LIVE FROM IFA2017, BERLIN: Acer kicked off the IFA press conference bonanza this week with an event which saw it unveil a raft of new products, including LTE-connected 360-degree cameras and more products targeting pet owners.

Acer Holo360 (pictured) uses Qualcomm’s Connected Camera Platform with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 mobile processor. It includes a 3-inch touchscreen and integrated LTE connectivity, to enable users to capture, view, edit and share video from a single device.

Holo360 runs Android 7.1, which enables owners to share 360-degree photos and videos directly to social networks of choice. The company said Panomorph optics certified by ImmerVision capture consistent, high-resolution images across the field of view without distortion, including 6.9K resolution pictures and 4K video.

The device will be available in North America in November priced $429 bundled with a water-resistant case, and in EMEA during Q4 with prices starting at €349 ($415).

Acer Vision360 is focused on in-car use, with two cameras working together to “make sure that every angle around the user’s car is completely recorded in crisp, 4K video”. When an object collides with the vehicle, the device will trigger a recording of the incident including GPS coordinates, uploaded to the cloud.

The company said Vision360 is windshield mounted, aligned with the driver’s eyes, and displays current speed.

Also present was Pawbo, the Acer subsidiary targeting the lucrative pet care market. Three new products were presented: iPuppyGo, an activity tracker which “keeps tabs on pets’ exercise levels, sleep patterns, mood index and health status”; WagTag (pictured, above), which uses positioning technology mixing GPS, A-GPS, Wi-Fi and 3G to keep tabs on dogs and includes sensors for “unusual barking behaviour”, temperatures and accidental impact; and Munch, a remote control treat-dispensing system.

Computing portfolio
Of course, the company also updated its computing portfolio, with Swift 5, an “ultraslim and ultralight notebook”; Spin 5, a convertible for “everyday use”; and Switch 7 Black Edition, which was described as the world’s first fanless 2-in-1 notebook with discrete graphics.

It also unveiled its Aspire line with Aspire S24, which it said is its slimmest ever all-in-one desktop. Claiming to be the world’s leading Chromebook brand, it announced a new Chromebook 15 computer with “new stylish aluminium design and long battery life of 12 hours”.