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Deals hot off the grill: Memorial Day sales roundup
This weekend is the unofficial start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and as to be expected, there are many deals to be had. We'll be updating this list throughout the weekend as news of more sales emerge, so be sure to check back between your BBQs! • Aspyr is offering $10 off some of their most popular Mac games over the holiday weekend. From the Mac App Store the games include Star Wars: Empire at War, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and Civilization IV. Aspyr is also offering many other games for sale at its GameAgent website. • The MacGameStore is offering Sally's Spa for free over the weekend. • iPhone battery pack maker Mophie is offering up to 60% off select items plus free shipping on orders greater than US$100. • Griffin is offering 25% off almost everything in their store with the exception of Col. Littleton products and GriffinDeal products. Use code "MEMORIAL12" in their store. • Drobo is offering dramatically lowered prices on their most popular Drobo simplified RAID arrays. Use the code "DOUBLEDROBO" in the Drobo store to get the following prices on these Drobo products: Drobo (4-bay USB / Firewire): $298, Drobo FS (5-bay Gigabit Ethernet File Sharing): $598, Drobo S (5-bay eSATA / USB / Firewire): $698, Drobo Pro (8-bay iSCSI / USB / Firewire): $1398.
Acer Aspire One Happy gets Easter egg colors, Atom N570 chip
Eager to pick up a new molded-plastic Acer One netbook, but wish it came in PAAS-approved Easter egg hues? Then your day has come, friend. Macles reports that Acer will refresh its Aspire One Happy line with a quartet of edible colors: Blueberry Shake, Banana Cream, Papaya Milk and Strawberry Yogurt. Those vibrant shells will have the innards of the still-unreleased Acer One D257, including a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N570 dual-core processor, along with the usual 10.1-inch display, 2GB memory, 250GB hard drive, and a six-cell battery. And yes, there will be 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, and Windows 7 Starter. No word yet on availability and pricing, but it's probably smarter to wait rather than try to make your own with a dye tab and a sink full of vinegar.
Acer's Aspire One D257 attempts to send ripples through MWC
Despite its variety of new tablets, Acer's already told us of its plans to continue on with its Aspire One netbooks, and the new D257 is all the proof we need of that. At this point, we don't know much about the latest 10.1-inch laptop, except that it does have one funky lid. It looks like a stone was dropped smack in the middle of the O in the Aspire One logo to create a ripple-like effect, and it's more than just an interesting paint job -- the plastic has actually been molded. It's a noteworthy design move, but we've never really been big fans of the huge logo in the first place. We were actually hoping Acer would nix it after the AO521. Spec-wise, Notebook Italia is reporting it will be powered by Intel's dual-core Atom N570 or N550 processors and the placard on display at MWC said that it will dual-boot Windows 7 Starter and Android. Ironically, the model on hand wouldn't boot at all, but we'll be listening out for an official announcement on this one. %Gallery-117119%
Acer Aspire One 522 falls from the clouds, sporting dual-core 1GHz Ontario APU?
AMD Fusion's taken its sweet, sweet time getting here, but we're hearing you'll be able to get your hands on some Atom-beating netbook chips soon -- for instance, in this Acer Aspire One 522, which will reportedly drive its oh-so-glossy 10.1-inch, 720p screen with a 1GHz AMD C-50 Ontario APU. In case you need a brief refresher, Ontario's the chip rated at just nine watts, meaning we should expect some fairly decent battery life here, though possibly not the heroic performance of its 1.6GHz Zacate cousin. Aside from those specs, the Acer's mostly your standard netbook -- three USB ports, VGA-out, a webcam and 802.11 b/g/n WiFi -- though it does have HDMI out, something you won't find on the otherwise similar Aspire One D255. It's hard to say what it'll cost stateside, but a Thai e-tailer's ringing up a version right now with 2GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive for 12,829 baht (about $425). Wonder if it runs Android?
Acer Aspire RevoView network media streamer ships this month in the UK
Hard to say if it's too little, too late, but one thing's for darn sure -- Acer definitely has a lot of competition to shake off if it wants this Aspire RevoView to truly succeed. Announced originally way back in May, this here network media streamer is just now gaining an image, price and release date. It's able to fetch content from USB hard drives, an internal 3.5-inch HDD, a memory card slot or the world wide web, but the latter seems contained to just YouTube, Picasa and Flickr for the time being. It'll push things out via an HDMI socket on the rear, and the bundled remote will keep your keister firmly planted while it's in operation. No word on whether or not this fellow will ever leave the confines of the UK, but it'll go on sale there next week for £119.99 ($193).
Acer goes pastel with 10.1-inch Aspire One Happy dual-booting netbook
Cherry Red and Midnight Black too harsh for your innocent eyes? How's about a gaggle of pastel options to take the edge off? Acer has just issued a new line of netbooks catering to those still stuck in the 70s, with the flower-powered Aspire One Happy range offering the most delightful lids of any netbook, ever. This 10.1-inch machine packs a WSVGA panel, six-cell battery (up to eight hours of battery life), Atom N450 CPU, GMA 3150 GPU, 250GB hard drive, WiFi, 2GB of memory and inbuilt Bluetooth. It also supports dual booting (Windows 7 and Android 2.1), but the highlight of the show is the abundance of color options: Candy Pink, Lavender Purple, Lime Green and Hawaii Blue. All four hues are available now across the pond for £249.99 ($397), but mum's the word on a stateside release. But don't worry... be happy.
Android-booting Acer Aspire One D255 extensively demoed, yet far from loved on video
Acer's just told us that it has "no imminent plans" to bring the dual-booting Android and Windows XP Aspire One D255 stateside, and after seeing an in-depth video (no, really it's 14 minutes long!) of the 10-inch netbook in action we can't say we're all that upset about the news. Yep, the NetbookNews team snatched up a light blue version of the new netbook in Taipei, and though they were impressed with the thin design and included case, they had less positive things to say on the software end. Not only is the Windows XP desktop ridden with crapware, but the Android implementation is still half baked. Similar to the first generation Acer Aspire One D250, the Android 2.1 interface is really only good for searching the web and checking e-mail since it doesn't have access to the Market. Of course, we urge you to sit back and watch the lengthy hands-on video after the break to make your own call on this $299 lappie, but ultimately, we're assuming you'll have the same question as us: Acer, how's that Chrome OS netbook coming along?
Acer Aspire One D255 netbook dual boots Android and XP for about $375
Attending the Taipei Computer Applications Show today? Lucky you. Then be sure to pick up your specially priced Acer Aspire One D255 netbook with dual booting Android and XP operating systems before leaving the venue. Otherwise, the NT$9,500 (about $300) 10.1-inch netbook configured with an Atom N450 processor, 1GB of DDR2 memory, 160GB hard disk, and 3-cell battery (with optional 6-cell) will cost you NT$11,900 (about $375) when it hits traditional retail channels sometime in the days ahead.
Jolicloud 1.0 demonstrated on Acer Aspire One 533, coming to your netbook soon
We're always skeptical when it comes to underground operating systems whipped up for one specific purpose, but Jolicloud has managed to continually impress us with each passing build. Now, at long last, the netbook-centric OS has arrived at the magical 1.0, and our comrades over at Netbook News have managed to score an early copy. Better still, they're showcasing it on Acer's just-released Aspire One 533, and if the bootup speed is any indication, we'd say the two are a match made in heaven. The 1.0 version sure looks grown-up compared to those earlier builds, and while we suspect it would take a bit of getting used to before we really found ourselves comfortable in an app-driven desktop OS, we definitely like the looks of it. Feel free to hop on past the break for a lengthy video demonstration of the refaced system, and if you're currently using an earlier version, the company has informed the world that upgrades will start slipping out as early as this week.
Acer Aspire One D255 netbook packs Atom N550 processor, subdued appearance
It's been less than a month since Acer rolled out its Aspire One D260 netbook at Computex, but it looks like the company already has a followup (of sorts) lined up in the form of the Aspire One D255. That netbook is apparently mostly identical to the D260 in terms of specs, with the notable exception of a brand new dual-core Atom N550 processor -- a first for an Acer netbook. About the only other changes are some minor design tweaks that ditch the chrome accents and flake paint options found on the D260 -- but don't worry, that impossible to miss Aspire One logo on the lid is still there. No word on availability just yet, but we're working to get that information out of Acer.
Acer Aspire One 521 and 721 review
On the surface Acer's 10.1-inch Aspire One 521 and 11.6-inch Aspire One 721 appear to be fairly run-of-the-mill netbooks -- or ultraportables for those that are morally opposed to calling a laptop with a 11.6-inch display a netbook. They're rather small machines, measure just about an inch thick, and ring up at under $430. But there's a lot more than meets the eye with this Aspire One duo – instead of Intel Atom or ULV processors, both are powered by a new AMD 1.7GHz Athlon II Neo K125 processor and promise 1080p playback thanks to ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics. We've certainly been pumped about these two systems since their French debut, but fear of AMD's usually poor battery life and scorching temperatures have been holding us back from all-out excitement. Do we have nothing to fear but fear itself? We've spent the last few days with these two systems, and will reveal all in our full review after the break. %Gallery-96636%
Acer comes clean with new Aspire One availability and pricing
We've pretty much known about all of these Acer netbooks that are officially being announced today, but their very tempting price tags are definitely new to us. First up is the 11.6-inch Aspire One 721 and 10.1-inch 521, both of which we checked out last month. While the duo are powered by the same AMD Athlon II Neo K125 processors and ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics, the 721 will start at $429.99 while the 521 at $349.99. And let's not forget that, unlike Intel Atom powered netbooks, they sport HDMI ports and claim to be "HD capable." Speaking of Intel netbooks, Acer's got those in store too -- the 10-inch, Atom powered Aspire One D260 and 533 will also be available later this month. The D620 packs an Atom N450 processor, 1GB of RAM and a three-cell battery for $298. On the flip side, the $330 Aspire One 533 has a slightly faster N475 processor, a 250GB hard drive and a six-cell battery. Enticing, right? The full press release is after the break, but hopefully we'll be able to assist you in choosing one of these with some full reviews soon.
AMD netbooks: Acer Aspire One 521 and Gateway LT22 hands-on
Sure, Acer may already have the Ion 2-powered Aspire One 532g in its arsenal, but who's going to complain about two more HD-capable, 10-inch netbooks? Showing some serious love to AMD, the Acer Aspire One 521 and Gateway LT22 both pack new 1.2GHz AMD V105 processors along with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4225 graphics. The latter is what had us most impressed when we caught some time with the duo at the Netbook Summit -- the 521 and LT22 handled 1080p WMV video and light gaming without any stuttering. We'll hold our real performance conclusions until we can test the battery life on these bad boys, but other than that they look like decent netbook contenders with the standard 1GB of RAM and 160GB hard drives. And unlike the typical Atom netbook, they have HDMI ports. We can't say we're the biggest fans of the 521's in-your-face Aspire One branding on its glossy cover, but the LT2203 delights with its textured matte lid. No word from Acer on the availability and pricing of these here in the US, but hit the gallery below for some imagery, or the source link even further below for a video of these two in action. %Gallery-93730%
Acer Aspire One 521 and 721 spotted in France handling HD video, eying a croissant
You could say this is one of the odder ways to make something official, but Acer's Aspire One 521 and 721 have been deemed just that after surfacing at an event today in France. Just as we'd heard the 10-inch 521, is rocking a heretofore unheard of AMD 1.2GHz V105 (single-core) processor, 160GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, ATI's Radeon HD 4225 GPU and a penchant for handling 1080p video without breaking a sweat. It's also equipped with VGA / HDMI outputs, a media card reader, three USB sockets, audio in / out, Ethernet jack and a native 1,024 x 600 resolution. The 11.6-inch 721, on the other hand, has AMD's newer 1.3GHz Athlon II Neo K325, which similarly sports full HD playback on its 1366x768 resolution screen. And oddly, Acer seems to also have a new Aspire 1551 lying around, which also has an 11.6-inch display and dual-core Athlon II Neo K325/K625 processor options. Sadly, no further details were available, but we suspect they'll be outed faster than you can turn yourself around, mash play on the video past the break and ping your financial manager to get his / her thoughts on picking this up alongside a new Ditch Witch.
Acer set to launch AMD-based Aspire One 521 netbook?
Acer hasn't gotten official with this one just yet, but Macles has turned up some pictures of an as yet unannounced Acer Aspire One 521 netbook, and some purported details on it. The biggest of those is that the netbook apparently packs a 1.2GHz AMD V105 processor -- which would be a first for the Aspire One line -- along with some ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4225 graphics, and AMD's M880G chipset, among some other standard netbook fare. As you can see, it also sports a fairly eye-catching design, including a large, chrome-plated logo atop an nicely understated background on the lid, although things are decidedly closer to previous Aspire Ones once you pop it open. Unfortunately, the two big details not leaked are a price and release date -- here's hoping Acer can fill those in sooner rather than later.
Acer Aspire 1820PT convertible hands-on, priced for 599 euros
Craftily unhidden at the tail end of its press conference, Acer's long-awaited Aspire 1820PT convertible laptop has finally passed into our hands for ever the briefest of moments. Let's cut to the chase, shall we? Strong hinge, accelerometer for tablet mode, capacitive multitouch, and the ability to use stylus for input (protected in a slot just below and to the right of the screen when not in use). Beyond that, seems like the typical underpowered laptop you know and love -- well, maybe not love, but you get the idea. Under the hood there's an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 8GB RAM, and 320GB HDD, all priced at 599 euro, which we'd venture a guess to mean it'll be about $599 when it comes to the US (actual release date MIA). Gallery below, and brief video demonstration after the break. %Gallery-87193%
Acer Aspire One 532G with ION 2 priced at an aggressive 379 euros
Now that's how to get our attention. While the English-speaking portion of the Acer press conference left much to be desired, the second half, decidedly more German in vernacular, had a couple great tidbits. Most notable is a price of Acer's AspireOne 532G, the ION 2-equipped netbook initially espied at Mobile World Congress. The slide says it all, sort of: 379 euros -- mighty aggressive, and if history tells us anything, there's a good chance it'll be about $379 when it comes stateside, too. No word on release date as far as we can tell, but you'll definitely want to keep an eye out for this one.
Acer Aspire One 532G first to feature NVIDIA Ion 2 switchable graphics
Well here's one we didn't expect to come out of MWC. Acer decided to throw some netbook news into its Liquid E press conference with the 10.1-inch Aspire One 532G -- the first netbook with NVIDIA's Ion 2. Not withstanding the addition of the HDMI port and HD display, the Pine Trail netbook has the same chassis as the previously reviewed 532h, but inside it's a whole different story -- its 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, GMA 3150 GPU graphics, 2GB of RAM and 320GB hard drive will be joined by a discrete NVIDIA GPU. As confirmed by the press release below, it will use NVIDIA's new Optimus automatic switching technology, though it appears Acer is holding out for NVIDIA to officially launch the platform at CeBit to reveal details of the GPU -- but a GeForce G310 seems likely from the rumors. The high-def capable netbook should be available in March, but we'll be listening for a price and more news on this one. In the meantime, hit the break for a relaxing hands-on video and the full PR.
Acer Aspire One 532h review
Acer's maintained a steady lead in the race to sell as many netbooks as possible in the past year. That's largely because the Taiwanese manufacturer figured out early that basic netbooks at lower prices would fly off shelves. And the new Aspire One 532h doesn't mess with that formula: the 10.1-inch netbook packs a new Intel Atom N450 processor, 1GB of RAM, Windows 7 Starter, 160GB hard drive and a six-cell battery all for $299. Yeah, we said $299. But at $100 less than most of the competition, how does the 532h compare in quality? What sacrifices, if any, are made for the lower price? We spent some time with the little guy, so hit the break for the full review of one of the cheapest Windows 7 netbooks around. %Gallery-83040%
Acer issues US recall for 22,000 laptops going disco inferno
We've already seen Acer issue a recall in Europe way back in October, so honestly we're a bit disturbed it's taken the US Consumer Product Safety Commission this long to follow suit. Various 13.3-inch Aspire One models -- specifically AS3410, AS3410T, AS3810T, AS3810TG, AS3810TZ, and AS3810TZG -- could cause potential burns due to a faulty internal microphone wire under the palm rest. Got one of those versions? Give Acer a ring and see if you have an affected model that'll get fixed gratis.
