ACER ASPIRE  

ACER ASPIRE

Acer's first attempt at a Netbook was a runaway success attracting buyers across segments, be it business users, college students or even housewives. It was small portable and easy to operate, but more importantly, it was cheap.

Today we have an updated version of the Aspire One which goes by the same name but now sports a wider 10.1-inch screen, more storage space and a bigger battery with a stylish new design. Being a Netbook, we are tied down to the same basic specification- Intel Atom N270 (1.6 GHz) 1GB RAM and no optical drive, so there's nothing new here that we haven't already seen.


Bundle

This is what you get with the Aspire One D150

• Instruction manuals
• Carry pouch
• Charger

Build and Design

Acer sent us their Metallic Red version of the Aspire One, which looks really good, especially in daylight. There's no imprint finish or anything fancy except for the Acer logo in the corner. The lid is very glossy, so you can expect a lot of fingerprints.

The connector set hasn't changed and we still have the same set of three USB ports, VGA port, LAN jack, card reader and microphone and headphone jack.

The right hand side only has the charging port and the other two USB ports. The ExpressCard slot is missing though, which means you cannot install any add-on cards.

The Aspire One sports a newly designed hinge giving it a sportier look. However, it would have been better if it lit up red. The hinge is a little stiff but nothing too obtrusive. The battery causes an ugly bulge protruding outwards, which ruins the clean look of the Netbook.

The inside finish is not glossy like the lid, which keeps the area free from dust and grime. The keys are small but thanks to sufficient spacing around them, they are not that difficult to type on. We also have a dedicated button to toggle Bluetooth activity.

Benchmarks

PCMark 05

SiSOFT SANDRA 2009

Processor Arithmetic

Processor Multimedia

File Systems

Memory Bandwidth

Cache and Memory

Performance Analysis

The Netbook performs more or less similar to other Netbooks in the benchmarks, given the common specifications of all Netbooks nowadays.

This new variant is a tad heavier than its predecessor due to the larger capacity battery but overall the weight is distributed quite well and it does not feel very heavy even in your backpack. The carry pouch is a real life saver here allowing you to dump the Netbook anywhere. But due to the larger battery the fit isn't perfect and you have to stretch the flap a little.

General Usage

The keyboard feels a bit cramped and you can't type for long hours at a stretch. Also, the keypad feedback is strictly average. The trackpad is very small compared to the first model and even the buttons are not the friendliest to use. If you're going to be surfing a lot on your Netbook, which I'm guessing you will, it's best to use a mouse.


Battery Life

We carried out the same routine here as well; charged the Netbook completely and switched Wi-Fi on. In our first test I was working on the review while browsing the internet. Here I got a backup time of around four-and-a-half hours. In our second test where we used a program called Passmark, which runs a simultaneous test stressing the memory, CPU, Networking and video all at the same time. With this the Netbook lasted around two-and-a-half hours.

Pricing

The new Acer Aspire D150 is priced at Rs.20,990 with a one-year warranty. The pricing is good considering that other Netbooks with similar specifications are priced a bit higher, so that gives the D150 an edge.

Verdict

The Acer Aspire One D150 is a refreshed version of the Aspire One that was launched a year back. Along with some design changes, the specifications have changed a bit too in order to keep up with the competition. A larger screen, longer battery life and more colors is what you're getting with the D150.


The only weakness I found with this is the very small trackpad, which can get really annoying at times, and of course the bulge of the 6-cell battery that protrudes from the back. For a price tag of 21K with these specifications it's a good buy, if you can bear the miniature trackpad.


Specifications