NEWS FEEDAcer announces WiMAX laptops
10.09.08
You know that ? The one you have to buy an external device to connect to? Now there’s another option, two options actually. Acer has announced two laptops that can connect to the XOHM WiMAX in Baltimore.
The notebooks.com article seems to hint that they will only be available to those in Baltimore. Though since they are being sold on NewEgg and TigerDirect, it would make sense anyone could buy them. The WiMAX presumably would only be useful in the cities that have WiMAX, or at least those that have WiMAX from XOHM.
The machines themselves aren’t too bad even if you can’t use the WiMAX. Both have Intel Core 2 Duo processors at 2.0GHz, 3GB of RAM, and are the first laptops that use the Intel WiMAX/Wi-Fi combined antenna. The two laptops cost the same price, $899, run Vista Premium and have either a 14.1” or 16” screen. These should be useful for having a machine that can do anything you want it to while having wireless Internet anywhere (well, in Baltimore at least).
The turnaround for machines that take advantage of the XOHM WiMAX was pretty fast, though it may have been nice to introduce them with the roll out of the network. Given the state of the market for laptops, it’s a bit surprising that Acer first equipped standard laptop lines with WiMAX and not the Aspire One. It does make sense, though, given that standard laptops have a much broader appeal. It might be a good idea to keep an eye on these laptops and see how they sell compared to those without WiMAX to see how many people are interested in using WiMAX networks.
