Acer Adds New Chromebook Models to C7 Family

The somewhat aggressive expansion of Chromebook models continues today with an announcement from Acer that it's releasing several new C7 SKUs, including a C710-2055 model that boasts up to 6 hours of battery life. This particular model is intended for commercial customers, especially schools looking to enhance student learning with affordable technology, but Acer also stresses that it's a great system for any consumer that needs a system primarily for online computing.

Like the original C7 Chromebook, the new version features an Intel Celeron 847 dual-core processor clocked at 1.1GHz, a 320GB hard disk drive (HDD), and an 11.6-inch display with a 1366x768 resolution. What's different is that it boasts twice as much RAM (4GB versus 2GB) and a bigger battery (6-cell versus 4-cell) that yields an additional 2 hours of run time.

Acer C7 Chromebook

The added RAM and bigger battery come at a cost (literally) -- Acer's MSRP for the C710-2055 is $280, whereas the original C7 sells for $200. It's still an affordable Chromebook, however, and some will find the added battery life alone justifies the additional expense. For those who are indifferent, the original model is still being sold online.