We saw a handful of new Windows 10 laptops and notebooks earlier this month at the Consumers Electronics Show 2016, catering different price points. But, it seems manufacturers still have a few more in the pipeline which will be launching in the coming weeks.
Recently, Taiwanese manufacturer Acer has introduced an education-oriented TravelMate B117 laptop. The new laptop comes with several education-focused features which can help teachers and students in their classroom and studies. The TravelMate B117 with Acer TeachSmart features an LED light embedded on the lid and flash in four colors. This can help teachers and students when it comes to communication in the class, for instance during a test or a tutorial sessions.
The company said in the press release,
“Teachers can post multiple-choice questions to the entire class. After students select their answers on the notebook, the LEDs will light up in a corresponding color to indicate the answers they have chosen. Alternatively, students can toggle the LED light after they have finished an assignment, and teachers can monitor the progress of the whole class simply by looking at the students’ notebooks. The LED light can also replace traditional hand raising, signaling the need for attention to the teacher. In addition, teachers will also have a user interface that displays the total status, such as the number of students that have finished their assignments or the breakdown of multiple choice answers.”
Acer’s TeachSmart also features a cloud-based service which keeps students and teachers connected. The teachers can share class assessments, worksheets and other education material, and monitor the progress of the students. This also saves the need to distribute hard copies to the students and save paper as well.
As for other specifications, there’s an 11.6-inch display with Intel HD graphics, a solid hinge which opens up to 180 degrees, 4GB of RAM, dual digital microphones, 802.11ac wireless, one USB 3.0 port, one USB 2.0 port, and a full-sized HDMI port with HDCP support. On the software side, it ships with Windows 10 as its operating system out of the box.
