Acer this week updated its 15.6-inch, $700 M5 notebook with Intel’s “Haswell” fourth generation Core i5 processor, Intel Wireless Display technology (WiDi), and a new four-speaker Dolby sound system. The new M5-583P -6428 notebook comes with a 500GB hard drive, 8GB of RAM, and Windows 8.
Design-wise, the updated M5 has a 15.6-inch, 10-point multi-touch HD display and backlit keyboard. The notebook’s simple silver aluminum surface has a brushed hairline soft touch finish on the bottom, which Acer says makes it easier to grip.
Intel’s WiDi technology makes it easy to connect wirelessly to a big screen TV, or you can connect the old-fashioned way using an HDMI port. The M5’s improved sound system includes Dolby Home Theater v4 with four front-facing 2-watt speakers and Acer’s “Purified.Voice” system, which includes a dual-array microphone and software for voice recognition and audio processing. The software can track your voice as you use the mic, and it maintains a steady volume if you move away from the notebook. Acer says it also eliminates background noise including keystrokes as you type. Also included is a high-def webcam.
The M5-583P’s instant connect feature — now common on many notebooks — logs previous Wi-Fi hotspots visited and instantly connects to one of those hotspots when it’s in range again. A unique feature, though, is Intel Smart Connect, which enables the PC to constantly update information in open applications — such as Facebook and Outlook emails –even while it’s in sleep mode. Intel says that Smart Connect has no significant effect on battery life.
When not plugged in, the M5-583P is powered by Acer’s “PowerSmart” 4-cell Lithium Polymer battery (3,560 mAh) that promises up to 6.5 hours of run time. Acer says that the battery can be fully charged about 1,000 times, or about four years of average use at 8 hours daily, 5 days a week.
For now, the Acer Aspire M5-583P is available in the US exclusively from Best Buy, for a suggested retail price is $700. Update: Laptop Magazine has just reviewed the Aspire M5-583P and gives it 4 out of 5 stars: www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/acer-aspire-m5-583p.aspx
