If ultraportables have seemed elusively out of reach, Acer’s new machine the TravelMate B also going by the model number TMB115-MP-C23C, may offer some respite.
Affordable touch-screen ultraportable
Acer’s ultraportable is a laptop that comes at a highly competitive and very affordable $379. This may seem a tad higher than others in the budget segment, but keep in mind that the TravelMateB is a touch-enabled device that comes loaded with Windows 8.1. The TravelMate B has a 10 point touch screen system which is almost unheard of at this price point. The touch screen adds a bit to its price tag, with cheaper alternatives in non-touchscreen variants available from the likes of HP. An added bonus is the two-year warranty that Acer offers for this laptop, compared to the usual one year that is the norm.
Its polycarbonate frame in black matte is a diminutive 0.83 x 11.5 x 8.5 inches (height/width/depth) and comes with a 11.6-inch screen that’s big enough to get the job done. Don’t expect any wonders from its LCD screen that comes in a 1366 x 768 resolution and you won’t be disappointed. Easy to travel with, it weighs in at 2.89 pounds.
Flexibility and connectivity
It comes equipped with multiple ports making it a handy device for daily use at work or home. Users will find the flexibility of having two USB 2.0 ports, as well as USB 3.0 port and an SD card slot along with an HDMI port and Ethernet port a big plus. Add to that the thoughtfully included HDMI to VGA adapter and you have a machine that is handy to hook up to an older style monitor as well. The WiFi is enabled to work on 5GHz networks as well as 2.4GHz networks, while the wireless connectivity comes from Bluetooth 4.0.
Packing some decent processing power
The TravelMate B comes with the processing power of the quad-core Intel Celeron N2940. And while it doesn’t top the charts, it isn’t a straggler either, coming in at a healthy midway ranking on most tests. The integrated Intel HD graphics and its 1.83 GHz processor don’t pack enough of a punch to let you do any serious gaming, but it does fine on regular processing, browsing and Photoshop usage tests.
The TravelMate B has better memory and more storage capacity than most others in the budget segment with 4GB RAM and 500GB storage capacity.
A battery that keeps giving
The big thing the ultraportable from Acer has going for it, is the healthy 7 hours plus battery life. It may not quite compare to the nine hours a new MacBook 12 inch, but then again, it is so much more affordable.