Acer Aspire One AOD-250 First Impressions

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Here are 10 things I like:

• Easy setup: The machine includes a license for Windows XP Home Edition for Ultra Low cost PCs.  As far as I can tell, there is no functional difference between the “low cost version” and the old XP Home.  Rumours have it that it was just a creative way for Microsoft to revive the XP brand without having to go back on their word that they are mothballing the operating system.  The system setup was relatively easy.  Essentially, Acer has prepartioned the disk with a sysprep image that configures the notebook the way one would want it.  I found it interesting (at least for this Canadian model) that I got a choice of English or French versions of Windows XP.  The setup process takes a good part of an hour, but most of it is automated and does not need user intervention.
• Easy to use: The multitouch capability of the touch pad is a thoughtful bonus.  I particularly like the fact that you can scroll using a circular motion rather than trying to hunt and find a right column or worse yet trying to control a scroll bar. One can also zoom, and perform simple flick operations using this touchpad.  Regarding the circular scrolling motion – You trigger the gesture by placing your finger at the top right hand corner of the touch pad.  Then, move your finger in clockwise motion to scroll down, and counter clockwise to scroll up.  I find that if you do circular motions that are small in diameter, the scroll goes slower, and if you do larger radius motions, you can scroll through pages at a time.  Of course this takes a bit of getting used to, but once you do, it’s a pretty handy way of scrolling.
• Size and Weight:  This was one of the main requirements in my purchasing decision, and this Acer does not disappoint.  In fact, compared to Joe’s netbook, this one is particularly thin.  This also contributes to the light weight.  With the 3 cell battery, the notebook only weighs 2.4lbs.  Very handy if you are trying to hold your netbook in a bag, whilst also carrying in groceries and your toddler.
• Battery life: Though I opted for the lower 3 cell battery to start, battery life is as expected.  Depending on what I am doing, the battery can last anywhere from 2.5 hours to 3 hours.  This is adequate for light battery usage, but can be annoying if you say want to sit unplugged for extended period of time in the living room then take the machine with you.  I found that in times like this, I have had to plug it in to charge in between just to ensure I have a full 3 hours on the road.
• Good selection of aftermarket batteries:  One of the things I liked about this netbook was that it was relatively common – meaning that there would be quite a few aftermarket renditions of batteries available.  A quick search at battdepot.ca and eBay reveals that replacement 3, 6, 9 and even 12 cell models available!
• Good screen:  As I write this, I am sitting with a bright window behind me.  Although I am not a big fan of the glossy screen and its resulting glare, I found that the screen brightens very well to compensate for this.  The screen is also LED backed making for a very thin screen.
• Reasonable resolution: The Acer AOD250 model has a 10.1” screen and can display up to 1024 x 600 – good enough to do most web browsing and word processing.  The size of the screen allows for reasonably sized looking letters – definitely more readable than its 9” and some older 800×600 counterparts.  With some careful management of applications (i.e. removing unnecessary toolbars and titlebars), the resolution is quite usable.
• Quiet: Even though this netbook has a fan, it is very very quiet even when the CPU is in full force.
• Speed: I was pleasantly surprised at the speed of this computer.  I knew it wouldn’t be as fast as a desktop, but honestly I thought that things would be noticeably slower.
• WLAN switch: I know this is standard on most notebooks, but I thought the inclusion of a WLAN switch is a great idea – especially when you are working in environments where you either don’t want WIFI or are in a place where you don’t have WIFI.  The ability to turn off the radio saves battery life.  Now something interesting I noticed on this model – instead of a slider switch with discrete on/off positions, this switch is more of a rocker slide switch where you slide once to turn WLAN on, and slide again to turn it off.

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