IFA: Acer shows off Aspire S3 ultrabook to rival Apple MacBook Air

Acer claims long battery life, rapid resume, and ultra-thin design for its ultrabook

Acer is the latest vendor to take the wraps off an ultrabook with the unveiling of its Aspire S3 at the IFA show in Berlin.

Set to ship from the end of September, the Aspire S3 integrates the best features of laptops and mobile devices, according to Acer, and comes in a thin and light metal casing that is designed to be sturdy and aerodynamic.

Like Lenovo's U300s, the Aspire S3 has a 13.3in screen and is based on Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processors with 4GB memory and 240GB SSD, although Acer also offers a choice of 320GB or 500GB hybrid hard drives with embedded SSD.

Among the capabilities Acer claims for the S3 is a seven hour battery life, the ability to last for up to 50 days in deep sleep mode, and a rapid resumption from this mode in just six seconds, which the company refers to as Acer Green Instant On.

"The Aspire S3 is truly designed to meet notebook users' needs, combining essential features of the smartphone and tablet PC, such as fast startup and internet connectivity, with long battery life," said Campbell Kan, Acer president for personal computer global operations.

Challenging Apple's MacBook Air models, the Aspire S3 is just 13mm at its thinnest point, but is heavier at 1.4kg. The case is constructed from aluminium/magnesium alloy.

Connectivty includes 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, but there does not appear to be any 3G mobile broadband option.

Other features include a "chiclet" style keyboard, Dolby Home Theatre v4, HDMI output, and a reader for SD Card and MultiMediaCard Flash storage.

Prices are expected to fall between €799 (£700) and €1,199 (£1,051), according to Acer.