Since the launch of the Eee PC I have always wanted a small laptop with a screen measuring less then 10″. Move closer to now and we now see a bunch of manufacturers creating these tiny PC’s. The next one I am looking at is the Acer Aspire One (A150 Model).
Acer have created a fantastic little laptop here which does well in the storage area and quite good in the RAM and processor speed area too. The A150 model we are looking at has an Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor, 512MB DDR2 memory (with space for up to 1GB) and a 120Gb hard drive. Although it’s not the most powerful of laptops around it certainly should see the basic apps running (including Office) that you would use while using it on the road.
A number of these smaller laptops have the choice of an SSD drive (usually from 8GB – 32GB with some at 64GB) or a HDD. Acer opted for a HDD in this model which does allow for more things to be stored. I do find the extra storage space handy although I am not convinced yet that 120GB would be needed due to the laptop’s small size and me not fully using it to replace my desktop just yet. But, 120GB at the price of this laptop… I am not complaining 🙂
The screen on this model measures 8.9″ which is a comfortable size to work with. Of course, with the laptop being fairly small it does have a smaller then average keyboard. These smaller keyboards do take a few hours to get used to but once you get familiar with the slightly different layout there are generally no problems using the smaller layout.
On the connectivity side there is Wireless networking available at 802.11 b/g and a wired 10/100/1000 Ethernet port. Unfortunately there seems to be no bluetooth and no SIM card slot like the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 I reviewed last week… but, a USB mobile broadband dongle can still be used, so it isn’t all that bad. A 5 in 1 memory card reader is also built in which I find to be very handy to have due to the amount of digital photos we transfer around these days.
The A150 has a built in webcam which is very handy for Skype video calls. Depending on which A150 model you get it will be either 0.3 mega pixels or 1.3 mega pixels.
Acer Aspire One Features (Summary)
* CPU : Intel Atom 1.6Ghz
* Memory : 512Mb DDR2 (1 ADD In Slot Available 1Gb Stick Max)
* Hard Drive : 120Gb
* Screen Type : 8.9 Widescreen(1024×600)
* Network :802.11 b/g, 10/100/1000 Ethernet
* Operating System : Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
* Graphics: Integrated Intel GMA 900 graphics Processor (Shared Memory Architecture)
* Built in notebook camera
* 5 in 1 Card Reader
* Protection bag included
* 3 USB ports
Although the Acer Aspire One does lack the connectivity of the Dell Inspiron Mini 9, it is still a fantastic little laptop and very handy if you are not interested in paying for mobile broadband access (ie, just happy with Wi-fi and wired connections).
The Acer Aspire One is available from Empire Direct.
There is a SIM card slot – it is behind the battery on my Aspire One AOA 150-1691. I’m sitting here now, with the SIM card installed, wondering what the hell one has to do to make it connect with anything. Would love some meaningful input. Spent two hours on the net and have found nothing useful.
What network are you on? Each network usually supplies some software that gets you online. If you post your network here I’ll look it up for you.