Acer is looking to expand the market for laptops that run Chrome and has come up with the enterprise-friendly Chromebook which meets U.S. Military Standard or MIL-STD 810G reliability standards, meaning, it is a "rugged" device that can withstand cold, crash or collision. The laptop starts at $349 and will ship in May.
One of the advantages of Chromebook devices for businesses is that Microsoft Office 365 runs on them so that organizations need not go through painful migration to Google Drive or Docs. While Acer's Chromebook 14 targets businesses, especially those who have adopted Google for Work or cloud, it has likewise some interesting features. The laptop is durable, spill-proof and crush-proof so that even if the user spills hot coffee on the device and send it to the floor with a big thud, he still can pick it up and continue working on it, according to ComputerWorld.
Acer's new laptop endured rigorous testing to meet the MIL-STD 810G standard. The military spec testing validated the durability, quality and ruggedness of the device, testing eight parameters - hot and cold temperature, vibration, humidity, sand, dust, rain and drop from the height of 48 inches, according to Acer's press release on April 21, Thursday. The device can endure up to 132 pounds of downward force.
The Chromebook 14 for Work has a scratch-resistant Vibrant Corning Glass lid that allows companies to print graphics on it. Its backlit keyboard is spill-resistant that can withstand 11 fluid ounces.
The new 14-inch Chromebook is the first laptop to harness the sixth-generation Core processor, Intel's Skylake which makes it possible for the battery to last more than 10 hours. It sports a 14-inch display, as its name suggests, which is of 1366 x 768 or 1920 x 1080 full high-definition resolution. The laptop is 0.88- inch thick and weighs 3.2 pounds.
The Acer Chromebook 14 for Work spec sheet includes a USB 3.0 Type-C, a 1280 x 720 resolution webcam, 16 or 32GB internal storage, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and a RAM that could either be 2GB, 4GB or 8GB. It includes tools for businesses to deploy the device more securely and easily. Furthermore, it has the Trusted Platform Module chip to encrypt its files.
The following video features a hands-on of Acer Chromebook 14 for Work.