Acer built a more durable Chromebook for clumsy students
The new Chromebook 11 N7 brings military-grade durability standards to the classroom.
Apparently, the rugged Chromebook Acer built for schools back in 2015 wasn't durable enough. Today at CES the company announced a new, more durable notebook. Now schools can equip students with a Chromebook 11 N7 C731 that can bear up to 132 pounds of force, resist case and hinge damage while bouncing around in student backpacks, and survive falls from as high as 48 inches -- more than twice the drop height of the old model.
Acer says it designed the new Chromebook 11 for compliance with US Military Standard MIL-STD-810G -- specifically the spec's requirements for enduring high and low temperatures, humidity, mechanical shocks, drops, vibration, and the effects of rain, dust and sand. The notebook isn't waterproof, but its spill-resistant keyboard's gutter system claims to be able to drain up to 11 ounces of water away from the machine's vital components. Those keys are mildly student-proof too and are designed to be difficult for more destructive students to remove.
Durability aside, the Chromebook 11 N7 seems to be a promising education machine. With 12 hours of promised battery life, the notebook has more than enough juice to get through a school day. The machine's 1,366 x 768 display comes in both touch and non-touch varieties too. There's also plenty of connectivity options: two USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI socket and an SD card reader. The N7 will be available later this month starting at $230 with 4GB of RAM.
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