Acer Crams a Core i7 Into its New TimelineX Ultraportable

It's only been a few short months since Acer revealed its sleek, ultraportable Aspire TimelineX series, but the series is already getting an update. Acer just announced that it has updated the series, with a couple of new models and configurations.

A new model shines in the 1830T line--the 1830T-68U118, which features an Intel Core i7 680UM processor (1.46GHz with Turbo Boost technology), and 11.6-inch display, and a (supposed) 8 hours of battery life. The new model also lives up to its ultraportable classification, weighing in at just 3.09 lbs. This new ultra-light notebook has a suggested price of $899.

Acer updated the other TimelineX models as well: New features include HDMI output ports, Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 processors, full-sized keyboards (including the 11.6-incher), and Windows Home Premium. A couple of the 14-inch notebooks even have discrete graphics.

If you're looking for something a little closer to notebook instead of netbook, Acer is updating its 3820T line--13.3-inch screens, 3.97 pounds, and just over an inch (1.14 inches) thick. The 3820T line features Intel Core i3 or i5 processors, 4GB of RAM (upgradeable to 8GB), and up to a 320GB hard drive.

The Aspire 5820T (15.6-inch screens, 5.5 lbs) and 4820T (14-inch screens, 4.65 lbs) have been updated to include Intel Core i3 or i5 processors, up to 4GB of RAM (upgradeable to 8GB), and hard drives up to 500GB in capacity. Both lines will set you back $700+.

Also--for gamers--a couple of the 14-inch (4820TG) models now have discrete switchable graphics in an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 graphics card. These models, which feature an Intel Core i5-460M processor, have a suggested retail price starting at $799.

While we're a bit skeptical about the "8-hour battery life" claim on all of these models, an 11.6-incher with a full-size keyboard and an i7 processor is certainly tempting.

The new configurations will be available in retail stores on Monday.