Humans Are So Gross Acer's Applying An Anti-Germ Coating To Laptops And Tablets
Concerned about cooties? Don't be, they're not actually real, no matter what bullies told you in grade school however many years ago. But germs and bacteria are, and if you stop to think about it, all these touch devices we use everyday are hotbeds for grossness. Acer's solution? Apply an antimicrobial coating to certain laptops, tablets, and other devices.
This is a different kind of 'clean computing', folks. And probably more effective than bundling in a bar of soap with new laptops. What's at play here is a special coating that purportedly reduces the growth of microbes from high-touch surfaces, so your fancy hardware can "stay cleaner longer," according to Acer. But please, still wash your hands.
Turns out that the secret weapon against gross computer hardware is the same one used to kill vampires and werewolves—silver.
"A silver ion antimicrobial agent can be embedded in or applied onto the surface of the chassis, keyboard, display, touchpad, hinge, fingerprint reader, and more. Silver ions are highly reactive particles that are able to dramatically reduce the growth rate of microbes upon contact," Acer explains.
Acer says these silver ions (Ag+) leach onto glass and other surfaces, making them less susceptible to stain and and odor-causing bacteria. And we suppose in a pinch, you could use one of these devices to whack a vampire in the head, and knock the blood-sucker out cold. If you encounter a werewolf, you're probably SOL, unfortunately.
One of the devices getting the antimicrobial treatment is Acer's TravelMate Spin P4. This is a convertible laptop aimed at business users, offered with up to an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 vPro processor. It features a 14-inch Full HD 1080p touch display, and in addition to resisting germs, it also meets MIL-STD 810H impact resistance standards.
The same coating is also found on Acer's Enduro Urban N3, a durable 14-inch laptop for adventure seekers. It too boasts MIL-STD 810H certification, as well as IP53 for dust and water resistance.
"Four reinforced corners help the device to survive drops (up to 4 ft/122 cm), while the waterproof design of its I/O ports, speakers and buttons, plus a unique drainage system and Acer’s water-proof Aquafan mean that users can venture anywhere without needing to worry about the weather," Acer says.
In addition, Acer's expanded lineup of products with anti-germ coatings include the VE246Q, a 23.6-inch Full HD 1080 panel with a VA screen and 1,000,000,000:1 contrast ratio, some peripherals, those being a Bluetooth mouse (B501) with a 1,000 DPI, and a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse combo (KM501) for Chromebooks, and its Enduro Urban T3 tablet.
So there you go, germophobes, there are lots of options to keep to make touch computing less icky.
