AcerAspireOne
Latest
Acer's AT&T 3G Aspire One landing at Costco on May 11?
Hot on the heels of Radio Shack's $79.99 AT&T-subsidized Acer netbook incident, it looks like the folks at Costco are looking to get in on the action their own self. According to Boy Genius Report, the 3G-ified, 10.1-inch Aspire One will be available at the box store from May 11th. Employees are currently undergoing intense, military-style training, which will culminate on May 8th, and the netbooks should be hitting electronics kiosks on May 11. Pricing yet to be sussed out, but you'll know as soon as we do. Promise.
Acer's 11.6-inch Aspire One gets a spec list, release date
We've already gotten a good look at Acer's new 11.6-inch Aspire One netbook, and even gotten word of some of the specs, but it looks like Acer has now removed any last bit of mystery on its German website, where it has finally let loose a complete spec list. Now officially dubbed the Aspire One 751, the netbook packs an Atom Z520 processor (as opposed to the Z530 that was initially rumored), along with up to 2GB of RAM, built-in Bluetooth, your choice of three or six-cell batteries, optional 3G, and a 1366x768 resolution on that 11.6-inch display -- not to mention your choice of XP or Vista. Still no official word on a release 'round here, unfortunately, but it looks like it'll be hitting at least some parts of Europe later this month for just over $500.[Via Electronista]
Zen-filled Aspire One netbook makes VAIO P look cheap
Oh, right -- we forgot that Sony's not actually considering the VAIO P a "netbook," but for all intents and purposes, it is. That being said, this highly decorated Aspire One easily blows the pants off of the aforesaid Sony, ringing up at $3,000 (minimum) on eBay. Why so pricey, you ask? No, there's no liquid nitrogen-cooled Core 2 Quad within, nor will you find a CrossFireX graphics setup. What you will see, however, is hours upon hours of TLC poured into this one-of-a-kind machine by Japan's own UFO-Hayashi. Still, for three large this better come bundled with peace, love and happiness for as long as the owner draws breath -- something we're definitely not seeing in the video after the break.
Acer's AT&T 3G-infused Aspire One now at $79 -- price war imminent?
Yeah, we definitely dig where this is headed. With Verizon's subsidized HP Mini 1000 about to hit store shelves at any moment, the AT&T 3G-equipped Aspire One has taken a tumble from $99.99 to $79.99. Just so we're clear: you can actually buy a name brand netbook now for under 80 bones. 'Course, you'll be stuck in a two year data contract with AT&T, and you'll actually have to insert yourself into a pair of pants in order to get the machine from a Radio Shack store, but surely that's a compromise you're willing to make. Here's hoping this leads to free-on-contract netbooks (or close to it) in the very near future. Right, American carriers?[Thanks, Sharukh]
Plethora of new Acer Aspires, eMachines, Gateway laptops and netbooks unveiled in one fell swoop
In addition to Timeline and the 11.6-inch Aspire One, Acer decided today to announce new laptops much in the way Nikon and other camera makers roll out their PMA lineup -- in groups of eight or more. By our count, we've got at least ten different models here. Aspire 5935 and 8935: The 18.4-inch 8935 laptop can output a 1080p resolution, True 5.1 channel surround sound and houses up to two HDDs totaling 1TB capacity. The 5935 meanwhile can hold just one 500GB HDD and doesn't do full HD. Both support up to 4GB DDR3 memory, biometric fingerprinting, 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.0, and optional WiMAX. Aspire 3935: A 13.3-inch ultra portable with 1366 x 769 resolution LED-backlit LCD and Intel Core 2 Duo / GM45 express chipset. Features built-in Wi-Fi / WiMAX, up to 4GB DDR3 RAM, biometric fingerprints, and 8 hours of use with a 8-cell battery. eMachines D, E, and G series (pictured): 16 x 9 aspect ratio LCD. Available with Intel Celeron or Pentium processors for all models, plus option for AMD Athlon with E and G series. 14-inch D and 17-inch G have up to 4GB DDR2 RAM, 500GB HDD, while the 15.6-inch E series can feature up to 5GB. All of them boast a wide keyboard, WiFi, webcam, DVD drive, a 5-in-1 card reader, and Windows Vista SP1. Gateway EC series: Lightweight and less than 1-inch thick. The 13-inch netbook has an LED backlit screen with 16 x 9 aspect ratio, Dolby Sound Room, SSD, DDR3 RAM, HDMI out, optional 3G and Bluetooth, webcam, and capacitive hotkeys on top of the keyboard. Gateway 10.1-inch LT20, 11.6-inch LT30: Both are under 2.62 pounds, boast built-in WiFi, Webcam, optional Bluetooth and 3G modules, 5-in-1 card reader, and up to 160GB HDD. The touch pad supports multi-gesture features and reportedly it comes with a "cool protective bag" -- yay? Gateway ID series: Available in glossy midnight blue or night sky with a matte interior and silver-colored touchpad. It's got an 15.6-inch LED backlit screen, slot-in DVD drive, webcam with a curtain (for privacy, obviously), mult-gesture touchpad, and capacitive hotkeys on top of the keyboard. There's still got plenty of missing pieces here, such as pricing and availability for anything here, but one thing's for sure: we are thoroughly overwhelmed by the sheer number of new offerings.
AT&T kicks off $50 netbook-with-a-catch trial
We'd already had some indication that Dell's Mini 9 and Mini 12 netbooks were headed to AT&T stores, and it now looks like those and a few more are now finally available from the carrier -- in Atlanta and Philadelphia, at least. From the looks of it, Atlanta is the real test bed for the trial, with customers there now able to snag netbooks with built-in 3G at prices "starting at $49.99," assuming they also sign up for AT&T's "Internet at Home and On the Go" broadband bundle, of course, which itself starts at $60 a month for a 200 MB per month mobile data plan and basic DSL service. AT&T only goes so far as to say that it's offering "similar mini laptop promotional rates" at eight AT&T stores in the Philadelphia area. In addition to the Dell netbooks, you can also choose from an Acer Aspire One or the little known LG Xenia (apparently an MSI Wind rebadge), or even a full-fledged Lenovo X200 ultraportable, although the latter will set you back between $750 and $850 depending on your choice of plan.[Via GigaOM]Update: According to AT&T, that "similar" pricing for Philly actually starts at $99, with the premium apparently resulting from its lack of residential DSL in the area.
8.9-inch Acer Aspire One said to have hard drive flaw, distaste for U2
It looks like any 8.9-inch Aspire One owners out there may want to refrain from playing music full blast through the netbook's speakers for the time being, as some users have found that it can have the unfortunate side effect of completely trashing the hard drive. According to reports on the HardwareCult forum, the problem only affects Aspire One netbooks with standard hard drives, not SSDs, and it arises when the right speaker causes enough vibration and / or magnetic interference to throw the hard drive into a tizzy, leading to a whole host of errors and even some potential data loss. Apparently, the problem was first discovered when someone played U2's "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" at maximum volume, which has since conveniently proven to be an effective tool for reproducing the problem -- not recommended, of course. No word if the new album has any effect.[Thanks, Tigre]
11.6-inch Acer Aspire One inches closer to our hearts, reality
It's very possible that we're just reading too far between the lines here, but a recent post over at macles* lines up awesomely with specifications gleaned from a recent Acer FCC filing. Basically, what we're probably looking at is a forthcoming Aspire One with an 11.6-inch panel (as opposed to the 10-inch versions available now), a 1,366 x 768 resolution and very strangely placed Ethernet and VGA ports. Furthermore, we're also told that this bugger will house an Atom Z530 CPU, Intel's SCH USW15S chipset (Poulsbo) and GMA500 integrated graphics. Oh, and there's also an extended battery option that should provide up to eight hours of life. Interested yet?
Acer Aspire One mod adds eSATA port, an element of danger
The blogster known as tnkgrl has just rounded out a delightful series of step-by-step Acer Aspire One hacks covering the gamut from RAM upgrades to installing internal Bluetooth, a 1.8-inch HDD, and HSDPA 3G. For the final part of the series she's salvaged an eSATA socket and placed it just above the venerable netbook's second SD card slot -- and she's provided enough photographic evidence that if this were a crime, she'd go away for a very long time. Of course, this sort of anti-social warranty-voiding business ain't for the timid, but if you're feeling rather Legend Of Billie Jean, here's your opportunity to go wild. [Via Liliputing]
Slimmer Acer Aspire One pops up in the FCC
We're not sure what Acer is up to lately, but this is the second slightly-revised Aspire One we've seen in the past few days -- it looks like that rumored slimmer model with the weird hinge VGA and Ethernet ports is in fact real and headed for our fair shores. No hard specs on this mysterious stranger just yet except for the presence of the 3G SIM slot, but the model number Z68 AO530 strongly suggests that there's an Atom Z530 lurking in there instead of the usual N270. We'll let you know if we find out anything else -- hit the read link for some more pics and oodles of FCC test data.
Linpus Linux Lite OS caught on video
We just came across this video showing the Linpus Linux Lite OS in action. Aimed squarely at netbooks and the Splashtop crowd, the operating system comes to life pretty quickly on the pictured Acer Aspire One. Unlike Splashtop, however, this isn't part of the BIOS, "just a very very minimal customized Linux version, installed on the hard disk," as the guy in the video points out. We would, however, love to know what error message is being generated when he opens the media player. See for yourself after the break.[Via Netbook News]
New slimline Acer Aspire One slimline pics, alleged specs leak
After seeing the tiniest bit of evidence this morning of a slimmer Acer Aspire One, an anonymous reader has bragged to netbooknews.de that he's gotten some hands-on time with the laptop, and brought along some purported pics of it as evidence. Dimension-wise, we're looking at 0.95 inches thick, 10 inches wide, 7.28 inches deep. As for specs, it's pretty much what you'd expect from a netbook: 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 with 945GME graphics, 1024 x 600 resolution, 1GB RAM, 802.11 a/b/g, a 3-cell battery that's said to last a discouraging 3 hours or less, and "apparently" integrated UMTS -- no word on whether or not this thing's packing SSD. Overall, the mysterious individual with an enigmatic hat gave it positive impressions, with special props given to the keyboard and touchpad. Hit up the read link for more pics, and Acer? Give us some official glamor shots soon, please.
Acer's Aspire One trims the fat, upcoming slimmer model pictured
At just over an inch thick it's hard to think of a little laptop like Acer's Aspire One as being chubby -- but that doesn't stop us from looking longingly at other, skinnier options in the pipeline. Apparently aware of our wandering eye, Acer is set to release a thinner model that, according to speculation, will buck the netbook storage trend by being SSD-only. Beyond that little is known about this streamlined portable, but you can be sure we'll be keeping an eye out for more info -- between fleeting glances at other hot arrivals, of course. [Thanks, Chris]
Acer Aspire One D150 reviewed, AT&T 3G deal 'only the beginning'
At last, after seeing it unboxed and fiddled with on camera last week, we've got out first in-depth review of the 10.1-inch Acer Aspire One D150, courtesy of Laptop. How does the Intel Atom N270-based machine fare? Excellent for its $350 price tag, although the keyboard and touchpad don't compare favorably with the pricier Eee PC 1000HE or Samsung NC10. As for battery life, the 5800mAh-rated 6-cell had a very impressive 7 hour and 57 minute runtime, which is 49 minutes longer than the 1000HE and 38 minutes over HP's Mini 2140. Of course, seeing as most consumers will end up with the 4400mAh batteries, a more likely estimate is 5 hours per charge. Additionally, the site had a Q&A session with Acer VP of Product Marketing Sumit Agnihotry, who said that $100 Aspire One with AT&T 3G deal is "only the beginning" and they're developing a plan to offer discounted laptops with an hourly-use program. There's also talk of incorporating NVIDIA's Ion platform into future computers. Hit up the read links below for the full review and more deets from Agnihotry.Read - ReviewRead - Q&A with Agnihotry
10-inch Aspire One's battery downgraded after reviewers have their fill
In most industries there's a long and sordid history of manufacturers giving cars, motorcycles, computers, and just about any other consumer product a little something extra to make sure they perform well for the media. Asus seemingly got caught doing just that to its Eee PC 900 last year, installing batteries with additional oomph for reviewers, and now we seemingly have a case of Acer following its competition's tracks straight into a bad PR situation, saying that it "inadvertently" shipped the first batch of 10-inch Aspire One netbooks (the ones sent to reviewers) with six-cell batteries rated at 5800mAh. Most consumers, however, will receive packs rated at just 4400mAh, which should shave two or three hours from its overall battery life. Those who've pre-ordered may get lucky and get the larger batt, but, like some lithium-laced Cracker Jack box, there's no way to tell what's inside until you open the package and have a look-see. Best of luck.
Video: HP's MIE Linux distro runs just fine on Acer's Aspire One
Just last Friday HP finally released the installer for MIE, its clever and clean version of Ubuntu, and, though we warned about running it on anything but a Mini 1000, Dan from Dan's Web threw caution (and whatever was currently installed on his netbook) to the wind and tried it on an Aspire One. Straight out of the box the OS and UI overlay seem to work quite well, as shown on the video below, missing only an audio driver but having WiFi and even Bluetooth. He suspects things will function just as well on other netbooks (since there's so much hardware overlap between them), but as always your compatibility may vary. To get in on the action you'll need the 900KB installer from HP, the 900MB image the installer will download, and a 2GB thumb drive to boot. If you have the necessary bytes, bits, and bravado, be our guest and let us know how it goes.
Acer Aspire One D150 with N270 previewed, now available for US pre-order
The 10.1-inch Acer Aspire One D150 has found its way onto Amazon and J&R's websites and is now available for pre-order in blue and black color options, respectively. This version's got the 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor and 6-cell battery, with no word on the 3-cell or 1.66GHz N280 variants. Asking price is three Benjamins and an Ulysses S. Grant, or $350 if you're not into presidential pricing nomenclature. Additionally, the fine folks at netbooknews.de that gave us unboxing photos this week have a video hands-on of the laptop. High expectations from the market leader apparently turned into low marks for the glossy display, small trackpad, and a keyboard that's "separated by universes" -- and not in a good way -- when compared to the Samsung NC10. Further testing is expected later this week, check out the video after the break.[Via iTech News]Read - Amazon product pageRead - J&R product pageRead - Netbooknews.de video hands-on
Acer confirms plans for Linux, SSD-equipped 10-inch Aspire One netbooks
It wasn't making any promises on launch day, but Acer has reportedly now confirmed that it will indeed be offering both Linux and SSD options on its new 10-inch Aspire One netbook, though you won't be able to get either option right out of the gate. Expectedly, the Linux distribution on tap is Linpus Linux, and it looks like the only SSD option will be a 16GB drive -- no word on pricing for either, unfortunately. There's also no firm word on a released date, though it'll apparently be some time after the mid-February roll out of the Windows XP-equipped model.
Acer's 10-inch netbook gets model numbers, release date
The world's been waiting for details on Acer's up and coming 10-inch Aspire, and we just got 'em in our hot little hands. The Aspire One D150 lineup hits the streets of France beginning in February with the D150-0B. This €329 ($425) netbook sports a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB memory, 160GB hard drive, a 10.1-inch (1024 x 600) display, and a 3-cell battery. Then in March, the D150-1B makes its appearance. An enhanced version of the D150, this device is otherwise identical, save a 6-cell battery that should be good for up to 7 hours -- the battery upgrade will set you back a cool €349 ($450). Lastly, the D150-2BG will be rocking an Intel Atom 1.66GHz N280 processor and sports integrated 3G quadband UMTS/HSDPA mobile broadband, and the 6-cell battery. Also available in March, this one has a price tag of €449 ($575). No word on a domestic street date, but you'll know as soon as we do.
Rumor: 10-inch Acer Aspire One to replace 8.9-incher
We're hearing some murmurings today that Acer's planning on replacing its current, 8.9-inch Aspire One with the previously seen 10.1-inch Aspire One (the 103), phasing out the former. The new model will pack a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, and 1GB of RAM, optional 3G, SDHC card slot, and 3 USB ports -- relatively standard fare, to be sure -- though it's going to come in a few sexy colors we sure do like the looks of Sure, Digitimes (the source of this rumor) isn't necessarily the most reliable paper we read in the morning with our coffee, but this particular tidbit doesn't strike us as terribly far-fetched. We'll have to (reportedly) wait until sometime in the second quarter to find out for sure, though. In the meantime: calm down.Update: This worst-kept secret is now official, with Acer confirming plans to release its rumored 10-incher, but not saying just when or for how much. The confirmed specs are exactly what we expected -- go figure.[Via Electronista]
