Acer announces updated three-in-one ‘Star Trek’ R7 laptop with boosted specs

Acer has recently unveiled its new, revamped and incredibly sci-fi 15.6″ Aspire R7 laptop hybrid. The notebook slash tablet slash table top pad features a more powerful processor, active stylus support and overall beefier specs. The hinge allows the display to flip, reverse, lie flat or float above the keyboard to maximize usability.

For extended battery life and overall performance, the R7 carries Intel’s 4th-generation Core i5-4200U chip, popularly known as Haswell, together with a full HD touchscreen display. It also has beefed up memory with 8GB RAM and a 1TB hard drive.

Furthermore, you’ll find three USB ports, a HDMI port, a microSD slot as well as a converter port for various adapters. The R7 has a backlit keyboard and is only available in silver.

The thing that makes the R7 stand out above the rest isn’t only its specs but its hybrid functionality. The device has what Acer likes to call an “Ezel-Hinge” that allows you to flip the display back and use the laptop in tablet mode.

The Ezel Hinge should make it easy to switch the display around, to touch or type while creating, browsing or sharing content. Dual hinge technology allows for single-hand switching between modes and keeps the display rock-steady when touched.

Though it has active stylus support, the pen will be sold separately for US$50. Acer’s active DuoSense stylus is said to recognize 256 levels of pressure and features interchangeable tips and customizable side buttons.

The R7-572-6423 will be available in the US for US$900 (there’s no word of an international release). It’s available at Best Buy and for US$1000 you’ll get a copy of the very inspiring (but terrible) Star Trek: The Video Game. A great laptop bundled with a god-awful game? Let’s see if Acer’s plans work out.