Whatever your feelings about Windows 8, there's no question that it (along with external threats from devices like tablets) has spurred PC makers to get more inventive than they've been in years. Not all of the convertible laptops built for the new operating system have been home runs, but after years of seeing the same designs get slightly thinner and slightly cheaper with every new iteration, the form has given PC OEMs some real opportunities to differentiate themselves.
We're going to start seeing the second wave of these systems over the next few months and if they're anything like what Acer unveiled this morning at a New York City event, well, they're certainly still going to be interesting.
The Acer Aspire R7
I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that Acer's Aspire R7 is the strangest Windows 8 laptop I've seen yet. Two things make it interesting: first, its 15.6-inch, 1080p touchscreen is mounted on a stand called an "Ezel" (pronounced "easel") that allows you to tilt the screen, flip it over to show something to a person in front of you, or fold it down over the keyboard and trackpad. Second, it swaps the traditional positions of the keyboard and trackpad, putting the trackpad nearer to the monitor and moving the keyboard nearer to the user.
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via http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/05/hands-on-with-acers-aspire-r7-the-strangest-convertible-pc-weve-ever-seen/
