Ken's New Toy!

[Ken.]

Thanks Zetan & SKhilled.

You can find my review and thoughts about this Netbook in my blog:

The Aspire One from Acer is a Netbook I fell in love with almost as soon as I got my hands on itââ,¬Â¦ almost!... ââ,¬ËœAlmostââ,¬â,,¢, and there in lies the story. 

Read More Here.

[Zetan]

A few of the guys at work have these tiny "laptops"? Netbooks? I am considering purchasing one, next year maybe when finances inprove.

I read a bit of the review, I'm having issues reading the entire page at work. So, now you have a replacement, do you like it?

I get as far as this:

Next there was a two day wait until Sams Club did a credit back to my card for the total cost; they were good enough to give back all costs including shipping. So then finally I was able to go to one of our local PC stores and pick one up, for a larger cost of course.

[Crip]

Safari 4 is also very, very cool!

[Ken.]

A few of the guys at work have these tiny "laptops"? Netbooks? I am considering purchasing one, next year maybe when finances inprove.

I read a bit of the review, I'm having issues reading the entire page at work. So, now you have a replacement, do you like it?

I get as far as this:

Next there was a two day wait until Sams Club did a credit back to my card for the total cost; they were good enough to give back all costs including shipping. So then finally I was able to go to one of our local PC stores and pick one up, for a larger cost of course.

Sorry for the delay... we had storms yesterday afternoon that knocked out my internet connection, it's OK now but we did lose some equipment.

My review article is rather long winded, but here's the meat of it:

Hereââ,¬â,,¢s my review after working with it for a couple of days.
The keyboard is decently sized, firm and easy to use. Now in no way can it compare with my big, honking, Microsoft ââ,¬ËœNatural Keyboard Proââ,¬â,,¢ with its almost two foot wide spread, in fact the Pro keyboard is actually larger that the whole Acer Netbook!
But although it will take some getting used to because of the stark differences in size and layout, Iââ,¬â,,¢m finding the Acer keyboard works just fine. Iââ,¬â,,¢m already starting to get accustomed to the feel of it and while Iââ,¬â,,¢ll never be as good with it as with my large Pro keyboard, thatââ,¬â,,¢s not a big concern because most of my ââ,¬Ëœseriousââ,¬â,,¢ typing will still be done on my desktop PC anyway.

Processor and Memory:
Intel Atom Processor N270 (1.60GHz, 533MHz FSB, 512KB L2 cache)
1 GB DDR2 533 MHz SDRAM Single Channel Memory, (512MB onboard, 512MB soDIMM slot)
* Now itââ,¬â,,¢s not some Hot Game Machine but the processor and Ram are plenty good enough for this small machine.

Hard Drive and Multimedia Drives:

16GB Total Storage Capacity: 16GB consists of 8GB SSD (Solid State Drive) and 8GB SDâ„¢ (Secure Digital Card)
* 16GB of hard drive space sounds awfully small by todayââ,¬â,,¢s standards, what with hard drives now available in the Terabyte and larger range, but itââ,¬â,,¢s actually an OK size because to my mind this little Acer is not about storage space, itââ,¬â,,¢s about having a PC thatââ,¬â,,¢s lightweight, easy to handle and use and clean and simple when it comes to whatââ,¬â,,¢s on the hard drive. The first thing I did was start removing programs so that it could be as lean and fast as possible and then I added another 8GB SDHC card which increased the storage to 24GB and thatââ,¬â,,¢s more than enough for my needs.
But what if I need more storage space? SDHC cards are getting less expensive, so are USB thumb drives and a USB hard drive with several 100GB can be had for less than $100ââ,¬Â¦ not sounding like an issue to me. And, because its networked to my desktop systems that gives me well over two Terabytes of additional space.

Audio, Video and Graphics:

Integrated IntelÃ,® Graphics Media Accelerator 950
2 Built-in Stereo Speakers & High-Definition Audio Support
0.3 Integrated Acer Crystal Eye Webcam
* The display is great. The screen is really small of course, measuring only 8.9ââ,¬Â, but donââ,¬â,,¢t let that fool you, the Acer makes up for that small size with the best display Iââ,¬â,,¢ve seen on any PC to date.

* The built-in speakers suckââ,¬Â¦ so far this is the only real complaint Iââ,¬â,,¢m having about the Acer, but Iââ,¬â,,¢m not going to complain too loudly because with a Netbook this small you have to realize that thereââ,¬â,,¢s no way they could include speakers big enough to give a quality sound.
However, the sound card is very much acceptable! When I plug in my economy version Plantronics headset the sound quality is very good and plays music with a very clean and clear delivery.

* I was really surprised at the quality of the webcam, it gives a sharp clear picture thatââ,¬â,,¢s almost photo quality and itââ,¬â,,¢s at least as good as some of my early digital cameras were. The frame rate is a little slow so it jerks a little but not really badly and reception on the other end of an over the internet video conversation using Skype seems to work really good with the person on the other end expressing satisfaction with the quality of the video and the audio.

If you want to see the entire review, go here:
http://www.ourfamilyforum.org/FamilyForum/index.php?page=WordPress

[Edit]
Guess I should include this part as well. 

Conclusions:
Having practically no prior experience with Netbooks or Notebooks, with the exception of using a 15ââ,¬Â Notebook for a few days last year for the Hamrick Family Reunion, my expertise is rather limited to say the least so my conclusions may need to be reevaluated in time but so far Iââ,¬â,,¢m very much impressed with the Acer Aspire One. There were some short comings, mainly with the speakers, but I donââ,¬â,,¢t really see that a negative because with a unit of this size youââ,¬â,,¢ve got to expect some trade-offs and itââ,¬â,,¢s just not designed to be in the same league as a Laptop costing 100ââ,¬â,,¢s of dollars more.

Good quality, works goodââ,¬Â¦ I like it.  :up:

[FERNSIDEâ„¢]

That looks really nice Ken!
And if I miss it

My son always thrashes my Lappy, so I bought him his own a few days ago. What else do you do for your 8 month old boy! pmsl
Nah seriously, he loves slapping away on the keyboard, so I grabbed one of those mini Inspiron 910's.
His mother wasn't overly impressed, but it's amazing how often she uses it instead of her desktop! lol
Those things are waaay too small for me, as you can see in the fuzzy attachment.

All I know is that I too love my Godzilla type keyboard, but these mini lappys are good too, because it keeps the thrashing fists of my little boy OFF of Mine!! lol

[G6Cad]

AH! it was one of these small ones    I thought it was a "big" laptop, thats why i thought 16gb was a small disk.

[Zetan]

Good review Ken :up:

I'm thinking of buying this one:

Overview
Samsung NC10

The NC10 netbook is an affordable mobile solution ideal for all your online needs, designed to complement peopleââ,¬â,,¢s fast-paced lives. This NetBook gives you a powerful, stylish and convenient way to share information, liaise with your business using live messaging or by utilising the integrated webcam itââ,¬â,,¢s easy to stay in touch using video-conferencing.
Even though it is one of the worldââ,¬â,,¢s lightest netbook in its 10.2in. class, weighing just 1.33kg with a powerful 6 cell battery, the NC10ââ,¬â,,¢s innovative design is packed with the latest technology for maximum mobility and productivity. It also incorporates a range of practical features, like a normal-size, ergonomic notebook PC style keyboard, to simplify life on the move. So when you need to stay in touch, but want to make a good impression the NC10 makes complete sense.

Intel Atom N270 processor 1GB Memory 160GB Hard drive 10.2in. widescreen display Microsoft Windows XP Home Ergonomic keyboard Lightweight and portable Long battery life (upto 8hrs)

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/search/searchBrowseAction.html?method=getProduct&R=6601182

I get a discount if I purchase through the company business account.

[Skhilled]

Yeah, the net books are great for just surfing the net and other things that don't require a lot of memory.

I was thinking about getting a netbook as well but want linux preinstalled instead since MS is giving up support for XP.

[Ken.]

Yeah, the net books are great for just surfing the net and other things that don't require a lot of memory.

I was thinking about getting a netbook as well but want linux preinstalled instead since MS is giving up support for XP.

The Linux option is available on many brands, often at a lesser cost, Ubuntu is the flavor that the Acer brand promotes.
I considered getting mine with Ubuntu, but XP was available so that what I went with.

[Ken.]

Thanks for the comments Zetan.

The Samsung NC10 sounds like a good choice and 10" would certainly be better than 9".
I have no complaints about the screen size on my 9" Acer, but in this case going bigger would be OK