Filed under: Desktops

If you’re still fence sitting on whether or not the 24-inch iMac would appropriately fill the gaping expanse on your desk, and the unboxing photos, impressive Core 2 Duo benchmarks, and promise of “upgradable graphics” haven’t convinced you just yet, maybe a full-fledged review will relieve the hemming and the hawing. PCMag has given Apple’s biggest all-in-one about as much praise as any glossy white device can handle, while finding little to harp negatively upon; reviewers were quick to espouse the machine’s prowess in nearly every aspect imaginable, calling it “a system that photo, video, music and even graphics enthusiasts could love.” More specifically, they admired the brightly lit LCD, “zippy” performance in OS X, better than expected gaming performance (in Windows XP, of course), and tight Front Row integration. The only notable digs were it’s sluggish 3D results in OS X (surprise, surprise) and the disappointing lack of a built-in flash card reader or TV tuner. Regardless, PCMag handed out a 4.5 out of 5 rating (along with an Editor’s Choice award), and proudly stated that returning their test unit would be tough — so if you still aren’t swayed, hit the read link for the full rundown.

 

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Filed under: Displays, HDTV

We're not sure how business savvy it is for a company to announce in a press release that two of the 16:10 LCDs it's just unveiled -- in the same release -- will be made obsolete by key spec bumps in just a few months, but that didn't stop Acer from revealing that both the new 22-inch AL2216W and 26-inch AL2616W will be replaced by HDCP-capable versions during the fourth quarter. Reason being,  the current iterations of these models -- both members of the company's Value Line -- lack the necessary digital inputs to support the HD copy protection standard, although that's not the case with the the third display released today, the DVI-sporting, 24-inch AL2434WR. Like the AL2616W, the 24-incher -- part of the Office Line -- features a 1,920 x 1,200 WUXGA display, 6-millisecond gray-to-gray response time, and a 1000:1 contrast ratio, while the AL2216W is slightly quicker (5 milliseconds) than both, but offers less pixels (1,680 x 1,050) and a lower contrast ratio (700:1). As of this writing, pricing has not been revealed for any of these new units, but if you're interested in the Value lineup, we're thinking that maybe you should just save your pennies anyway and hold out for HDCP.

[Via BIOS]

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