50 PCWorld SEPTEMBER 2020REVIEWS ACER SPIN^3
elsewhere); plus a second Apps Explorer with
even more. There’s a PhotoDirector for Acer
trial. PowerDirector for Acer. A user
experience app. Shortcuts to Amazon,
Booking.com, Evernote, ExpressVPN, a
GoTrust ID app that uses your mobile phone
to help authenticate, portals to buy audio and
video editors from Magix Software, HeartsDeluxe, Candy Crush Friends. There are also
apps to manage Intel’s Optane drive (the Spin
3 doesn’t have one) and a Thunderbolt
manager, which seemed to do nothing even
with a hub connected. Stop already!
The one question I’m left wondering is
why, of all the software Acer bundles, there
isn’t a single good drawing app. That’s one of
the Spin 3’s selling points, after
all.A FUN PEN, A
SUBPAR WEBCAM
Tucked inside the Spin 3 is an
integrated Wacom AES Active
Pen, which rather cleverly fits
inside an unobtrusive slot on one
side of the chassis. I’ve wrestled
with integrated pens before (go.
pcworld.com/inpn), but this pen
is designed such that it can be
inserted in only one way. The
pen’s apostrophe-shaped top
contains a small metal contact for
charging the pen, which Acer
says can last for 90 minutes on
just 15 seconds of charge, or
over 100 minutes with a
300-second charge.
Acer tells us that the pen uses
EDLC (electric double-layer
capacitors), which negates the
need for a battery. It also means
A close-up of the pen’s charging connectors. that Windows won’t report theThe Spin 3’s integrated stylus measures 125.31mm long with
a 5.3mm diameter, according to Acer. A single button can be
used to select or erase e-ink.