Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook hits the US and Canada this week, rings in at $899

And the Ultrabooks have arrived! We just got word that the Acer Aspire S3 will go on sale in the US and Canada this week for $899 - making it the first pinch-thin, MacBook Air competitor to hit the market, landing ahead of competing models from Toshiba, Lenovo and ASUS. To recap, this 2.98-pound aluminum beaut has a 13.3-inch (1366 x 768) panel, is rated for six hours (or 50 standby days!) of battery life and promises to wake from sleep in a mere two seconds. For the money, you'll get an ultra low voltage Core i5 CPU, 4GB of RAM and 20GB of solid-state storage combined with a 320GB HDD. No word yet on how many additional configs will be available, though Acer did confirm that this $899 version will be followed by models with Core i3 and i7 processors and beefier storage capacity. Intrigued? Have a gander at our hands-on preview if you missed it the first time around, and find some fancy press shots below.

Bangladesh Announces National Laptop Line

More and more countries are beginning to nationalize its technology as a way to minimize their reliance on foreign countries when it comes to digital modernity. China is developing its own processors, while India is subsidizing a national tablet computer. Recently, the government of Bangladesh (a developing country east of India) has unveiled its own line of very cheap netbooks.

The Doel computers, named after the country's national bird (the magpie), start at 10,000 taka (around US$130) and run on Android OS. Its graphics may not be as advanced as usual laptops, but the Doel netbooks are more than sufficient in basic computing usage such as web browsing, word processing, and document management.

The computers are manufactured by contractors managed by state-owned telecom ISS. Only 10% of the computer parts are made in Doel at the moment, but ISS plans to produce 60% within six months. The processor and RAM, for instance, are imported.

The 10,000-taka Doel Model 2102 features an 800MHz VIA 8650 processor, 512MB of RAM, and a 10-inch display with 1024 x 600 resolution. It does not have internal storage, but there is an SD card slot. Meanwhile, the Model 0703 costs 12,000 taka (around $160) and comes with a better screen resolution, Atom N456 processor, 1GB of RAM, 250GB HDD, and a much-improved webcam. The 0703 runs on “Linux-based OS,” which can be adjusted.

AVADirect Clevo P180HM 18.4-Inch Gaming Laptop

AVADirect hits back with another gaming laptop, the Clevo P180HM. Powered by a 2.7GHz Intel Core i7-2960XM Extreme Edition quad-core processor, the machine sports an 18.4-inch 1920 x 1080 LED-backlit display, a 1.5GB GeForce GTX 560M graphics card, up to 12GB DDR3 RAM, up to 1TB hard drive, a webcam, a DVD or Blu-ray drive, a 9-in-1 card reader, WiFi, Bluetooth, a USB 3.0 port, an HDMI port and runs on Windows 7 OS. Price starts at $1,946. [Product Page]

ASUS UX21E Zenbook Ultrabook

ASUS has unveiled the new UX21E Zenbook ultrabook. Measuring 29.9cm x 19.6cm x 1.7cm and weighing 1.1 kg, this ultra-portable laptop is powered by either an Intel Core i7 2677M, Intel Core i5 2467M or Intel Core i3 2367M processor. The ASUS UX21E Zenbook also features an Intel QS67 Express chipset with up to 256GB SATA SSD, an integrated 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and a built-in Bluetooth 4.0. Additional specs include a headphone-out jack, a USB 3.0 port, a USB 2.0 port, a micro HDMI and a mini VGA. Its polymer battery provides up to 2-week of standby time. [ASUS]

Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook, the MacBook Air rival has landed, costing $899

And the Ultrabooks have arrived! We just got word that the Acer Aspire S3 landed on our shores and are already available in stores, and they're also available in the US and Canada this week for $899 — making it the first pinch-thin, MacBook Air competitor to hit the market, landing ahead of competing models from Toshiba, Lenovo and ASUS. Retail stores in Malaysia are also stocking them, and are available at an RRP of RM 2,599.

To recap, this 2.98-pound aluminum beaut has a 13.3-inch (1366 x 768) panel, is rated for six hours (or 50 standby days!) of battery life and promises to wake from sleep in a mere two seconds. For the money, you'll get an ultra-low voltage Core i5 CPU, 4GB of RAM and 20GB of solid-state storage combined with a 320GB HDD. No word yet on how many additional configs will be available, though Acer did confirm that this $899 version will be followed by models with Core i3 and i7 processors and beefier storage capacity.

Order your Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook here

B&H Offers Acer Aspire One AOD257-1671 10.1-Inch Netbook For Just $237.95

B&H online store is offering you this Acer Aspire One AOD257-1671 10.1-inch netbook for just $237.95. This mini laptop is packed with a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 LED-backlit display, a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N570 processor, an Intel GMA 3150 graphics card, a 1GB DDR3 RAM, a 250GB hard drive, a 0.3MP webcam, a card reader, WiFi, a 3-cell battery and runs on Windows 7 Starter 32-bit OS. Grab yours now! [Product Page]

Acer Aspire S3 Now Available For Pre-order On Amazon For $899.99

Amazon has started taking pre-orders for the Acer Aspire S3 ultrabook. Priced at only $899.99, the Acer Aspire S3 features a 13.3-inch display, an Intel Core i5-2467M processor, a 4GB of RAM, an Intel Integrated HD graphics, a 20GB SSD to store the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium OS, and a 320GB 5400RPM hard disk drive to store user's files. Its 3-cell Lithium polymer battery offers up to 8-hour of operation time. Amazon will launch the Acer Aspire S3 on October 16th, 2011. [Amazon]