I’ve recently discovered the wonder of the “netbook” that everybody seems to be clamoring about. Basically the sub-compact or “mini-notebook” is very popular and this category is now dubbed the “netbook”. Probably because it’s small, about the size of a book, and primarily used do do things on the ‘net.
I’ve reviewed one before, but at the time the phrase “netbook” wasn’t yet coined. I posted twice about the original Asus eee PC review (linux), and the Asus eee PC Windows XP review.
Although there seems to be quite a few “netbooks” out on the market now, the one that every seems to know other than the eee is the Asus Aspire One netbook. I can only imagine what kind of problems this is going to cause for the tech clueless since the names are so darn similar (Acer, Asus).
If you’re in a hurry and want the short version, here’s a video review you can watch of the Acer Aspire One:
The Acer Aspire one is a 2 lb wonder. Depending on model screen size varies from 7-10″, same for HDD size 120-160GB+ (unless you get one with a SSD, which would probably be 8GB or less). Most units seem to have 1GB Ram, and I’ve seen a few claiming to be able to run Vista Ultimate. They all seem to come with a webcam (although crappy .3 megapixel), and a headphone jack. You also get 3 USB jacks, a microphone jack, and even a monitor out if you need to hookup to a projector. You get of course a LAN jack and Wireless b/g, speakers, a card reader, and usually Windows XP loaded on the system. There is of course a Linux version too. Supposedly the new Windows 7 is designed to run on portable netbooks as well (without the hardware constraints of Vista).
You’re probably wondering – what do people that bought the Acer Aspire one really think of it? Well I can tell you that PCWorld gave it a damn near 5 star review. The same goes for nearly all the reviews on Amazon. Boot time is just over 20 seconds, and normal tasks like Facebook, Myspace, watching video on YouTube, using Firefox, and copying over your favorite album are all quick and easy.
If you’re up for one of these little wonders, I would definitely check out some of the latest auctions for both new and used ones on eBay right now:
[nms:acer aspire one -battery -sleeve -bag -case -drive -charger -skin -screen -keyboard,8,0,0,smorgas.acer.aspire.one]
