Acer Aspire One A150-Aw Netbook, Linpus Linux Lite version, 1GB DDR2 RAM, 120GB HD (Seashell White)
£199.99
Excellent little machine - I ordered one of these for my mum s birthday, going for the Linux version over Windows XP purely for the difference in price (I can always install XP later, a fairly simple task for me). The machine was booted up and on the internet within about 3 minutes, which is the fastest out of the box set up I ve ever seen.As far as software goes, it has almost everything you need for web browsing, msn, email, documents etc, and the interface is easy to use. I would say that it needs Skype and a different media player installed (the pre loaded one can t play DivX encoded video). This is where the choice of operating system is important - if you are NOT technically minded, familiar with Linux, or don t have someone who can install new stuff for you, GET THE XP VERSION. Installing new software on the Linpus Linux is a pain, generally requiring use of the command line, and I would say that the version installed by Acer is aimed at people who don t want to do much more than what the present applications cater for.The hardware is lightweight but feels fairly sturdy, and looks really nice too. The keyboard is fine for every day use, but the trackpad may take a little getting used to as the buttons are situated at either side rather than underneath. The screen is crisp and clear, no dead pixels, and the VGA output still looks decent on my 32 TV. The built in camera and mic work great (tested with Skype), and the speaker sound quality is fine for general use although a little lacking in bass (remember, it s a netbook!!). My only real gripe would be battery life - the 3 cell battery provided only lasts for 2-2.5 hours, but it also charges up pretty quickly.Overall I d say its a great little machine, very cute and dinky looking, incredibly light weigh, easy to use and definitely suited to its purpose.
Excellent buy, would recommend - I decided I wanted a smaller lighter laptop than the one I had already and was debating whether to go for Linux version or XP which I was more familiar with.Decided to take a chance and have been well impressed with the simplicity of Linux interface. Very easy to configure wireless network and email accounts which were my biggest concern! It comes fully loaded with all the basic applications - I m a new convert to OpenOffice after using it on the Acer Aspire One. Its fab, does everything I need it for and even fits in my handbag! A great peace of kit - Would highly recommend!
Absolutely charmed. Go on, you ll be respected in the morning - Committing to any electrical or mechanical device these days seems to entail putting your whole value-belief system out there for folk to sneer at. Moreover, given how much I tend to spend on PC magazines ensuring I don t make an expensive mistake, I might ve had enough to go buy a MacBook Air. Heck, a Porsche 911 Turbo. But thanks to all reviewers on all forums hither and yon for turning me into a spontaneous conspicious Acer consumer and hang what anyone thinks. I m still beaming.My 6yr old Multivision 17in 3.5kg XP laptop became my partner s property this afternoon, while I loitered impatiently in Tesco deciding on Linux v XP, 8Gb Flash v 120Gb HD. Sorry Amazon, you got the books order earlier this week, but Tesco came in £1.99 cheaper in the end and I couldn t wait: guy fetched the white one from the stockroom.In the final analysis, HD/Linux won out and even though I ve had the A150-Aw for all of three hours, I gotta say this is one impressive (light) piece of kit. Surprise gift straight out the box: battery was holding 90% charge implying 1:56hrs playtime remaining so fun ensued. My laptop use is predominantly PowerPoint/Video editing for training purposes, so as my XDA Orbit handles the email, calendar and note scribbling, I couldn t justify like for like replacement costs for my hefty Multivision. Key issue for me was faster and lighter the better. Irony is, I spent most of the last few months agonising about switching to an iPhone 3G at higher cost. Guess my Apple yearnings will have to wait, the Acer for £248 was just too good to ignore. So, it s Open Office Impress v PowerPoint let battle commence, can always drop in M$ if needed, XP and Office - the 120Gb HD will allow that.Some of you may be thinking it s a tad early to be posting, wait until the bugs n gripes kick in, but I ll update in due course. Half the fun here is the chase. Now to the skinny:Beautiful curves, white contrast with the black screen does it for me. Almost went for the Acer Gemstone 5920G for much the same reason. Responsive key action is excellent, touchpad isn t all that bad at all and I ve got large hands. Keyboard layout is natural, not suffered any mis-keying. Wireless set-up took seconds (found my Sky router first time of asking), works perfectly. Adjustment to OpenOffice is pretty intuitive. Considered it a couple years ago but opted against, current version vastly improved and that s before v3 undergoing beta at present. All free, no more worries about losing XP support at some point, or having to be dragged screaming to Vista.Best bit? Previous laptop boot-ups (and my desktop) are over seven minutes before action-ready. No big deal in the great scheme of things, but Einstein s hot stove theory of relativity means the anti-virus hook-up, XP start program load et al, feels like it matches an Apollo mission log check. And yes, I regularly defrag, clear temp files, cookies, pared the start config, etc. The AA1 clocked eleven SECONDS on six successive boots.Nice screen only suffered in conservatory glare (hey look at that, sunshine, is..that...summer?). Ordinary room ambience, screen brightness a joy. Even my partner was impressed and that s saying something - she does the uh-huh, hm-hm, oh boy, really, you don t say, yawn bit usually.Hard to think of compelling case against, battery life will be a decider in long run, but I tend to max out showcasing in under two hours anyway. That said, I m looking forward to train, plane use now.
Fantastic laptop but you need xp and office 2007 for best productivity - Only quip quite difficult to install xp without a cd rom drive. Otherwise excellent build quality but not easily upgradable. (If you want larger ram get the HP 2133).