![]() ![]() Besides the solution provides an option to open a saved document for editing or create a new blank document. These options include “new recording” which can be used to capture screen, video camera, or microphone. The solution comes with a user-friendly interface that provides three navigation options. One desirable attribute of ScreenFlow is its ease of use. While the Acer Aspire R7 has promotional ties to Star Trek, I’m hoping it appears in a sequel long before the crew of the Enterprise does.The main benefits of ScreenFlow are it’s easy to use, reliable recording, and powerful editing capabilities. Combined with better performance and battery life, it could be a winner as a full-blown desktop replacement. The placement of the trackpad needs rethinking, and given the Aspire R7’s desktop-like aspirations, it might make more sense with a 17-inch display. My advice to Acer is to iterate on this design, rather than treat it as a one-off concept. With the R7, you’re paying a premium for the interesting design, not for performance or portability. ![]() But keep in mind that for roughly the same price, you could instead get a thinner and lighter Ultrabook, a better laptop-tablet hybrid or a beefier PC with a discrete graphics card for gaming. ![]() Throw the R7 into the pile of laptops that need to be saved by Intel’s upcoming Haswell chips, and their promise of greatly improved battery life.Īcer deserves credit for trying to rethink the laptop, and coming up with a design that offers some practical benefits. Even with “Power Saver” mode enabled, I never managed much more than four hours on a charge. I had a couple other minor nitpicks with the R7 namely its overly intrusive anti-virus bloatware, and the fact that the Windows software keyboard always pops up when you tap on a text field, even if the laptop’s keyboard is in use.īut the Aspire R7’s biggest weakness is battery life. The 2D indie gem Thomas Was Alone was silky smooth in 1080p, at least. Just don’t try playing high-end games on it I barely got Just Cause 2 into a playable state at 1024-by-768 resolution and minimum graphics settings. It’s not the snappiest machine–I noticed occasional delays when firing up apps and waking the machine from standby–but it should be fine for work and light entertainment. Unique design aside, the Acer Aspire R7 is a typical PC, with a 1080p display, Intel Core i5 processor, 6 GB of RAM and a 500 GB hard drive paired with a 24 GB solid state drive for operating system functions. The R7’s backlit keyboard, at least, was adequate, if only a smidge on the soft side. I found myself using the touch screen on the R7 more than I normally would on a laptop, just because it was less vexing than dealing with the trackpad. If you despise inverse scrolling, you’re out of luck with the R7. Worst of all, I couldn’t find any option in the trackpad’s drivers to reverse the direction of two-finger scrolling. Tapping the trackpad instead of clicking proved a bit finicky as well. ![]() The clickable portion starts tapering off about halfway up the pad, and the R7 occasionally confused single clicking with clicking-and-dragging. A more futuristic design–one that would appease lefties–might include a touch-sensitive bar that runs the length of the base (see Intel’s Nikiski concept laptop for an example), though I’m not sure if that technology is ready for primetime.įor what it’s worth, the trackpad isn’t great to begin with. I wouldn’t mind if Acer slid the trackpad all the way over to the right side, where a strip of plastic beyond the keyboard provides a resting place for the user’s palm. It doesn’t help that the trackpad is placed at dead-center of the laptop. As such, there’s no place to rest your palm while using the trackpad without accidentally engaging the keyboard. The R7’s flexibility requires one major trade-off: The keyboard simply has to be up front, otherwise it’d be difficult or impossible to use, which means the trackpad gets kicked to the back. It makes a lot of sense, especially when the laptop is on your lap. The screen also becomes easier to see and touch this way, and it helps shift the weight balance of the laptop toward the center. The display hovers a few inches above the base of the laptop, leaving enough room to access the trackpad. My favorite mode of all: by bringing the hinge part-way forward, and tilting the screen slightly upward, the R7 gains an almost desktop-like quality. ![]()
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