In addition to launching four new Chromebooks during this week’s BETT 2021 education show, Acer is adding a new small, low-power, and rugged Windows laptop to its line of classroom-friendly PCs.
The new Acer TravelMate Spin B3 is a convertible laptop with an 11.6 inch touchscreen display, a 360-degree hinge, and an Intel “Jasper Lake” Celeron or Pentium Silver processor. The laptop should be available in North America in April for $330 and up.
Update: Microsoft notes that there’s also a TravelMate B3 without the convertible tablet design. It’s coming soon for $239.
Acer hasn’t revealed all the specs for the laptop yet, so there’s no word on the exact size or weight. But it’s designed to be a sturdy device with a shock absorbent bumper, mechanically anchored keys, a spill-resistant keyboard, and a moisture-resistant touchpad.
The display is covered with antimicrobial Corning Gorilla Glass and there’s optional support for a antimicrobial coating on the keyboard, touchpad, and palm rest.
The TravelMate Spin B3 has a 5MP webcam, USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C, HDMI, and Ethernet ports, and support for WiFi as well as optional 4G LTE support. There’s also optional support for a digital pen.
Acer says the notebook should get up to 12 hours of battery life, but there’s also a battery level indicator on the front cover, allowing teachers to see at a glance if a student’s device needs to be plugged in.