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List price as of Jun 26, 2009:
S$899
S$899
Product Summary
Very good
The good: Rock-bottom price; slimmer size; improved touchpad buttons. 7.2
out of 10View score
The bad: Weak speakers; battery life mediocre; small keyboard.
The bottom line: For the price, it's hard to find fault with Acer's even cheaper version of the 10.1-inch Aspire One, as long as you're not expecting top-of-the-line features.
Read full review of the Acer Aspire One AOD250 »
Average User Rating
from 5 users
Very good
7.4
out of 10CNET Asia Review
As prices keep dropping in the Netbook wars, staying competitive among a slew of me-too Atom-powered mini-notebooks is a challenge. While paying S$799 (US$564.07) for a Netbook was common just a year ago, stripped-down yet still functional Netbooks today are now pushing S$699 (US$493.47), led by Dell and its bare-bones Mini 10v. Acer's Aspire One helped define the Netbook to the masses, undercutting the competition at S$738 (US$521), and the latest version drops the price (while slimming down the chassis) with the S$699 (US$493.47) Aspire One AOD250.
Just a few months ago, Acer launched the first 10-inch member of the Aspire One Netbooks, the AOD150. In February it cost S$738 (US$521), and we called it very good, but it had its limitations: A terrible touchpad, somewhat bulky size because of a six-cell battery, and a keyboard that was positively cramped compared with the competition.
The AOD250 weighs less and is thinner than the AOD150 because it has a three-cell battery now, not a six. The specs on processor, hard drive, and RAM are identical, but the new Aspire One's more compact design makes it feel a bit less like a budget product.
| Editors' note : This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.com. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please inquire directly at the site where the article was originally published. References made to some of other products in this review may not be available or applicable in Asia. Do check directly with your local distributor for details. |
Design
Our review unit came in Ruby Red, but other colors (diamond black, sapphire blue, and seashell white) are available. The finish has a metallic-flake look, with a glossy but not outrageously fingerprint-attracting finish. The screen hinge, where the bulk of the battery is housed, is matte black and lies relatively flush with the rest of the machine. Inside, the black keyboard is housed in red plastic with a finish that looks like brushed metal, while the glossy 10.1-inch screen is surrounded by shiny black plastic. It's not an unattractive look for a budget Netbook, but perhaps not exactly business casual.| Price as reviewed | S$699 (US$493.47) |
| Processor | 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 |
| Memory | 1GB DDR2 RAM 533 MHz |
| Hard drive | 160GB, 5,400rpm |
| Chipset | Mobile Intel 945GM Express |
| Graphics | Intel GMA 950 (integrated) |
| Operating system | Windows XP Home SP3 |
| Dimensions (WD) | 258.5 x 184mm |
| Height | 25.4mm |
| Screen size (diagonal) | 10.1 inches |
| System weight (Weight with AC adapter) | 1.1kg (1.4kg) |
| Category | Netbook |
While it's a decent-looking machine, it doesn't particularly stand out as groundbreaking in any way, unlike what Asus did with the stylish new "Seashell" Eee PC 1008HA. On the other hand, the Seashell costs S$798 (US$563.36), while the AOD250 is S$99 (US$69.89) cheaper. That's a huge difference in a low-cost product.
The keyboard feels comfortable to type on, and although it has a pair of full Shift keys (no ugly right-side compression), it's still far from full size. As a result, the typing experience is more cramped than working on an HP Mini 110. The keyboard could have gone fully edge-to-edge, and in the future we really hope Acer makes this shift. The touchpad is definitely an improvement: While it's still tiny and inset, the bottom rocker button is much more clicky than before.
Features
The 10.1-inch widescreen LED-backlit LCD display offers a 1,024 x 600 native resolution, which is standard for a screen this size. Colors are sharp, and text and icons are crisp.| Acer Aspire One AOD250 | Average for category (Netbook) | |
| Video | VGA-out | VGA |
| Audio | Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks | Headphone/microphone jacks |
| Data | Three USB 2.0, SD card reader | Two USB 2.0, SD card reader |
| Expansion | None | None |
| Networking | Ethernet, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi | Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
| Optical drive | None | None |
The stereo speakers, which are embedded somewhere within the Netbook (upon examination we still couldn't find where the sound was coming from), are weak, both in volume and sound quality. While it's not surprising for a Netbook, headphones are almost a must.
If you're familiar with the AOD150, you'll know what to expect here as well. The same budget no-frills ports are available here; while three USB 2.0 jacks are generous, there's no Bluetooth. The HP Mini 110, while thicker in size, includes Bluetooth as well as a fuller edge-to-edge keyboard. You'll have to look to more expensive Netbooks for features like 802.11n or ExpressCard slots.
Tags: Netbook, Finish, Keyboard, SD Card, Acer Inc.
Rate It Now
User Reviews
Slim
Sep 7, 2009Rating: 6 out of 10 (Good)
Pros: Slim, 6-cell battery
Cons: Small keyboard
Opinion:
Bought it with an upgrade 2RAM in Subang Jaya for RM1,420. I like the sleek red, while the blue and black looks horrible. Would settle for my HP mini 1109TU due to superior specs, value-buy and great keyboard.
-
Jun 22, 2009Rating: 6 out of 10 (Good)
Pros: Good design, cheap (SGD599 with 2G Ram)
Cons: Poor Battery Life, Small keypad, Finger print on top cover
Opinion:
Bought it on recent 2009 PC Show with good price, only SGD599 and free upgrade to 2G Ram. Very disappinted the the battery performance, only last for abt 3.5hrs (for a 6 cell battery should be perform bettey), compared to my fren's Lanovo S10-2 can last abt 5hrs. Besides, the bottom as well as the touch pad become supper hot after 2hrs used!
All rounder gadget
Jun 15, 2009Rating: 8 out of 10 (Excellent)
Pros: Good design, latest Atom processor, good performance
Cons: protruding battery, not the latest chipset, no 3G
Opinion:
This is the first netbook i ever had so i can't compare against other netbook. But thus far, this net book had been a great travel companion for the past few weeks.
The Good:
This netbook is built with the latest Intel Atom N200 series which will last till 4Q this year.
Acer had included 60 days trial of MS Office 2007, some games, and 2 months McAfee. These provide hazzle free of installation as the netbook does not come with CD-ROM.
Performance wise, I feel it is as fast as my previous Dell Inspiron Centrino model and the display is acceptable.
The Bad:
I don like the protruding battery design, though i was told that the it is due to a higher capacity and originally, it come bundled with the lower 4 cell battery.
Though it uses the latest Atom processor, I noted it uses the older intel chipset. Can't complain much about this as the ... Read more
User Discussion
kumskull65:
Hi there glad to hear tt.By the way how much was it going for??
