Dell, Lenovo, Acer Pack Flexibility, Savings into End-of-Summer PCs

by Michelle Maisto

On Aug. 11, Dell introduced the 14-inch Vostro 1014 and 15.6-inch Vostro 1015, each of which features an Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile or Celeron processor and an Intel 45 Express chip set.

The new Vostro laptops come in a choice of black, blue or cherry red. The option of a 2-megapixel camera comes with free video conferencing capabilities that complement the laptops’ digital microphones.

The Vostro 1014 and 1015 include Wireless-N Wi-Fi connectivity for helping to work through wireless dead zones, as well as a 5-in-1 Media Card Reader and the ability to connect to cordless peripherals, such as wireless keyboards, mice and headsets.

Lenovo’s Q100 and Q110 nettops measure 6 by 6.3 by 0.7 inches, making them great for tight office spaces or kiosks. They can stand alone or mount to the back of a monitor, for even further space savings.

The Q100 supports VGA output, and the Q110 supports 1,080-pixel high-definition video with DirectX 10 graphics, complemented by Nvidia’s CUDA technology.

Both models have Intel Atom 230 single-core processors and Gigabit Ethernet and 802.11b/g connectivity. The Q100 comes with 160GB of storage and 1GB of memory, while the Q1100 has 250GB of storage and 2GB of memory. Starting prices are $249 for the Q100 and $349 for the Q110.

The Acer Veriton N260G nettop combines a 1.66GHz Intel Atom processor with an Intel GN40 Express chip set, up to 2GB of memory and a 160GB hard drive.

Like Lenovo’s nettops, the Acer Veriton can be attached to the back of a display with a VESA mounting system, or be placed upright on a stand.

The Veriton N260G features six USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI port and a PCI Express Mini 1.1 x slot. It comes with a USB optical mouse and a starting price of $399.

According to Dell, the Vostro All-In-One is ready to use right out of the box—a good thing when IT personnel is scarce on the ground. It comes in a choice of 17-, 18.5- and 19-inch screens, weighs between 14.3 and 17.6 pounds, and is Energy Star 5.0 compliant.

Customers are offered a choice of Intel processors, including the Celeron, Pentium, Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad chips. Memory options include up to 2GB of 800MHz DDR2, integrated graphics come from Intel and there’s the option of an optical drive.

With the Vostro All-In-One, Dell frees the desk of cords—and sometimes also the desktop. The All-In-One can stand on its own, be attached to a wall or even mounted to an arm on the side of a desk or table. Pricing begins at $629.