Acer’s Family of New Ferrari Notebook PCs Now Available in North America. The Ferrari 1000 and Ferrari 5000 are based on the latest AMD Turion™ 64 X2 Mobile Technology. Harnessing the natural power of the latest dual-core technology, the new Acer systems deliver added performance with intelligent power management features. In addition, the new 64-bit architecture delivers leading-edge power and provides a taste of the performance gains promised by future 64-bit applications.

Ferrari 1000

Ideal for those design conscious professional users who desire compactness and performance, the Ferrari 1000 adds style and distinction to everyday mobility. Powered with an AMD Turionâ„¢ 64 X2 processor, the Ferrari 1000 delivers the performance for users who want an ultra-mobile notebook with long battery life. The 12.1″ Acer CrystalBriteâ„¢ widescreen display presents stunning visuals thanks to ATI RADEON XPRESS 1150 chipset supporting up to 512MB Hypermemory.

The Ferrari 1000 redefines the shape of mobile perfection, with modern design and versatility. In less than four pounds, the notebook boasts superior performance and seamless wireless and wired communication in any environment. The Ferrari 1000 delivers Wi-Fi connectivity via integrated Broadcom’s Intensi-fi™ draft-802.11n wireless chipsets and Blutonium® Bluetooth® 2.0 wireless technologies, providing users with the speed and reliability to handle the most intense applications on a Wi-Fi network, including new voice, video, gaming and music applications. The Ferrari 1000 also features the Acer OrbiCam™, a 1.3 megapixel web camera positioned on top of the LCD panel allowing users real-time, face-to-face communication.

Ferrari 5000

Crafted with a thin and light carbon fiber casing – styled in black and in the exclusive “Ferrari red” — this innovative notebook is equipped to be the technology leader in 15.4″ desktop replacement segment.

Powered by the AMD Turionâ„¢ 64 X2 processor, the Ferrari 5000 delivers the best power output for heavy-application users seeking for a notebook to keep pace with today’s data processing needs. For communications, the Ferrari 5000 is bundled with the handy Acer Bluetooth® VoIP phone, and offers visual communication with Acer Video Conference solution and Acer OrbiCam web camera. The notebook comes complete with WLAN (with Acer InviLink 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi CERTIFIED solution, supporting Acer SignalUpâ„¢ wireless technology), WPAN with built-in Bluetooth 2.0 module, LAN connection with Gigabit Ethernet cards and standard connectivity through the integrated 56K ITU V.92 modem.

The Ferrari 5000 offers up to 160GB Hard Disk Drive (HDD) and a slot-loading DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive. In addition, a five-in-one card-reader can be utilized for an optional MultiMediaCard, Secure Digital card, Memory Stick®, Memory Stick PRO™or xD-Picture Card™.

Both the Ferrari 1000 and Ferrari 5000 notebooks can be efficiently managed with Acer Empowering Technology, an intuitive interface that gives users easy control over their notebook’s security, performance, settings and communication with a single touch of the Empowering Key.

Both Ferrari series come with Microsoft Windows® XP Professional preinstalled. Additional installed software includes Adobe Reader, Norton AntiVirus and CyberLink PowerDVD and Acer GridVista software suite.

Pricing

The Ferrari 1000 and 5000 notebooks are available through Acer authorized resellers throughout North America with prices starting at $1999 and $2299, respectively. - from Acer’s Press Release

Reviews of the Acer Ferrari series

Laptop Magazine: Reviewing Acer Ferrari 5005WLMi Laptop Magazine gives it 4 out of 5 stars rating and writes, “A sports car is a blast, but on a long drive its tight confines and sacrifices in creature comforts make a sporty luxury car more alluring. The same line of thinking is behind the $2,399 Acer Ferrari 5005WLMi (a Windows Vista Ultimate version is available for $2,699). It delivers the sharp looks of the ultraportable Acer Ferrari 1000 but in a scaled-up package that’s more comfortable to use in the home, office, or dorm.

With its glossy carbon-fiber-patterned lid, red accents, and yellow prancing-horse logo, the 5005WLMi stands out from the field of gray and silver notebooks, without being as outlandish as the Alienware Aurora or Asus Lamborghini models. At 6.6 pounds and an inch thick at its leading edge, the unit is manageable to carry.

If the 5005WLMi disappoints at all, it’s in overall performance. It’s powerful enough for typical business and even light gaming duties. It’s just that with a name like Ferrari, we expected this system to be in the front of the pack. Instead, the 5005WLMi’s 2-GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60 CPU, married to 2GB of RAM, delivered an okay score of 219 on MobileMark 2005. That’s merely average and well behind performance leaders that reside in the mid to high 200s.

Gaming and 3D performance from the 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 GPU were good, with a score of 7,515 on 3DMark03 and a playable 42 fps on F.E.A.R. (at 1024 x 768-pixel resolution). At 3 hours and 26 minutes, battery life was typical for a machine in this class. Wireless throughput from the unit’s integrated 802.11b/g radio was low, however: 7.9 Mbps at 15 feet from the access point, and just 6 Mbps at 50 feet.”

PROS & CONS of the Acer Ferrari 5005WLMi

• Eye-catching style
• VoIP phone included
• Good graphics
• Big hard drive
• Relatively low MobileMark score
• No dedicated multimedia keys
• Webcam images prone to blurring

This entry was posted on October 17, 2006 and is filed under Acer America Corp., News.