Best Netbook Review - Acer Aspire One Netbooks

Acer Aspire One A150

Just like the 8.9-inch MSI Wind U90, the Acer Aspire One A150 was a little late in coming to the netbook market. Asus had already gained a good lead in the netbook market among its competitors, but this didn’t stop Acer Aspire One from creating a stir when it was released in 2008. With the familiar Acer notebook design, the Aspire One came out with nice features and a design that attracted both Acer and non-Acer fans. Its affordability plus performance then made the Aspire One an instant hit. Its major features and specs include:

• Processor: Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz
• OS: Linux Lite/Windows XP
• Graphics: Intel 82801 GBM chipset
• Memory: 512 MB RAM (upgradeable to 1GB)
• Display: 8.9" WSVGA Acer CrystalBrite TFT LCD
• HDD: 120GB
• Communication: WLAN, Ethernet, 3G Module (some models)
• Camera: 0.3MP webcam

The Aspire One A150 was initially introduced with a price point of around $329. This was relatively lower than the prices of the Eee PC 900 series and the MSI Wind U100 series. Today, you can get the Aspire One for as low as $299. Its affordability proved to be to the Aspire One’s advantage, as it came at the time when consumers were looking for cheaper alternative to regular notebook PCs.

But the low price you have to pay seemed to result in some minor setbacks. For one thing, some users claimed of noticeable overheating problems with their Aspire One. But this is understandable since Acer notebooks are known to have that problem, just like any other notebook brand.

Acer Aspire One D150

After the Aspire One reaped success for Acer’s entry into the netbook market, the company deemed it appropriate to release a follow-up to the Aspire One A150. Just as Asus and the rest of the netbook manufacturers started to release their 10-inch netbooks, Acer joined the party with the release of the Aspire One D150.

Acer came prepared for the battle of the 10" netbook, and equipped the Aspire One D150 with great features and specs which made it Asus’ formidable foe. The Aspire One D150 boasts of the following features and specs:

• Processor: Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz
• Graphics: Intel GMA 950
• OS: Windows XP
• Display: 10.1"
• Memory: 1GB
• Hard Disk: 160GB
• Communication: Ethernet, Wi-Fi
• Camera: 1.3MP Webcam

When it was released recently, the 10" Aspire One was up for battle against several Eee PC 1000 series, more particularly the 1000HE which promises 9.5 hours of battery life plus other great features. Although Acer didn’t manage to get this much battery life for the Aspire One D150, its 6-cell battery with 6.5 hours of usage time is more than enough for Aspire One-hungry netbook consumers.

Again, Acer proved that price is a big factor if you want to succeed in this continually growing crowded netbook market. And just like its predecessor, the Aspire One was made available at such an affordable price of around $329, similar to the release price of the Aspire One A150.

Initial impressions of the Acer Aspire One D150 have been on the positive note, and it has been declared one of the best business-oriented netbooks. Acer has also been able to improve the heating issue of the Aspire One netbooks with the D150. The only letdown of the Aspire One D150 which renders it slightly inferior than other newer netbook models in the market is its N270 CPU. But Acer has a solution to this - the Aspire One D250.

Acer Aspire One D250, Aspire One 751

These two Acer Aspire One netbooks are both in the launch stage still and are about to be released in the coming months. The Aspire One D250 is a slimmer version of the D150 and now sports the N280 processor. This Aspire One is also lighter than its predecessor. Aside from these features, it’s practically the same Aspire One netbook as the D150.

Talking about big difference, the Aspire One 751 is definitely bigger. With an 11.2" display and some other advanced specs such as its graphics chipset the AO751 is bordering on the netbook/notebook category line. Plus, Acer may also forget one major reason why their Aspire One netbook became such a big hit - price. The Aspire One 751 is expected to hit the market at around $500+.

Best Acer Aspire One Netbook

So which is the best Acer Aspire One Netbook? There’s no doubt that it has to be the Aspire One D150 with enough power and a price range worthy of being called a full-fledged netbook.

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