Acer wants you to reach out and touch some of its PCs — literally. The company recently upgraded a few of its older products to capitalize on the touch ability of Windows 8. The new and improved Acer Aspire M5 Ultrabooks and V5 Notebooks are available now.
The M5 is available in 14- and 15.6-inch screen sizes, but only the 14-incher will come packing a touchscreen. That model is the Aspire M5-481PT, which allows users to whip through Windows 8 with a simple touch, as well as scroll, flick, pinch and rotate through the workday. The entire line has a frameless, edge-to-edge design and a super-cool profile that’s less than an inch.
Other features include Intel Core i5 processors, a 500GB hard disk drive, a 20GB integrated solid state drive, an HDMI port, and two USB 3.0 ports. Also both models promise 8 hours of computing on a single charge.
Available now, the Acer Aspire M5 is a Best Buy exclusive. The 14-inch Aspire M5-481PT will kick off at $799.99 for the touch features wrapped in a silver aluminum alloy cover, while the 15.6-inch Aspire M5-581T and its dark gray magnesium alloy cover starts at $699.99.
The V5, on the other hand, has three different sizes available. The 11.6-inch Aspire V5-171 is about 3 pounds, the 14-inch Aspire V5-471 is 4.63 pounds, and the 15.6-inch Aspire V5-571 version is just about 5 pounds. All three are available in silver or black.
Only the 14-inch Aspire V5-471P and 15.6-inch Aspire V5-571P get those touch goodies, as well as a larger trackpad. Choose between Core i5 and Core i7 versions. Also, the two larger models offer a built-in DVD drive and 500GB or 750GB worth of storage.
Other features across the line include HD CineCrystal widescreen LED-backlit displays, Intel HD 4000 graphics, a 1.3-megapixel HD webcam, a built-in digital microphone, and Acer clear.fi DLNA support for streaming digital content.
The Acer Aspire V5 isn’t an exclusive; you can score one almost anywhere. Prices start at $749.99 for the Aspire V5-471P with touch support or you can get the Aspire V5-571 without touch for $499.99.