Acer 532G is first netbook with dedicated graphics

Nvidia Optimus
Nvidia's latest tech gives Acer's new netbook both battery life and power

Acer is taking HD video playback in its netbooks seriously, with its new Aspire One 532G netbook offering smooth 1080p playback through an HDMI port.

Acer is boasting that the netbook can handle YouTube HD videos and high-def playback from Facebook without problems, while mainstream gaming and 3D computing should be no trouble either.

The video power comes courtesy of Nvidia's upgraded Ion platform, which now makes use of the recently announced Optimus technology.

Optimus rolls out

This allows the 532G to switch between integrated or dedicated graphics processors on the fly, which means when you're just browsing the web you can get 10 hours of battery life, but the more powerful GPU kicks in automatically when you start playing HD movies or games.

The discrete half of the Nvidia Ion solution offers 512MB of graphics memory and CUDA support for some advanced applications, which means the netbook will be more useful for tasks like video editing and encoding than its Intel Atom N450 processor might let on.

The Acer Aspire One 532G also features WiFi, a high definition 10-inch LED-backlit display and optional 3G connectivity, while the whole package weighs 1kg and clocks in at 1-inch thick.

Acer has also announced that it will introduce netbooks powered by the Android operating system to provide speedy internet access and simple usability.