Got this post in my “TheAcerGuy” section. Apologies to Kim for taking it down which is why I’m re-posting it here, along with my response.

I don’t normally keep track of what’s available as the global market’s too darned hot for my liking. I prefer to leave that to shopping search engines or newsgator.

Hi Mike,
Like you, I have become an Acer fan. I tested the Aspire AS5610-4537, a 15″ notebook. A great machine, superb “Sony-like” display (HP, Gateway and Toshiba don’t get even close to this quality), superb sound quality, and I love the fact that they put a $/euro keys for users, nearby the arrow keys, instead of leaving the spaces empty like in many notebooks. What a waste…
Oh yeah, the SignalUp rocks!!
I have 2 questions and I think you might be able to help me on these:
1) I’d like to get a 14″ Acer Aspire 5590 notebook. The closest thing easily available on the US market is the 5580-7697.
But I want the 5590.
2) Is there any Acer 14″ in the market with a Core2Duo proc higher than the Intel T5200, i.e., with a clock faster than 1.6Ghz?
Thanks a lot for your help.
Kim

In answer to your questions, Kim, I have forwarded your question over to the US guys as they’re in a far better position than me to say what’s available and where.

In the meantime, I’ve had a look round a few US sites and can’t find a way of getting the 5590 to you. In addition to the logistical problems of buying outside your home market (keyboard setup like you mentioned in addition to battery voltages or just mains socket differences), there’s also the pain of warranty. I know this is unfounded and I’ll probably get kicked for saying this but I always like to buy things I might need serviced locally (think of the cost of importing and then servicing a low-production British sports car like the Marcos you just ordered from the factory).

[eminimall]

Tiger Direct currently has a pretty good deal on a “refurbished 5570” while Amazon.com has a good selection of 14.1” Aspires on this link (no they aren’t affiliates).

I guess you saw the 5580 at Directron.com for $929.00. That’s the only place I found it.

It all boils down to how much you’re prepared to spend for a short-term performance benefit. At $599.99 for an Aspire 5570 you really can’t go far wrong, particularly if you compare that to the $1,859.97 for the stunning Ferrari 1000 from the same shop.

Having said that, if you’re going to want to run Vista with all the bells and whistles, a couple of hundred bucks more will make a dramatic difference to your Windows® Experience Index!

For your second question, as far as I’m aware the answer is no. If you’re after a speed rise, then you’re gonna have to wait a couple more months at least.