Acer offers cheapest Windows 8 touch laptop

Notebooks with touch, a feature that adds much value to the new Windows 8 operating system, are finally becoming cheaper. Acer's new Aspire V5, with prices starting from Rs 34,550, will now be the cheapest Windows 8 devices available in the market.

Till now Asus had the cheapest touch laptop in the Vivobook F202E, which costs Rs 39,990. However, this is a 11.6-inch device in comparison to the Aspire V5 which is available in 14- and 15.6-inch sizes. At the entry level, the V5 series will have Pentium Dual Core processors. There will also be models with the newer Intel Core i3 and i5 processors. At less than 20mm thin and weighing slightly over 2 kg, the elegant V5 series is 30 percent slimmer and 10 percent lighter than a traditional notebook, said a release.

Chief Marketing Officer S Rajendran said touch technology will allow users to integrate with both the virtual and physical environment. "With consumers on the lookout for products that offer ease of use and enhanced user experience, we are confident that consumers will seamlessly adapt to touch technology in their day to day use as touch is a natural instinct to mankind. To address this emerging demand we have launched a series of notebooks on the latest Windows OS."

The devices will come with a 16:9 aspect ratio ideal for movies and games on a power-saving LED backlit screen. They will also feature Dolby Advanced Audio technology.

The Acer Aspire V5 series touch enabled devices are priced between Rs 34,550 and Rs 47,500 according to their specifications.