Acer's TA272 HUL Android all-in-one (2)
Acer's going beyond conventional high-definition with its latest all-in-one PC, which at a list price of US$1,099.99, is one of the most expensive Android devices available.
The Acer TA272 HUL has a 27-inch touch display that can show images at a 2560 x 1440-pixel resolution. The monitor has HDMI, DisplayPort and USB 3.0 ports.
There are a handful of Android all-in-ones available today, but at $1,100, Acer's new model is the most expensive. HP's Slate 21, which has a 21.5-inch screen with a 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution, is priced at $399, while Acer's DA241HL, which has a 24-inch screen, is priced at £450 (US$742) on Amazon.com's UK retail site. Acer did not immediately provide availability information for the TA272.
The new Acer PC has Android 4.2, Nvidia's Tegra quad-core processor, 16GB of storage, a two-megapixel webcam and 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi.
Android all-in-ones are aimed at users who do most of their computing on the Web and are familiar with the Android OS interface on mobile devices. Users will be able to sync with other devices to share files through Acer's Build Your Own Cloud service, the company said.
But questions remain as to whether the high-resolution screen will make a difference. Most Android apps are designed for lower resolutions, and streaming services like Netflix are still transitioning to 1080p video.
The all-in-one will be shown next week at the International CES trade show in Las Vegas, where there will be a big focus on 4K devices and content.
Agam Shah covers PCs, tablets, servers, chips and semiconductors for IDG News Service. Follow Agam on Twitter at @agamsh. Agam's e-mail address is agam_shah@idg.com