Today at BETT 2020 in London, Acer announced some new laptops for the education market. There are two new Windows 10 PCs, the TravelMate B3 and the TravelMate Spin B3, a clamshell and a convertible, respectively. Other than the form factor, both laptops are pretty similar.
They include Intel Pentium or Celeron processors, and 11.6-inch HD displays. Naturally, the convertible is the one that supports touch, and it also has Wacom AES pen support. They're meant to be durable, meeting the MIL-STD-810G standard. According to Acer, they can handle "bumps and spills that are part of daily student life", and they have things like reinforced corners and a shock-absorbent rubber bumper.
Both the TravelMate B3 and the TravelMate Spin B3 will arrive in April, starting at $239 and $329, respectively.
And then there's the Chromebook C871, which actually has up to 10th-generation Intel Core processors (Core i3-10110U), or you can get it in a Pentium Gold 6405U, which is also from the Comet Lake family. It also has a 12-inch HD+ screen, but this one has a 3:2 aspect ratio.
"Every aspect of the new Acer Chromebook C871 (Chromebook 712) was designed from the ground up with the educational environment in mind," said James Lin, General Manager, Notebooks, IT Products Business, Acer Inc. "In addition to meeting several durability and safety standards, we’ve also provided extras such as a student-friendly keyboard and the latest processing and Wi-Fi technology, giving students and teachers a powerful tool that will enhance student engagement and learning outcomes."
Acer says that the Chromebook C871 is even stronger than MIL-STD-810G standards, as it has a reinforced hinge that's designed so students can pick it up by the display and not damage it. It can handle 132 pounds of downward force, so it can actually survive a student stepping on it, and it can withstand a drop of up to four feet.
The Chromebook C871 will be available in North America in March starting at $329.99, and in EMEA in May starting at €299.
