Netbooks are mainly dislike because of processor limitations and small keyboards, but it is still worth to take a look at the Acer Aspire One AOD257-13685 because of the cheap price. In this post I will write Pros and Cons of the  Acer Aspire One AOD257-13685





So, as meant in the title, here are the PRO's

• Lightweight. Sub 3 pounds with 6 cell battery and barely over 2 with standard 3 cell
• Thin. I swear it can't be more than an inch thick
• 250GB HDD instead of the usual 160GB
• Oddly quiet. I have to strain to hear the fan running most of the time. Usually netbooks are noisy and even the HDD is quiet in this unit
• Wireless includes N. Most stop at G.
• It can sense with the power connector is loose and will beep to let you know it's not connected all the way (but only if the connector is still making partial contact).
• Dual core processor with hyperthreading is unique. Most stop with just the dual core and leave it at that
• DDR3 RAM, although limited to 1GB, is sufficient for the tasks I've put it through
• Unique cover design
• Solid construction with no creaking or cracking and limited screen flex
• Decent performance, especially video
• Cheap compared to tablets that are taking over the market. $240 for an ultraportable is nearly unheard of and a similar computer just 10 years ago from Dell or the like would have set you back $2,000.
• Keyboard that is actually pleasurable to use. I rarely had a mistype.
• Mouse/trackpad with the same pinch and squeeze features found on Apples. At least Acer got away from previous designs with the buttons on the side. While these finger movements may seem minor, they do come in handy for when screen print is small.

Not everything is perfect and there are CONS:

• Bottom firing speakers mean tinny and muffled sound
• Even Acer is confused with this model. The website states it's a single core model when it's actually dual core (and, yes, I did get the right model variation).
• No HDMI port for those desiring such nor is there Bluetooth capability
• Changing RAM or hard drive requires the removal of 6 screws on the bottom (2 of which are covered by the rubber feet), removal of the keyboard, yet another 6 screws and a metal plate. Screw any of these up and you're out of luck.
• Quirky battery life, at least with 3 cell. Prone to dropping a half hour after just a couple minutes use so it's really difficult to gauge when you need to find an outlet or call it quits.
• The two right side USB ports and next to each other. Fat dongles need not apply
• Surefire fingerprint magnet on the cover although keyboard surfaces are roughly finished
• Incredible amount of bloatware including anti-virus and Microsoft Office trials plus 22 Acer games that had to be removed.
• Have over 250MB of online updates waiting in the pipes?
• Watching videos turns up the heat to the point the bottom is really hot. Since most of the vents are bottom firing you can see where this presents problems. Adding the bulk of the 6 cell battery elevated the rear end and kept the heat done somewhat.

Overall, I give this unit a high rating but those interested might want to act quickly. Netbooks are a dying breed and may be replaced by tablets in the near future (might also explain with the prices are dropping, too).

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Buy Now Acer AO532h-2309 10.1-Inch Garnet Red Netbook - Up to 10 Hours of Battery Life

Browse the Web, check email, share photos, keep up with social networks, listen to music and enjoy a wide variety of entertainment with the Aspire One AO532h, which features a small compact design that you can take anywhere. Combining the power of the latest Intel Atom N450 processor and NM10 Express chipset with a 6-cell battery, this Aspire One AO532h model (AO532h-2067) in garnet red provides up to 10 hours of battery life on the go--enough for a full workday.

A great choice for students as well as business travelers who like to travel light, Acer makes it easy to stay productive while on the go with the 10.1-inch CrystalBrite LED-backlit screen as well as its excellent near full-size keyboard. You'll be able to easily video chat wherever you roam thanks to the Crystal Eye webcam integrated into the LCD's bezel, delivering smooth video streaming and high quality images even in low-light situations. Pinch, flick and swirl your fingers on the multi-gesture touchpad for an intuitive navigation to view web pages, photos, spreadsheets and more. It comes preinstalled with the familiar Microsoft Windows XP Home operating system.

KEY FEATURES of  Aspire One AO532h N450 Netbook

• 10.1-inch LED-backlit CrystalBrite screen (1024 x 600 resolution) presents crisp, clear imagery for a great web browsing experience for on-line chats, email, surfing the Web.
• 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N450 processor (512 KB L2 cache, 667 MHz FSB) combines performance and energy efficiency to explore the Internet and stay connected while mobile.
• Up to 10 hours of battery life with included 6-cell battery
• Multi-Gesture Touchpad allows you to pinch, flick and swirl your fingers across the touchpad for more natural photo and video viewing as well as intuitive navigation of websites such as Google Earth. It also enables you to scroll, zoom in and out and flip through web pages, photos, spreadsheets and more.
• Crystal Eye webcam supports Acer PrimaLite technology, which consists of a premium sensor, firmware and lenses to provide superior video performance under low-light conditions. A built-in digital microphone helps keep background noise levels low and minimizes echoes.
• 84-key keyboard, 93 percent of standard-size with 12 function keys, WLAN switch
• 160 GB SATA hard drive (5400 RPM)
• 1 GB DDR2 RAM (667 MHz; 2 GB maximum capacity)
• Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 video processor
• Wireless-N Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n) for ultra-fast connectivity to home and business networks.
• Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity enables you to communicate and synchronize with Bluetooth-enabled peripherals such as PDAs and cell phones.
• Fast Ethernet (10/100)
• Multi-in-1 memory card reader compatible with Secure Digital (SD), MultiMedia (MMC), Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, and xD Picture Card media
• 3 USB ports
• VGA video output
• Stereo speakers
• Microsoft Window XP Home operating system (SP3)
• Pre-loaded software includes Microsoft Works for word processing and spreadsheet work. Enjoy a 60-day trial version of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007.
• Dimensions: 10.17 x 7.28 x 0.99 inches (WxDxH)
• Weight: 2.76 pounds
• Warranty: One-year parts and labor limited warranty with concurrent International Traveler's Warranty

What's in the Box
This package contains the Acer Aspire One AO532h-2067 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions
It also comes with the following software: McAfee Internet Security Suite 2009 (trial version with 60 days of live update); Microsoft Works with Office Home and Student 2007 Trial; Google Toolbar; Norton Online Backup; MyWinLocker; Acer eRecovery Management and Launch Manager

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Although the recent update in my blog was that Acer will not release any new netbooks in Q2 2009, recent rumor published on CNET said that an Acer netbook with Google Android as an operating system will be released this year. No more news yet whether the netbook specification will have an upgrade or not. The development of Pinetrail and launched date is not yet confirmed although Intel recently published a new information regarding to their decision of continuing Ato Z CPU's.

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The news broke out that Acer and ASUS, two major companies that are well known for its netbook series, are said to halt the development of new netbooks in the second half of 2009. The decision according to Digitimes is related to the Intel’s move in delaying the launch of the Pine Trail-M platform up until Q1 2010.

The two companies will probably now be focusing on the thin and light notebook segment using Intel’s CULV (Consumer Ultra Low Voltage) processors while the Atom CPUs would probably be not further developed.

People who are expecting the ASUS EEE PC T101H tablet netbook would also be worried because it wouldn't be released until Windows 7 launches in October.

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Acer redefines mobile connectivity with the Aspire one, a netbook packed with fun and powerful computing features in a diminutive 8.9-inch form factor weighing as little as 2.2 lb. Aimed at business professionals, students and world travelers, wireless connectivity, Internet access, built-in webcam and the storage space needed for digital photos. It is time to simplify your life with the Aspire one. Windows XP Home Edition; Intel Atom Processor N270 (512KB L2 cache, 1.60GHz, 533MHz FSB); 1GB (512MB onboard/512MB SODIMM slot) DDR2 533 SDRAM; 160GB hard drive, multi-in-one card reader, SD Card reader; 8.9-inch WSVGA (1024 x 600) TFT display, Acer CrystalBrite Technology; Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950; 802.11b/g WLAN, 10/100 LAN, webcam; sapphire blue chassis.

I've had mine for 3 days now, and it's been really hard to put down and walk away from. Obviously the portability of it is a big reason, but also because the 6 cell battery lasts so long that I feel like I can just leave it on for a while without feeling the need to keep powering it down or charging it all the time. Also, boot up and shutdown times are a lot faster than my regular laptop.

The build is very solid. There is no flex in the screen or keyboard. I'm not sure how it would hold up if dropped on a hard surface, though. I hope I never have to find out. Keyboard response is nice. The keys don't feel cheap or like they would snap off if more than a little pressure is placed on them. Keys are close to regular size so typing on it doesn't take much getting used to, if at all. The screen is highly reflective and the outer coating has a glossy finish, which I don't prefer because it leaves fingerprints too easily and makes it difficult to see the screen in the daylight. But I'm willing to live with this simply because the computer has so much else going for it.

This computer uses the 1.6 GHZ atom, which is the standard processor included with most ultraportables right now. I've noticed that I can run some moderately intensive software on it, but not smoothly for long periods of time. I tried loading some music software for which a 1.4 GHZ processor is recommended (Native Instruments Absynth 4), just to see how well it would run. I found that it was capable of operating, but it was easy to make the CPU spike if I played more than a few notes at once. Not that I was planning on using this a a music production tool, but I was interested in seeing what I could get away with in case I find myself stuck on an airplane or car trip with my Aspire One and a pair of headphones and want to play around with sounds a little bit. Native Instruments FM8 wasn't so processor intensive and operated much more smoothly. In short, I got about the best response I could have hoped for with the processor and soundcard included. Fairly functional for light doodling.

Windows Media Player 9 was included in the software bundle, so I decided to upgrade it to Windows Media Player 11. I don't know if this was such a smart move, as version 11 may be more resource hungry. I was playing some mp3's while simultaneously updating my music library and the program started hanging on me after about 20-30 minutes. I closed and reopened the program and resumed what I was doing and after 5 minutes, the program again started to hang. By this point, I decided I had been testing the limits of this system for quite a while and the processor was running pretty hot by this point, so I decided to turn it off and put it down for a while.

RAM-wise, it comes with 1 GB and is only expandable to 1.5. I've heard that it is difficult to reach the RAM slot and that it involves taking the computer apart, so I've decided that the marginal increase in memory is not worth the hassle, particularly since the limited processor would not allow you to run much, if any, software that would require more memory than you already have pre-installed in this little thing, so it seems like a moot point to add memory.

The 160 GB hard drive is probably the largest capacity hard drive currently shipping pre-installed in the world of ultraportable PCs, and so far i've only seen it in the latest Aspire Ones. It's the traditional 5400 rpm HDD notebook drive. I like the higher capacity because it means that this computer can double as an additional storage drive to back up files, music, photos, etc. I would not have this luxury if I bought one of the other models on the market with low capacity solid state drives.

I've read reviews of the older Aspire One model and it seems a lot of people had difficulty with the Wi Fi not finding an internet connection and also bios problems. I don't know if Acer addressed these issues in this newer model, but I have not experienced any problems with either so far. If I do, I'll update my review later. So far, this has been a great little toy. You just have to remember that it was not built for intensive computing or high performance, and manage your expectations accordingly.

Purchase Acer Aspire One AOA150-1447 8.9-Inch Netbook (1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, XP Home, 6 Cell Battery) Sapphire Blue

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