Acer Aspire One Netbook - Design
(Page 2 of 4 )
Here are the specifics: the Acer Aspire One comes with 512 MB of RAM, a bright 8.9" 1024x600 screen, 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, 8 GB NAND Flash, a Fedora-derivative ditribution called Linpus, a 3-cell battery, a 0.3 MP web cam, integrated mic and speakers, a VGA output, 3 USB 2.0 ports, two SDHC/MS slots, 3.5mm audio out, mic-in and a Kensington lock. That may seem like a whole lot of things going on for such a little machine, but those are just the basics. Physically speaking, well, that's whereAcer's Aspire Onereally shines.
In terms of size, the Aspire One is very similar to the slightly larger, pricier 10-inch MSI Wind, with areasonably large keyboardthat's much easier to use than the tiny, almost smart phone-like keys found on other models. That's because the Aspire is a little wider than the Asus, and it's also a few ounces lighter, thanks in part to only having a small 3-cell battery. We were pleased to see that it includes dedicated page-up and page-down keys, which are especially useful on devices with smaller screens that require lots of scrolling to get through long Web pages.
The touch pad is wide, but not very deep, giving it a letterbox-style look. It's reasonably easy to use, at least as far as the small touch pads on netbooks go. The mouse buttons are positioned to the left and right of the touch pad--not below it--which may take a little getting used to for touch-typists. The 8.9-inch wide-screen LCD offers a 1,024x600-pixel native resolution, which is the same as that found on other 9- and 10-inch netbooks. It's wide enough to display most Web pages correctly, but you'll find yourself frequently engaged in vertical scrolling.
Acer's Aspire One Netbook also comes in a variety of incredibly fun colors, including coral pink, golden brown, sapphire blue and seashell white. Specifics aside, the Aspire One is compact, stylish, wide enough for ease of use, yet small enough to take anywhere, and simply put, it's incredibly easy on the eyes. Let's face it, we live in a world that takes looks into account, even when it comes to our electronics. Thankfully, Acer has taken looks into account. Finding a moreaesthetically pleasing netbookwill prove to be a very difficult task for anyone up to the challenge.
Next: Features >>
More Computer Systems Articles
More By Joe Eitel
