Acer has recently started shipping a business version of its 13-inch
Timeline CULV-book, and now it's doing the same with 14-inch and
15-inch models.
Like the 13-incher, the new models are also based on the Timeline, and
share the same chassis, but unlike the Timelines, they apparently
feature matte screens, a fingerprint reader and a few more business
class features.
The 14-inch TravelMate 8471 has already appeared on Acer's US site, but
it seems it's not available just yet. It will ship with SU3500 or
SU9400 CPUs, up to 4GB of memory and HDD or SSD storage. Unlike most
CULVs, it has an optical drive. As you'd expect from a business rig,
connectivity is impressive: draft-n wireless, LAN, Bluetooth, as well
as optional UMTS/HSPA and quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE. Sadly, unlike
Timelines, the new CULV Travelmates don't have HDMI. You can find the
8471 product page
here.
In case you need a bit more screen acreage, the 8571 offers a 15.6-inch
screen, and we're expecting most of the specs to stay the same. Some
early listings have already appeared, but as the specs don't seem to be
just right, we're taking them with a grain of salt. Anyhow, prices for
the 8571 should start at around €700, and this sounds quite reasonable.