AshMan says…

Something for all netbooks to aspire to: Acer Aspire One

AshMan says…

The Asus Eee PC when it launched introduced consumers to a new type of computer…a netbook. Its features weren’t the latest or the fastest, but were enough to perform the basic tasks of web surfing and Skype all at a very cheap price.

The Acer Aspire One takes everything which the Eee PC did and made it better; it looks better, feels better and performs better.

The Aspire One contains an Atom 1.6Ghz processor, and though it doesn’t sound like much of a processor, it is capable of playing 720p resolution video with little or no stutter. Paired with the processor is 1GB of RAM, which is upgradable to 1.5GB. Unfortunately it is however a pain to try and access the RAM slots and when you do you can only remove one stick as the other is soldered to the motherboard.

8GB SSD and 120/160GB hard drive versions are available and both versions run Windows XP SP3. Personally I own the hard drive version as I think that 8GB wouldn’t give me enough room to upgrade to Windows 7 which has been designed with netbooks in mind. The screen size is 8.9 inches with a 1024 x 600 resolution; the resolution is large enough to not need to struggle to see the text. At the top of the screen there is a 0.3MP webcam and microphone which is adequate enough to have a video chat on Skype.

Weighing in at 985 grams this netbook is one which is so light that I have had to double check my bag that I have it still in there. The 3 cell battery doesn’t give battery life as good as the Eee PC but it is still very respectable. In a light use test (running only a word application, and default start up programs) it achieved 3 hours 10 minutes. In the heavy use test (encoding a video file, as well as a full virus scan) it powered on for 1 hour 25 minutes.

External ports on the machine include: Multi-card reader, SD card reader, 3 USB ports, VGA, Headphone, Microphone, and Ethernet. This set of ports on a small machine beats some full laptops, especially the number of USB ports. The two card readers also are a great asset to a netbook as they can double as SD card storage or Ready boost memory if you are running Windows 7.

The usability of this small laptop isn’t a problem as the keyboard is 92% of a traditional keyboard which is quite easy to get used to. The mouse buttons are located to the left and right hand side of the track pad, allowing the keyboard to be that bit larger. The location of the left and right buttons takes a little while to get used to it, but once you’re accustomed to the layout it is very easy to use.

The Acer Aspire One is a brilliant little machine, and one of the most popular netbooks available on the market. The average price for the hard drive model is $499, which is a superb price for a machine that is loaded with ports, good battery life, great looks and the ability to run Windows 7 excellently.

Tags: 1Gb Ram, 720p, 8.9inch, Acer, Aspire, Asus, Atom Processor, definition, Eee, high, netbook, One, PC, Review, windows 7, windows xp