Acer Computer AOA150-1447 Aspire One 8.9" Notebook PC - Sapphire Blue

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even swap out the 160GB hard drive for a still larger one. The Acer is another story. It requires total disassembly and careful reassembly (numerous videos and pictorial instructions available on the web) to replace the socketed 512MB module with a 1GB max module. This procedure also negates the warranty - how clever! Some genius at Acer decided to solder 512MB onto the motherboard, thus limiting the max memory to 1.5GB. To add insult to injury, the Acer design team also placed a removable panel on the bottom which opens into an unused cavity. That panel could have been moved or expanded in size to allow easy memory and hard drive access.

(4) Keyboard and touch pad: Acer wins big here. The reason the Acer is about 1" wider is due to a wider keyboard. The keys are not only larger on the Acer but they seem to have more tactile feedback. The Asus keyboard also has a tiny shift key which often fails to register unless tapped near the center. Asus has just introduced the 904HA which provides a wider keyboard (and wider computer) but uses the same 8.9" screen. The Acer touchpad is unbelievably smooth to the touch although the buttons are located to the sides (allowing larger keyboard). The Asus touchpad is a little larger but rougher finish with conventional button locations below the pad.

(5) Battery life: Acer big 6 cell, Asus smaller 4 cell but the brighter screen on the Acer may negate some of that advantage. I have not run them down on the battery to compare this.

(6) Fit and Finish: The Acer appears slightly better to me with stunning quality external fit and finish (every bit as good as my $2000 Sony Viao). The Asus has cheaper looking power and mouse buttons but a nice glossy black external finish.

Summary: Acer wins in quality of screen, keyboard, touch pad and fit and finish. Asus wins in smaller size and lighter weight and wins big in ease to upgrade memory or hard drive. One more thing: Asus provides a nice custom fit carrying pouch while Acer lets you buy your own from a third party (they only make a large size case).

Acer Computer AOA150-1447 Aspire One 8.9" Notebook PC - Sapphire Blue

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1) cheap 2) small and light 3) long battery 4) keyboard 5) XP Operating System
Cons: 1) no CD Drive 2) touchpad 3) easily smudges

Pricing was definitely a big factor. I didn't want to spend more than 500 for a laptop. I paid 377 altogether for the 3 cell version at the store (349.99 + tax). I paid 411.84 altogether for the 6 cell (399.99), including standard shipping. The price has gone up a bit though so take that into consideration. However, it is still one of the better priced netbooks with nice specs for its price.

Cosmetically speaking, the Aspire looks pretty good. I have seen the Sapphire Blue/Black one and the Black one. They SMUDGE very visibly. Heck, I have the white one, and I can sometimes see smudges. I carry one of the glasses cleaning clothes to wipe the screen because it's one of my pet peeves. It wasn't big enough of a deterrent to sway me away though.

The Aspire is small and light, even the 6 cell version. It's like carrying a small hardcover book. The 3 cell version came with a simple leather cover so I put it in the case and chucked it my big purse. I forgot it was there a good portion of the time. The 6 cell version doesn't come with a case so I'd recommend getting one.

Because it is so small, some people might be turned off by the screen. It is still nice and clear, but takes a bit of adjustment time. A fix to this when you're at home is to hook it up to a monitor through the included VGA port.

Another thing about the laptop being small is that it does not have a CD/DVD drive. There are a few solutions to this problem. You can buy an external USB CD/DVD hard drive. You can network with a computer that does have a CD/DVD drive, and access the drive through the network. You can install a virtual CD/DVD drive and download whatever CD/DVD you needed to use. A CD/DVD drive wasn't something I needed so I don't mind not having it on the Aspire.

The speakers also aren't all that great, but what do you expect from such a small laptop? It's loud enough for when you're by yourself, but get some headphones for when you go somewhere public. In terms of how noisy the laptop is, I'm just satisfied that it's not loud like my other laptop. It doesn't bother me. People with much more sensitive ears might be bothered by the fan noise (a typical low whirring computer sound). I felt that the 3 cell was slightly quieter than the 6 cell.

Despite it's size and weight, the Aspire packs quite a punch. The battery life is long on the 6 cell. I had it unplugged for about six hours straight with the wireless on and doing various regular activities before it died. Surfing the web. Downloading lots of files. Installing programs. Etc. I'm sure that as long as you're not doing anything program intensive, the battery will last for days.

The keyboard is quite easy to type on, and I like the way the keys are positioned. It was an easy transition from a full sized keyboard, surprising enough. In fact, I'm typing up this long review on the Aspire with relative ease.

The touchpad, on the other hand, sucks. I don't like using it too much, but it's tolerable. Luckily, this is easily remedied with a USB mouse.

Now we'll move on to how it runs. It boots up fast, comes back from standby fast, and shuts down fast. We're looking at like 30 sec for startup, 3 for standby, and 30 sec for shut down. It's great for when you need to get things started or ended quickly.

On the 3 cell version, 20gb of the 120gb is actually partitioned away for recovery. So what that means is you have 100gb of accessible hard drive space. On the 160 cell version, 14gb is partitioned away, leaving you with 144gb. This also means that you don't have recovery discs. (But there's no CD drive anyways.)

The Aspire did not come packed with bloatware. It took me a short amount of time to uninstall programs I didn't want. It didn't take too long to install the programs I did want. (Firefox, AVG antivirus, Openoffice, Winamp, etc.) They all run smoothly btw. It also streams videos pretty well. (Youtube, Veoh, etc.)

At any rate, it performs excellently for the tasks I bought it for and does a bit more than I required too. This is a great laptop if you're constantly on the go. It has wireless so you can just connect to one of those Internet hotspots. If it meets your requirements, you should totally get it! It's a worthy investment. I'm thinking of getting one for my mom for Christmas because all she does is chat and watch streamed videos on the computer.

So good luck with finding a laptop to suit your needs! The Aspire makes a great portable student laptop, and I've already got a few friends who want to get themselves one because they saw mine. I would not recommend it as your only desktop/laptop though.

P.S. Amazon is great with shipping. I ordered it earlier in the week but the delivery estimate said Oct. 28th because it wouldn't ship out until Oct. 23. I was so bummed, but it came Oct. 25th. Go Amazon!

Acer Computer AOA150-1447 Aspire One 8.9" Notebook PC - Sapphire Blue

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1) cheap 2) small and light 3) long battery 4) keyboard 5) XP Operating System

Cons: 1) no CD Drive 2) touchpad 3) easily smudges



Pricing was definitely a big factor. I didn't want to spend more than 500 for a laptop. I paid 377 altogether for the 3 cell version at the store (349.99 + tax). I paid 411.84 altogether for the 6 cell (399.99), including standard shipping. The price has gone up a bit though so take that into consideration. However, it is still one of the better priced netbooks with nice specs for its price.



Cosmetically speaking, the Aspire looks pretty good. I have seen the Sapphire Blue/Black one and the Black one. They SMUDGE very visibly. Heck, I have the white one, and I can sometimes see smudges. I carry one of the glasses cleaning clothes to wipe the screen because it's one of my pet peeves. It wasn't big enough of a deterrent to sway me away though.



The Aspire is small and light, even the 6 cell version. It's like carrying a small hardcover book. The 3 cell version came with a simple leather cover so I put it in the case and chucked it my big purse. I forgot it was there a good portion of the time. The 6 cell version doesn't come with a case so I'd recommend getting one.



Because it is so small, some people might be turned off by the screen. It is still nice and clear, but takes a bit of adjustment time. A fix to this when you're at home is to hook it up to a monitor through the included VGA port.



Another thing about the laptop being small is that it does not have a CD/DVD drive. There are a few solutions to this problem. You can buy an external USB CD/DVD hard drive. You can network with a computer that does have a CD/DVD drive, and access the drive through the network. You can install a virtual CD/DVD drive and download whatever CD/DVD you needed to use. A CD/DVD drive wasn't something I needed so I don't mind not having it on the Aspire.



The speakers also aren't all that great, but what do you expect from such a small laptop? It's loud enough for when you're by yourself, but get some headphones for when you go somewhere public. In terms of how noisy the laptop is, I'm just satisfied that it's not loud like my other laptop. It doesn't bother me. People with much more sensitive ears might be bothered by the fan noise (a typical low whirring computer sound). I felt that the 3 cell was slightly quieter than the 6 cell.



Despite it's size and weight, the Aspire packs quite a punch. The battery life is long on the 6 cell. I had it unplugged for about six hours straight with the wireless on and doing various regular activities before it died. Surfing the web. Downloading lots of files. Installing programs. Etc. I'm sure that as long as you're not doing anything program intensive, the battery will last for days.



The keyboard is quite easy to type on, and I like the way the keys are positioned. It was an easy transition from a full sized keyboard, surprising enough. In fact, I'm typing up this long review on the Aspire with relative ease.



The touchpad, on the other hand, sucks. I don't like using it too much, but it's tolerable. Luckily, this is easily remedied with a USB mouse.



Now we'll move on to how it runs. It boots up fast, comes back from standby fast, and shuts down fast. We're looking at like 30 sec for startup, 3 for standby, and 30 sec for shut down. It's great for when you need to get things started or ended quickly.



On the 3 cell version, 20gb of the 120gb is actually partitioned away for recovery. So what that means is you have 100gb of accessible hard drive space. On the 160 cell version, 14gb is partitioned away, leaving you with 144gb. This also means that you don't have recovery discs. (But there's no CD drive anyways.)



The Aspire did not come packed with bloatware. It took me a short amount of time to uninstall programs I didn't want. It didn't take too long to install the programs I did want. (Firefox, AVG antivirus, Openoffice, Winamp, etc.) They all run smoothly btw. It also streams videos pretty well. (Youtube, Veoh, etc.)



At any rate, it performs excellently for the tasks I bought it for and does a bit more than I required too. This is a great laptop if you're constantly on the go. It has wireless so you can just connect to one of those Internet hotspots. If it meets your requirements, you should totally get it! It's a worthy investment. I'm thinking of getting one for my mom for Christmas because all she does is chat and watch streamed videos on the computer.



So good luck with finding a laptop to suit your needs! The Aspire makes a great portable student laptop, and I've already got a few friends who want to get themselves one because they saw mine. I would not recommend it as your only desktop/laptop though.



P.S. Amazon is great with shipping. I ordered it earlier in the week but the delivery estimate said Oct. 28th because it wouldn't ship out until Oct. 23. I was so bummed, but it came Oct. 25th. Go Amazon!

Acer Computer AOA150-1447 Aspire One 8.9" Notebook PC - Sapphire Blue

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(The metal USB connector part, unlike many small BT adapters, actually fully flush with the port; only a tiny plastic sticks out.)

Lastly, read a lot about the fan noise. I can't say that I really noticed any, and I'm quite observant. I can tell when the fan comes on, but there's almost on noise at all when it does. I'm guessing/hoping Acer has fixed the issue (I read that the noise was due to actual physical contact between the blade and other parts).

Acer Computer AOA150-1447 Aspire One 8.9" Notebook PC - Sapphire Blue

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the eee, but complained of short battery life.

Then Acer announced this model would be coming soon.

I probably would have been OK with the linux version if it had the 6 cell battery. Linux is better than Windows for the internet, and I could probably have gotten software to run the camera. But windows XP meant the camera would run out of the box, and I wouldn't need to learn a new operating system. The hard drive seems much larger than I need, but it means I won't need to worry about running out of space.

Performance wise, it has more than enough power for my needs. It plays youtube and flash based videos better than my Dell over the wireless network connection in part because it gets a more reliable connection.

Five and a half hours seems like a realistic estimate of the battery life.

The keyboard is smaller than a normal one, but after a couple of hours I got to the point where my touch typing was reasonably accurate. The other compromise is the speakers - They're not going to fill a room with sound - but for one or two people in a typical environment, they're loud enough. I doubt there's room in the case for more substantial speakers.

Build quality is very good - certainly at least as nice as my Dell. The controls are intuitive, and overall I'm very impressed with how easy this netbook was to get used to.

And it is super portable. In round numbers, four of them stacked together would probably be about the size of a six pack of soda cans. Factor in the long battery life and you have a computer that's very convenient to bring almost anywhere.

Acer Computer AOA150-1447 Aspire One 8.9" Notebook PC - Sapphire Blue

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be sent out. I went email first then phone and they said they were going to send it . I'm waiting slightly impatiently because I feel it should be there to begin with. Not the first time this has happened to me though... with another company which I am not going to reveal.
This is a Netbook, this means no DVD/CD burner ect. 3 options 1: use a external DVD drive, 2 use a computer network take use of another dvd drive, 3 use iso ripping tools and transfer them to your pc and on your pc use a program such as deamon's tools to emulate the use dvd in a dvd drive. 1 option is easiest, most external dvd drives are plug n play. plus if you HDD partitions/Windows gets screwed up bad enough that the internal acer image is unable to restore then Reinstalling Operating systems is much easier with a dvd drive. good investment and can be used on other computers as well.
Processor, Atom n270 processor is a nice speedy little processor, It does what you need for school websurfing and very limited gaming stuff. Plus it is nice on power
Video, Intel integdrated video, just like a macbook, NOT ("mac book pro"), It takes some of your onboard ram which can only be upto 1.5 GB and is hard to upgrade but it does its own thing works great anyway.
160GB, I've seen people complain about a price hike on the HDD versions, If a company does what customers request (aka HDD and Windows) then they can up the price if they want; same with the retailers. yet this is a Good amount of space for a netbook, so no complaints there
have not tried .3 cam thing so no comment. For it's price and usablility I have yet to find anything I like better!! Plus if you check on the other earlier netbooks you will find they only have a 3 cell battery these new ones have a 6 cell battery and the last like 4.5 hours when I ran on it.

Acer Computer AOA150-1447 Aspire One 8.9" Notebook PC - Sapphire Blue

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plus the $25 for the extra RAM, its absolutely a BARGIN!

Acer Computer AOA150-1447 Aspire One 8.9" Notebook PC - Sapphire Blue

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side of the motherboard. A huge pain. There are about 3 videos on YouTube that actually show tutorials of people replacing the 512GB removeable memory chip, with a 1GB chip. It isn't easy, and unless you have some background in computer upgrades, I might forget about this upgrade altogether. That is the ONLY reason this computer didn't get 5 stars. Why Acer didn't do like every other laptop I've ever seen, and put a door for easy access to the memory slot is beyond me.