Acer Mini Laptops – Sifting Through the Market Noise

 

Acer stormed out into the netbook world with quite a few netbooks to choose from. Bypassing Asus and Dell, two leading manufacturers of netbooks, Acer has made a name for themselves in the mini laptop market by providing quality, affordable, and miniature netbooks to the public. It would be impossible to try and cover all of the Acer netbooks available, but I’ll do my best to highlight the ones that I think are noteworthy in the brand and why I think they’re worth picking up.

It’s so easy to get lost in the sea of specifications and gimmicks that companies toss back and forth that buying a computer goes from being a simple task to a month long excursion from store to store and from clueless employee to clueless employee. Hopefully by the end of this article you’ll have a better idea of what Acer has to offer and why they’re leading the charge with some of the best netbooks on the market today.

Branding

Before we go any further, it’s important to understand how all of these netbooks are named so that you can better remember what it is you’re looking for when you go to buy one. All of the netbooks Acer has released have been released under a subsidiary brand called “Aspire One.” Each computer we’re going to discuss has a product name or code similar to “Acer AOXXXXX,” with the “AO” being short for “Aspire One” and the “XXXXX” standing for the numbers or computer code they’ve used to identify each product. Seeing a laptop without that code from Acer probably means that it isn’t actually a netbook, but rather a full sized laptop.

Most Popular

Two releases in the Aspire One lineup have surpassed all of the others by what could be considered a landslide. The reason they’ve accelerated to the top so quickly is because of what’s inside their netbook shell. While neither computer takes leaps and bounds above any of the other products they’re competing with, each is unique in its own right and deserves a closer look. Here are our contenders.

AO532h: 

Think of this as the younger sibling to the computer that’s going to follow. Featuring the standard Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor and 1GB of RAM, this little guy has all of the same features as most other netbooks on the market. It’s sleek and snappy for on the go computing and is perfect as a school or work companion to get a little extra work done without having to sit at home and fumble with a desktop or laptop.

Specifications

• 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N450 Processor
• 1GB DDR2 Memory
• 160GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
• 802.11 b/g/n Wireless Certified
• 10.1" WSVGA Acer CrystalBrite LED Display, Intel GMA 3150 Graphics
• Windows 7 Starter
• Up to 8 Hours of Battery Life

While nothing extravagant, this computer shot to popularity because of the vibrant colors it was offered in. Many people, myself included, are pretty tired of the standard glossy black finish that most netbooks come standard with these days. The splash of color you can get with the AO532h is a nice refreshing change. But if you want to step out of the standard netbook arena altogether, it may be time to look at something a bit more powerful….

AOD255: 

And the AOD255 is that more powerful something. The main speed boost for this machine comes from the added dual core processor, which is a huge upgrade over the original single core Intel Atom. Most everything else is the same: 10” screen, 1GB of RAM, and a 1024x600 resolution monitor. Although the rest of the computer may seem the same, the dual core really boosts performance more than you’d expect. Everything is much snappier and you won’t be waiting around for programs to load or open.

Specifications

• 1.5GHz N550 Dual Core Processor
• 1GB DDR3 RAM
• 250GB SATA Hard Drive
• 802.11 b/g/n Wireless Certified
• Up to 8 Hours of Battery Life
• Windows 7 Starter

Final Thoughts

My vote goes to the AOD255 hands down. It’s a smashing computer that has all the power you need in this multimedia rich world. I still recommend getting an extra 1GB of RAM for either option though, as the standard 1GB just isn’t enough to do much more than browse the web and listen to music simultaneously. Other than that minor flaw, both machines have top ratings in my book and would be more than welcomed if they made it to my desk. And since both weigh less than 3 pounds, they’re easy to take on the go and not have to worry about the added weight in my backpack or shoulder bag.

[note]Althaf Ahmed is a Freelance Business Consultant and the author of Netbook Buyers Guide. When he is not working, he is busy tasting different recipes in local joints in his city.

URLs in the Bio -Business Consultant - www.althafahmed.com [/note]

Netbook buyers guide - www.socialhacks.com/shopping/cheap-netbooks-an-in-depth-netbook-guide/