Reviews

Acer Aspire One Android netbook review

Is there any point in having Android on a netbook? Read our review of Acer's latest Aspire One netbook to find out.

12 Jan 2011

The Acer Aspire One AOD255-N55DQws Android netbook

We were pleased with the responsive keyboard. It's comfortable to type on with few typos. Only a handful of the keys are smaller than we'd expect just the tab and left shift keys as well as a couple of the lesser-used punctuation keys. The touchpad is small, but accurate. We weren't fond of the pivoting touchpad button though it feels stiff and doesn't give much feedback when pressed.

Like most other netbooks, the Aspire One has a 10.1in screen with a usable resolution of 1,024x600. It's reasonably bright, but it has a glossy finish instead of a matt one. This means the screen reflects light much more easily, causing glare which looks distracting.

Since this model is cheap, even by netbook standards, it doesn't have some of the extra features found on other netbooks we've seen. There's no Bluetooth, integrated 3G modem and the memory card slot doesn't support upcoming SDXC cards. These omissions are forgivable at this low price though. As expected, the warranty lasts one year.

So what's our verdict?

Verdict

There's little point in buying the Aspire One to use Android which isn't of much use on a netbook for most people. However, when used with Windows 7, the Aspire One is generally a pleasure to use thanks to its long battery life and responsive, comfortable keyboard. If you want extras such as integrated Bluetooth, a SDXC card slot and a matt display, then it may be worth paying £40 more for the Samsung NF210 if you can live with that model's slightly shorter battery life.

Processor: Intel Atom N550, 1.5GHz Memory: 1GB 667MHz DDR3 RAM Graphics: Intel GMA 3150 Hard disk: 250GB hard disk Display: 10.1in 1,024 x 600 pixels, LED-backlit screen Features: 1.3 megapixel camera, microphone, stereo speakers Connectivity: 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, 10/100Mbit/s Ethernet Ports: 3 x USB2, VGA output, 3.5mm headphone and microphone audio sockets Dimensions: 259x184x30mm (WxDxH) Weight: 1.14kg Warranty: 1yr C&R warranty OS: Windows 7 Starter Part code: AOD255-N55DQws (LU.SDK0D.021)