The affordable, stylish, and compact Aspire One catapulted Acer to the top of the heap in terms of market share for the red-hot netbook category. The latest version, the 10.1-inch Aspire One AOD150, is likely to keep the company in the lead. Expanding the original Aspire One’s screen from 8.9 to 10.1 inches, the new Aspire One is nearly as svelte as its predecessor and, even though the keyboard is the same size, its revamped touchpad is a marked improvement over the original. Add in a six-cell battery, which offers 6 hours of battery life, and you have a killer deal for $349.
Slightly Updated Design of the 10-inch Aspire One
Aesthetically, the 10.1-inch Aspire One looks a lot like its older brother, but with a few noticeable differences. While it has similar rounded edges, the glossy navy blue lid (also available in white, black, and red) has more of a sparkle to it than the original’s solid hue, and the glossy palm rest has been replaced with a brushed metal coating that won’t attract fingerprints. Instead of the circular orange colored hinge of its predecessor, the new 10-inch version sports a teardrop-shape metallic hinge whose colored accent matches the lid.
At 10.2 x 8.0 x 1.3 inches, the 10.1-inch Aspire One is longer and wider than the original but falls in the same size range as the other 10-inch netbooks on the market. When stacked up with the 10-inch Eee PC 1000HE, a slightly chunkier mini-notebook, the Aspire One was thinner and noticeably more compact.
Tipping the scales at 2.8 pounds, the Aspire One weighs 3.2 ounces more than the HP Mini 2140, mainly due to its larger six-cell battery, which extends out the back of the system.
Ports
Acer didn’t change the port configuration; surrounding the Aspire One are three USB ports, and VGA, Ethernet, headphone, and microphone jacks. A 4-in-1 card reader is on the right side.
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