Image from iSuppli

From one of the fastest growing companies in the world, Dell is slowly losing its grip at the top.  Taiwan-based PC maker Acer has managed to supplant the Round Rock-based company as the second-largest PC builder in the world.

According to the third quarterly report by iSuppli, Acer has jumped over Dell to second spot with their computer shipments up with a 16.6 percent year-on-year growth. This is equal to almost 10.74 million PCs or 13.4 percent of the worldwide market of 79.9 million units. continue reading…

Looks like the industry needs a major reboot. Computer giant Dell announced on November 19 their third quarter revenues, which didn’t meet analysts’ forecast as shipments stayed flat when compared with 2008 figures.

Revenues climbed to $12.9 billion for the third quarter, but fell 15 percent from the same period a year ago. The total income for the third quarter was $337 million which is down from $727 million in the same quarter last year. The less than stellar sales performance, analysts say, is due to decreased PC demand as well as the weakening of the dollar in the third quarter. continue reading…

As business laptops go, Acer’s TravelMate series has gained quite a  loyal following among mobile warriors over the years. The newest TravelMate models, the  8371 and  8471, are both designed to live up to the demands of mobile computing by combining reliable performance with an ultra-portable chassis.

Powering the TravelMate 8371/8471 is an energy-efficient Intel Core 2 Duo CPU that has a clock speed of 1.4Ghz and an 800Mhz front side bus. The ultra-low voltage platform achieves better computing efficiency thanks to dual-channel DDR3 memory support. continue reading…