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Did Acer Accidentally Invent the Cloud Workstation?

22.02.2011
An intriguing on Monday unveiled a cheap monitor that includes built-in PC functionality. The Acer DX241H is an , but it also features an operating system running on top of an ARM Cortex-A8 chip--the same processor commonly found in cell phones and tablets. All this comes in at around just $400, although that price would likely be significantly lower if the product reaches the United States.

Initial reports said that the "monitor" ran , which would have made it the first commercial product to do so. Acer is one of Google's partners so this wasn't infeasible.

However, it transpired that this was a spec-list mistake. Instead, the DX241H will run , almost certainly on top of an unspecified Linux distro. The only other software, it appears, will be a multimedia player.

Acer is touting the DX241H as a monitor that happens to have browsing built in, just like some monitors have simple computing functionality built in that lets them display pictures on memory cards, for example.

However, the product proposes an intriguing concept: Could it be the first of many inexpensive all-in-one monitor-and-PC combos featuring low-power ARM processors that allow them to run Chrome OS? Could Acer have accidentally created ?

The all-in-one PC field has boomed in recent years, pushing aside standard "box-based" desktop computers, despite the fact that and leaving desktop machines behind.