Eee PC who? Acer’s latest update to the Aspire One has lots to offer netbook netizens, including a massive 120GB hard drive, ultra-compact design and optional extended battery.
When we last saw the Acer Aspire One, it was the Linux version with a 3-cell battery and 8GB flash drive. The base spec of the One hasn’t changed – it’s still got the 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, 8.9in screen and 89 per cent size keyboard – but it’s now available in a more mainstream package. Windows XP Home makes it better-suited for everyday users who don’t want to master a new platform, and a healthy 120GB hard drive provides just enough room to make it a viable option as a full-time computer.
The Aspire One essentially has the same form factor and design of a traditional notebook, only in a condensed version, weighing a mere 985g with the stock 3-cell battery and measuring around half the size of a standard laptop. Looks-wise, Acer has done a great job at making it feel like a quality notebook. The lid has a glossy pearl-white finish with rounded corners, the base and hinge is a complementary light silver, and the bezel around the display is a shiny piano-black. It’s also available in a blue model which, like the white version, features metallic orange rings around either side of the hinges.
The beauty of the Aspire One is that it doesn’t sacrifice too many creature comforts to arrive at its tiny size. The 8.9in display is smaller than what you’d be used to, but it’s got a comfortable 1,024 x 600-pixel resolution that means minimal sideways scrolling on web sites and spreadsheets. Similarly, the keyboard is only 85 per cent the size of a full one, but unlike the cramp-inducing keyboards found on earlier netbooks, you can actually rest your fingers on each key and use it for touch-typing. One concession that Acer has made is with regards to the touchpad and mouse buttons; the touchpad is three-quarters the size of a standard one and jammed right up against the keyboard, and the mouse buttons have been uncomfortably repositioned to either side of the touchpad.
All of the standard ports are present, namely three USB 2.0 ports, VGA, Ethernet, headphone and microphone jacks, and a five-in-one memory card reader. It also throws in a dedicated SD/SDHC card reader for adding more storage, although this is hardly needed with the 120GB hard drive on board. Wireless networking is accommodated by the 802.11b/g WLAN, but those looking for a DVD drive or Bluetooth will have to resort to adding it on with USB accessories. As a taste of what’s to come, the Aspire One has a sealed-off SIM card slot behind the battery – according to Acer reps, an upcoming version will include 3G mobile broadband.
Performance from the 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor and 1GB of RAM is generally responsive all-round – we had five tabs open in Firefox, one conversation in Windows Live Messenger, and two Word documents open simultaneously, with little or no lag when moving between them. You can upgrade the Aspire One’s RAM to 2GB to boost performance further, but Acer has made this absurdly difficult. Don’t be fooled by the easy-access door on its underside – you actually have to take the whole machine apart to get to the RAM slot. We also noticed a persistent low-pitched buzzing sound while using the Aspire One that’s just loud enough to be annoying.
Viewing angles on the screen are extremely limited, but tilted at a 135-degree angle, colours are bright and well-saturated. The speakers are surprisingly loud for such a small machine, and it played an XviD copy of Heroes with no dropped frames or audio sync issues.
We were able to test the Aspire One with the 6-cell battery – at present only available as an optional extra through Acer’s online store for $108.90. This sticks out 3cm from the rear and brings the total weight up to 1.3kg. With the screen set to 40 per cent brightness and all power-saving features off, it ran for 5 hours and 6 minutes with Wi-Fi on. Couple that with the 3-cell battery, which runs for 2.5 hours, and you’ve easily got all-day battery life.