I do not have a good impression of Acer laptop because of its poor battery life because Li Xiang is using a laptop and just after a year, the battery can go flat within 30 minutes. I do not believed that the wear and tear effect is so fast, my 3 years old Fujitsu can last me for almost 3 hours and on top of that I always plugged in to charge and use at the same time even though my battery is full.

But this time round, I believe Acer is going to rebrand itself and target towards longer battery life. When the Press Release states 8 hours, the value is derived by setting the brightness to the lowest and offing WiFi and the laptop will play a movie continuously till the battery is totally drained.

I like the fact that the laptop is very thin and light! It weights just about 400 grams more than the average netbook but come equipped with a Intel Core 2 Solo or a Duo processor.

The Intel Laminar Wall Jet Technology is amazing! The laptop that were showcased to us were not plugged in to any power outlet and has been switched on for more than 2 hours and the laptop is still cool! It is definitely cooler than my Fujitsu laptop and even more so when compared to my MacBook Pro.

The finishing is done in brushed aluminum for its rigidity because it is thin and hence plastic is not a suitable material.

The Acer power management software will automatically shutdown devices and that has been idle to conserve power. For example if you DVD-Rom has been idling for let say 15 minutes, it will automatically cut the power to the DVD-Rom and hence conserving power. Likewise for USB flash drives.

So interesting things, the DVD-Rom eject button is not on the DVD tray but located just about the keyboard.

Links

• Acer Website
• Acer Timeline Website