Hands-on with the Acer Aspire One

The other day I went into PC World for something that was sold out and came away with an Acer Aspire One which, as far as I knew, wasn?t due on sale until the end of this month. But PC World had loads at £250 each. Fair enough? It seemed right up my street. I won?t waste time describing this device and where it fits in the overall scheme of things. Others have done that already. Enough to say that the Acer Aspire One I got was the entry level model with 8Gb NAND storage, 512Mb RAM and Linpus Linux as the OS. But if you hate Linux this machine will run Windows XP Pro SP2. I know, cos I?ve tried it. All Win XP Pro drivers are here:http://tinyurl.com/62rrkxThis is Acer?s Thai site ? where English is spoke.The Acer Aspire One is a great little unit if you can accept that, under Linpus, both the internal microphone and an external microphone connected via the side 3.5mm jack will not record sound for the web cam application. Under Windows XP Pro SP2 the internal mic will still not record sound to Sound Recorder, but an external mic will, albeit the quality is awful. And I mean [i]really[/i] awful - worse even than the cheapest digital dictation machine. Maybe I was expecting too much for 250 quid. But I took my unit back to PC World and was told that the internal mic will only work for Skype and the Internet Messaging applications installed on the unit. Apparently the Linux software does not support sound recording for the webcam application. To prove this the Tech Guy tried another Aspire One which behaved the same as mine. So I asked for a refund.Before going back to the store I had called Acer UK only to be told that they had not even seen an Aspire one yet, so couldn?t offer tech support on the unit. I was invited to call back next day between 9am and 6pm, by which time ?more info might be available?. But the number given was premium-rate and the Acer guy justified this by saying that only the [i]hardware[/i] is guaranteed for a year ? [b]not[/b] the software, which he felt was causing my microphone woes.Altogether what a terrible shame because, otherwise, I?d grown fond of my little ?One?. Obviously it isn?t the quickest machine around, though a tad more memory night make it a fraction nippier: there?s a small door on the underside with two screws which I imagine affords access to the DDR memory module.Battery-wise I managed a good 2.5 hours, which would probably have improved after the battery was properly conditioned ? maybe giving three hours top whack. The machine ran very cool and the screen was a joy to behold. Although the trackpad seemed a trifle small for my liking I found it easy to type on the keyboard. And, of course, a USB mouse made life much easier. Connecting to my home WLAN was a cinch.On the whole I would say that the Acer Aspire One is a very well-intentioned and reasonably specified machine let down tremendously by the mic problems mentioned above. Hopefully these will be sorted out over the next few months. Meanwhile there are other similar products in the offing that may prove more satisfying and better value.

Recently my gf bought the basic 8Gb NAND storage model for £249.99 from PC World. Here?s my impression.1. Nice build-quality;2. Awesome screen;3. Keyboard a bit flexy;4. Battery life about 2.5 hours - probably a tad more after proper conditioning;5. Linpus Linux naff IMHO. Few apps and the usual hassle installing more/updating etc. Linux geeks should be okay though...provided they can connect to the update server (we couldn't);6. This model will run Win XP Pro SP2 fine (we tried it). Drivers from Acer Thai site;7. Webcam rubbish (only 0.3 megapixels);8. Under Linpus Linux neither the internal nor an external mic will record sound to webcam app (apparently mics only work with Skype and Messaging services). An external mic works okay with XP Pro. But sound quality is awful. The internal mic still produces only a hissing noise. Even in the highest quality setting webcam video was dead jerky. So altogether webcam seems pretty useless ? unless you like making duff silent vid clips;9. Connected effortlessly to local WLAN;10. Easy to restore damaged installations. Will boot from a USB stick. Instructions included;11. Documentation sparse;12. Acer UK support virtually non-existent at the mo. No one there had 'even seen an Aspire One yet'. So they couldn't help. We were invited to call a premium rate number next day for more info. Although the hardware is guaranteed for a year, the software is not, apparently, guaranteed at all. Hence you has to pay plenty for help with it;13. Sapphire Blue colour looks mighty cool;On the whole quite a quaint little unit and just about acceptable - to some perhaps - for the originally intended launch price of £199. But, given the above, way OTT at £250. So - back to the shop it went, and she's now saving for an Asus eeePc 901. A wise move here methinks.However, when this Aspire One becomes more available in the marketplace I guess the price will fall to a level that could make it a good buy for those just wanting rudimentary facilities in a neat package, and who can live with the shortcomings described. Cos let?s be honest? The competition is bags more expensive and there?s no doubt: the ?One? has a definite ?charm? that?s impossible to explain.

Upgrading the RAM has proved to be a nightmare with this machine. The hatch on the underside is not for memory expansion. To upgrade the RAM you have to dismantle the machine to remove the motherboard. I dismantled it to the last necessary screw which would not budge, despite using the correct screwdriver all I could achieve was stripping the head. I can not upgrade as I can't remove the last screw.It would have made sense to have an upgrade hatch in the casing (the memory slot is on the underside of the motherboard making that logical). Instead, there is a useless hatch for a "future" development (??). In some respects, I love this machine but in other respects I hate it.... this is just one more aggravation.For those brave enough to attempt upgrading the RAM there is a video here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EfzckyZMTk

where can i buy dis laptop frm?

hi sir how are u sir i want to import
aspire one for Pakistan and Afghanistan
pleas let me know that u import
this product
reply me soon

best regards awal khan

Hello,
I have also found that the microphone
doesn't work. Do you know if there is an upgrade to the software yet?
Joe

I bought an Acer Aspire One (AAO) this fall and within weeks the screen blacked out upon booting. Rather than replacing my AAO , Acer referred me to a technical repair depot. After 6 weeks still no word - then two weeks ago after calling Acer they said they would send me a new one on

You have been given the right information about the mike problem. I talked to the 2nd level support at ACER Canada. They told me linpus wouldn't support the mike, However it will work with Skyp orMSN massagers. Here we have it from the horses mouth. I have had my ASO for 3 weeks and love it.I live near Halifax, NS, Canada. I was able to talk to my son in Ottawa on MSN messager. I could clearly see his beard growing. The picture and sound quality was not bad.