The commitment shown by Acer with ChromeOS is beyond any doubt, to the point that if we exclude the Chromebook prototype produced by Google at the end of 2010 and that never reached the market, Acer was one of the first two brands to bet on this new platform, by bringing devices of this type to the market, back in July 2011. Since then, as is well known, the brand has maintained a constant renewal of its offer of this type of device, and has been the forerunner of some related advances with the same ones that have later been adopted by other manufacturers.
When we talk about ChromeOS, what we naturally think of is Chromebooks, of course, because these low-cost laptops with a great performance-price ratio have become, over the years, an obligatory reference. in certain markets, such as education and professionals with a high level of mobility. But, of course, this does not mean that, in many contexts, Google’s operating system for computers has no place on desktop systems.
Among the novelties presented by Acer at CES 2023, ChromeOS has also had its space, of course, and part of it has corresponded precisely to that, to desktop solutions based on ChromeOS, and that will change the opinion of more than one in this regard. to what can be done with this type of equipment, that is, those based on this operating system. A proposal that is summarized with two words that we will develop below: Chromebox and Add-In-One.
Acer Chromebox CXI5
As you may have already imagined, this Chromebox CXI5 is the evolution of the CXI4 model presented by the company in 2020. We are, therefore, with a compact desktop system with ChromeOS preloaded, but which in this new generation makes an important qualitative leap in terms of regarding the components it integrates. And it is that if the previous generation was “powered” by Intel Celeron processors, this time we can opt for up to a twelfth generation Intel Core i7 chip (Alder Lake). This also means that in addition to the general purpose CXI5 version, an Acer Chromebox Enterprise CXI5 will also hit the market, specifically aimed at the corporate market, and which will feature Intel vPro.
Regarding connectivity, we can also affirm that technology has not fallen short in the design of this system, since four USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A ports and two USB 4 Gen 3 Type C ports, which added to two other connectors HDMI 2.1 make the system capable of managing up to four displays simultaneously. And if we talk about the network, in the wireless section we will have WiFi 6E, while its RJ-45 interface offers wired connectivity of up to 2.5 gigabits per second.
The Acer Chromebox CXI5 will be available in Spain from March and its price will start at 349 euros (excluding VAT). You can find more information about the general purpose model at this link, and about its Entreprise variant at this link.
Acer Add-In-One 24
An all-in-one computer but with a modular design? Yes, and it’s as good an idea as it sounds, since it allows us to prolong the life of the screen, generally the component of the system that can last the longest, but updating the PC part of it, which is what we probably want to renew in a shorter period. Both for economic savings and for environmental responsibility, a proposal like this deserves the highest recognition.
Such is the case, of course, with this Acer Add-In-One 24, which combines a screen (with a touch option on some models) with an Acer Chromebox CXI5 (it is also compatible with the Enterprise version) that we can easily and safe at the back of the screen. This fixing is completely secure (both against the risk of falls and unauthorized attempts to separate the screen and Chromebox) thanks to the use of special screws designed specifically for this purpose by Acer.
The screen is built from a 24-inch IPS panel with FullHD resolution (1920 x 1080 with 16:9 aspect ratio) with anti-reflective coating, and integrates a 5 MP webcam with 115-degree wide angle, dual microphones and dual 4-watt speakers, which makes it a very good option for all types of video conferences, something that is exponentially improved thanks to its AI-based noise reduction modes. Also, for those who are more concerned about privacy, the webcam has an integrated camera shutter, so we can physically block the possibility of image capture whenever we want.
The Acer Add-in-One will be available in Spain from March and its price will start at 799 euros (excluding VAT). You can find more information at this link.
