Acer has updated the processor on its C710 Chromebook. The refreshed version of the Google Chrome OS-powered mini laptop with a 11.6″ display sports the 1.5GHz Intel Celeron 1007U dual-core instead of the 1.1GHz Celeron 847 dual-core. Although the 1007U is rather a very entry level CPU than a speed deamon, peformance increase of the C710 is noticeable. For instance, the Passmark score of the Celeron 1007U is 1,379 points, whereas the 847 scores just 985. That’s Windows-based benchmark, but it describes performance difference between the CPUs well. Multi-tab web browsing is a bit quicker and the new C710 plays 1080p Youtube videos without a glitch.
Other hardware specifications remained the same. There’s 2 or 4 GB of RAM, a 320GB mechanical hard drive or a 16GB solid state drive, 1366×768 screen resolution, and a 4-cell or 6-cell battery.
The chassis of Acer’s Chromebook hasn’t been changed. It’s made of gray plastics and measures 1.1″ in profile.
The ultraportable has been showed off at the IFA 2013 Show. It has a 249 EUR price tag attached to it, and in the US it should cost about $250. It isn’t clear if the refreshed version will be available for $200 like some currently offered C710 configurations with 2GB RAM. Also, availability date is unknown, but the laptop is expected to hit the market soon.
Update: We now have one of the model names for the 1007U-based C710. It’s the C710-10074G01ii with a 6-cell battery, 4GB RAM, and a 16GB SSD.
Google faced a lot of skepticism when they first released the Chromebook, and I give them credit for sticking with it. As Google and its hardware partners continue to improve the Chromebook, more consumers and even organizations will begin to view it as a viable computing option.
But what about Chromebook users that need to access Windows applications like Microsoft office? They can try products like Ericom AccessNow, an HTML5 RDP solution that enables Chromebook users to connect to Terminal Servers and/or VDI virtual desktops, and run Windows applications or desktops in a browser tab.
There’s nothing to install on the Chromebook, so AccessNow is easy to deploy and manage.
For an online, interactive demo, open your Chrome browser and visit:
http://www.ericom.com/demo_AccessNow.asp?URL_ID=708
Please note that I work for Ericom