Acer Aspire One Mini Laptop Review

Laptop Review

A great choice for business travelers who like to travel light as well as those who need extra-long battery life, this affordable ultra-lightweight Acer Aspire One (LU.S050B.133) weighs just over 2 pounds and is packed with a 160 GB hard drive and Windows XP operating system. It has a vibrant 8.9-inch CrystalBrite WSVGA LED backlit display, integrated webcam for easy video chatting, an instant-on feature that powers up the notebook in less than 15 seconds from when you switch it on, and Intel’s latest mobile processor–the Atom. Offering a cool deep blue hue, the netbook’s smooth surface is comfortable to touch, and it’s accented with distinctive details, such as the attractive orange hinge ring.

Many people falsely assume that small laptops aren’t powerful laptops, or that small laptops could not possibly be as feature-rich as their larger competitors, but anyone who believes these false assumptions have not met the Acer Aspire One Mini Laptop.

Regardless of whether you are checking your e-mail, managing your online accounts or having a conversation with your friends, this surprisingly transportable Aspire One laptop offers an operating system that is simple and intuitive, clearly organizing everything that you need in order to effectively surf the internet, get your work done or simply have some fun.

Designed especially for mobile devices, the 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor uses a brand new design structure new hafnium-infused circuitry–which reduces electrical current leakage in transistors–to conserve energy, giving you more time away from the wall outlet–up to 5.5 hours with the included 6-cell battery. Other features include 1 GB of installed RAM (1.5 GB maximum), 54g Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g), multi-format memory card reader, multiple USB ports, and built-in email, web browsing, and digital media applications.

It comes preinstalled with the Microsoft Windows XP Home operating system, which offers more experienced users an enhanced and innovative experience that incorporates Windows Live features like Windows Live Messenger for instant messaging and Windows Live Mail for consolidated email accounts on your desktop.

Processor
The Intel Atom processor uses a brand new design structure that packs in 47 million transistors into a single chip sized at just 22mm (0.87 inches), and it uses just 2.5 watts of power–less than 1/10 of the 35 watts used by an Intel Core 2 Duo processor–for excellent battery management. This 1.6 GHz Atom N270 processor also includes a power-optimized front side bus of 533 MHz for faster data transfer on demanding mobile applications and a 512 KB L2 cache (which temporarily stores data).

Storage
This version of the Aspire One comes with a 160 GB hard disk drive (5400 RPM), which offers enough to room to hold a digital audio library of over 26,000 songs and still have room left over for movies, games, and a large collection of software. This Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive also quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data–akin to Firewire and USB 2.0

Memory
The 1 GB of installed RAM (512 MB onboard memory and one 512 MB DIMM, 533 MHz) can be expanded to a maximum of 1.5 GB of RAM,

DVD/CD Drive
Because of its size, the Aspire One does not come with an integrated optical drive, but optional CD/DVD read/write drives can be connected to the laptop via one of the three USB ports, enabling you to create your music mixes, burn movies to DVD, and more.

Connectivity
This Acer Aspire One notebook has an integrated 54g wireless LAN (Acer InviLink) that’s compatible with 802.11b and 802.11g networks and offers Acer’s SignalUp technology for enhanced antenna efficiency. This notebook provides the following connections:

• 3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals–from digital cameras to MP3 players
• Secure Digital (SD) card reader, also compatible with MultiMedia cards (MMCs)
• Multi-in-one card reader supports SD, MMC, Memory Stick/Memory Stick PRO, and XD Picture Cards
• 1 VGA monitor port
• 1 headphone jack and 1 microphone jack
• RJ-45 port for 10/100 Fast Ethernet connection

Screen, Video and Audio
The 8.9-inch screen has a WSVGA resolution (1024 x 600) and support for up a 262K color depth. Video is powered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, which uses shared video memory with the main memory. Acer’s CrystalBrite display technology guarantees the best possible visual experience by preventing the diffusion of surrounding light and internal ray. Compared to normal TFT LCDs, Acer CrystalBrite technology is able to read color coordinates more accurately, thus minimizing distortion and creating high-fidelity colors in all environments.

This notebook includes an integrated audio card with Microsoft DirectSound compatibility, and it includes two stereo speakers.

Acer redefines mobile connectivity with the Aspire one, a netbook (or mini-notebook) packed with fun and powerful computing features in a diminutive 8.9″ form factor weighing as little as 2.2 lb. Aimed at business professionals, students and world travelers, it offers a choice of operating systems, wireless connectivity, Internet access, built-in webcam and the storage space needed for digital photos. It’s time to simplify your life with the Aspire one.

You may want to check out my other guide on Laptop Computers

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Are You Need A Laptop Or A Netbook ?

Laptop & Netbook

Laptops and Netbooks are optimized for different use scenarios. Read this guide to get the scoop.

Laptops are a better option for users whose regular computing activities include:
- Downloading large files
- Running advanced software applications, like Adobe Photoshop
- Storing large amounts of digital photography
- Playing video games
- Watching DVDs

Netbooks are a great choice for users who want an ultra-portable computer that’s optimized for:

- Surfing the Internet
- Sending and receiving email
- Communicating via instant messaging
- Running very basic software, like Microsoft Word
- Storing minimal amounts of digital photography and music

What Makes Netbook Computers Different?

One of the most exciting developments in PC products to come out over the last several years is the netbook, a mini-sized laptop-syle computer that bridges the gap between the portability of a smartphone and the computing power of a notebook PC. While they provide excellent connectivity to the Web (hence, the netbook name), easy packing for your travels and excellent value, netbooks do not have the full computing arsenal you may be accustomed to in a laptop.

In this buying guide, we’ll take you through what features you can expect to find from a typical netbook to help you determine if a netbook is right for your needs.
What Specifications Characterize a Netbook?

At its most basic definition, a netbook is a smaller, more mobile laptop-style computer that enables you to connect to the Internet, communicate via email, instant messaging and VoIP telephony/video, enjoy both streaming and stored multimedia, and perform basic office-style tasks such as word processing and spreadsheets.

From a form factor point of view, netbooks have much smaller screens than you’ll find on laptop computers–usually between 7 and 10 inches compared to 12 to 15 inches for most mobile-centric laptops. Unlike some devices labeled as Ultramobile PCs (or UMPCs, such as the Samsung Q1 or the Sony UX series, netbooks have laptop-style keyboards that allow for traditional typing rather than a thumb-style keyboard as well as an electro-static touchpad for navigation.

Aside from the miniaturization of the laptop form, another defining feature of a netbook is its affordability, with most typically found at $500 or lower. But what do you get under the hood?

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