David Flynn30 June 2008, 8:00 PM
Aspire One sports Intel’s Atom processor, an 8.9in screen and a $99 cashback deal on its $599 (Linux) and $699 (Windows XP) sticker price.
Acer may have come a little late to the mini-note party, but its Aspire One is set to shake things up with its solid spec set and aggressive pricing.
Due to be launched next week, with availability from mid-July for the Linux version and mid-August for Windows XP, the 8.9in laptop joins the Asus EeePC 901 and MSI Wind in being among the first mini-notes built around Intel’s Atom processor – specifically the N270, which clocks at 1.6GHz (with a 533MHz FSB and 512Kb of L2 cache, for those who care about such details).
The $599 Linux version (model AOA110) runs the Fedora-based Linpus Linux Lite, with both tab-based ‘simple mode’ and desktop ‘PC mode’ home screens. This will be paired with 512MB of RAM and an 8GB flash drive.
$699 gets you the Windows build (model AOA150) with XP Home, a relatively meaty 1.5GB of RAM and an 80GB 2.5in hard drive. Acer racks up the extra memory in the XP edition by dropping a 1GB DDR2 module into the Aspire One’s single memory slot to complement the 512MB already mounted directly onto the motherboard, but it remains to be seen if buyers of the Linux model can likewise upgrade their machine without voiding the warranty.
Also in the ‘yet to be confirmed’ box is the Aspire One’s battery. Some Acer material cites this as being a three-cell 2000mAh battery pack that’s good for around three hours on a single charge, while other information also lists a 2600mAh six-cell battery with six hours between recharges. We’re not yet certain if the split will be the three-cell battery for Linux and six-cell for Windows, or if it’s three-cells all around with buyers being able to upgrade to six-cells on order.
Acer is also offering a $99 cashback deal on both the Linux and Windows models, bringing their prices down to a compelling $500 and $600, respectively. Both the Linux and Windows models will be available in the classic ‘Seashell White’ plus a deep ‘Sapphire Blue’, dusky ‘Golden Brown’ and ‘Coral Pink’.
Everything else is pretty much as you’d expect. The 8.9in screen runs at a full 1024 x 600, while on the inside there’s 802.11b/g wireless, 10/100 Ethernet, memory card reader, VGA output and a welcome three USB 2.0 ports, although the webcam is a disappointingly low-res 0.3 megapixels. A 3.6Mbps 3G HSDPA module is believed to be slated as a future ‘optional extra’.