Acer has a new Chromebase for Meetings All-in-One PC (AIO) and it's already available on the Google Store, starting at $799.
If that sounds like a hefty price tag to swallow, that's understandable. Chrome OS devices, be they Chromebooks, AIO PCs or desktops, are typically affordable, coming as the cheap versions of Windows devices with comparable specs.
With Chromebox for Meetings devices, however, things are different. They may seem expensive compared to consumer devices, but Google and its partners market them as cheaper options for video conferencing software, which is typically expensive. So looking at it from this angle, a $799 all-in-one video conferencing tool is no longer that outrageous.
Moreover, the Acer Chromebase for Meetings AIO also bundles one-year of management and support fees in that $799 price tag. Those fees normally amount to roughly $250, so it's a notable bargain.
Moving on to the specs, Acer's latest AIO is targeted at business users and offers a 24-inch LED touchscreen with 720p HD adjustable camera, complete with a combo of four microphones for high audio and video quality. Under the hood, the Acer Chromebase for Meetings packs an Intel Celeron dual-core processor combined with 4 GB of RAM and Google video acceleration.
The new Chromebase AIO further features stereo speakers, HDMI, Ethernet, three USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port, an SD card reader, and a side-mounted headphone jack. Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi are in the mix as well.
Every Acer Chromebase for Meetings sports a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, but other specs may vary by region.
"Chromebase for meetings gets technology out of the way; just plug it in, connect it to your network and you're up and running securely," Google says in its announcement.
The Acer Chromebase for Meetings is available for purchase in the United States, Canada, Ireland, the UK and Australia. Google notes that the device will soon expand to more markets where Chromebox for Meetings is currently available.
Lastly, the first 1,000 customers will be able to test two Chromebase for Meetings for free as part of a 30-day trial and take advantage of a promotional price of $549 per unit, including the management and support fee for the first year.
Interested customers will have to sign up for this chance, and the offer is subject to approval. Should they decide to return the devices, customers will have to pay for shipping.
