Customer Rating: 
Summary: The Little Workhorse That Can...
Comment: Ive been using this netbook for two weeks now. I have the XP 120GB version. I have also used the MSI Wind (borrowed from a friend) and Asus 900 (also from a friend, but only used for a day) Here is the lowdown:
Build Quality: The build quality is great. Does not feel cheap at all.Gap tolerances is miniscule. Does not creak when held. The quality of plastics used although not too thick is much better than that of Asus and comparable with MSI Wind.
Looks: Looks is subjective but the white one is quite a looker in my opinion. So many have commented how great it looks. I have chosen the white one simply because I detest dark keyboards. White or lighter colored keyboards makes it easier for use in dim places.
Keyboard: Of all the three netbooks I have used, the Aspire One has the better keyboard. It's almost fullsize, with very good key travel, not mushy, it can get a bit too clikety but for me it is just perfect. Much better than Asus 900 in my opinion.
Screen: This is one of the strenght of the Acer. It is very bright and vibrant in its color reproduction. I compared it to my Sony CR series it is very much comparable. The screen is also LED backlit so it should be better than conventional LCDs. The only gripe I have with the screen is the black borders surrounding it. They are at least an inch all on all sides. I would like to see this wasted space put to good use by increasing the screen and possibly the resolution. For the amount of money I paid for this Acer though, I am more than happy about the resolution and screen size.
OS: I have the XP orignally but I upgraded to XP Pro because I need to use it with exchange server. All drivers although not availble in the box, it is readily available in the internet. Installed the usual apps I installed in my main computer including Elements. I dared not install Photoshop because I know that my acer will crawl. So Photoshop is good enough for quick photo editing. Usual office apps are there and with my current configuration, my acer is quite snappy. Very minimal lag in opening apps and definitely very usable. In fact, I haven't touch my main computer since I have the ONe because most of the things I do in my main laptop, I can do it on my ACer.
Battery: Ok, this is where it gets nasty. The battery last me 2:20 minutes with backlight at full brightness. Getting the 6 cell battery ruins the whole look of the One so I will just get a spare 3 cell battery. Besides, I am most of the time near wall outlets so I can leave with the abysmal battery life.
Overall Impression: For the price, especially with the price drop, nothing beats the Aspire One in value. It has the one of the best keyboard in any notebook, bright screen, all the basic features and then some, small size and weight, and best of all it is one of the best looking netbooks out there. Compared to the Asus, it is a matter of taste. Compared to the wind, I will take the ACer anytime. I despise the row of status lights in the MSI wind. It ruined the whole look of the machine. It reminded me of Christmas lights. Last but not the least, the price is hard to beat at the moment. The upcoming dell and Lenovo maybe better, who knows but at the moment, the Acer One is holding up there as the most stylish, with the best keyboard, the brightest screen netbook you can find for your "mobile" computing pleasure.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Acer Aspire One Mini-Laptop
Comment: I absolutely love my new Acer Aspire One! It is everything they said it would be. It is very light and compact. I travel for a living. The ease of getting this mini-laptop in and out of my bag for airport security screening is wonderful. It is so light and small that my biggest fear is forgetting it somewhere. It is literally the size of an average book and half the size of a regular laptop.
The not so good part...only reason I did not rate it 5 stars is that my husband had to uninstall the Linux operating system and install Windows XP for me to be able to install the other software programs I needed for work. The original system works great and had a word processing, spreadsheet, and other programs and some games most people enjoy.
I needed access to my company's website while traveling and that required additional software. The version of Linux that came with the laptop does not allow installation of additional software....so be forwarned. I did see that Acer was soon going to have an option of the Aspire with Windows XP. Unless you have a computer wiz in your family who can do what my husband did for my Aspire One, I recommend you pay the additional price to get it with Windows XP.
The Acer Aspire keyboard is compact and is not suited for people with man-sized fingers. It is perfect for me but my husband said he would never buy this laptop for himself because of the keyboard issue. As a 20+ year Computer Technician, he was however very impressed with the speed and overall performance of this mini-laptop.
I am extremely pleased with my purchase...price, value and performance.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Does what it Should
Comment: Good: boot time is VERY fast, touch typeable, light weight, open office, nice pre-installed mail client, not hot to the touch, CHEAP!
Bad: recessed keys forces your thumbs to adjust to hit the space bar, the linux OS is not easily customizable (but easy to use if you don't want change anything), pre-installed media player is bad (but replaceable), pre-installed instant messenger is bad (but replaceable if you don't mind losing the mail client), screen is a bit small and must be viewed at about 20 degrees from below normal for good colors and contrast, bad speakers (or speaker driver).
Compatability/Notes: RF mouse works by plug and play, Bluetooth dongle and mouse were a pain, works fine with Airport Express (even can print), if the desktop is very customized and the computer experiences a hard crash then its a lot of work to fix everything, friendly forum help http://aspireoneuser.com/forum/
Customer Rating:
Summary: Other than the dead wireless...
Comment: Acer Aspire One 8.9-inch Mini Laptop (1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor, 512 MB RAM, 8 GB Solid State Drive, Linpus Linux Lite) White
Pros: Sleek, great screen (bright, readable, wonderful resolution), reasonable, if not great, battery life; slip case and recovery disk included; light as a feather.
Cons: Wireless radio did not work! Could only connect via wired Ethernet. Linpus is not the brightest kid on the block: software system and included app's weak and lacking Skype and Pidgin. Screen and case attract finger smudges like magnets.
Remarks: I finally received my Aspire One (Linux version, purchased before the current price drop to $329), and the wireless was grayed out--other devices in my house can connect to wireless, so I know that my router is OK. I reloaded and recovered with Recovery Disk several times, to no avail.
However, I was able to connect via wired Ethernet, and after several false starts I was able to load Skype (actually easier than several posts had indicated: just download with Firefox and tell it to Open, and the Package Manager takes over--then you have to run it with ALT-F2).
But, I could not install Pidgin (a generalized Instant Messaging app.) because of some missing libpurple part(s). The included Messenger application only serves up AIM, Google Messenger and Yahoo Messenger, but not the one that I needed, XMPP ("Jabber").
Installing the Xfce environment disabled e-mail and calendar.
But, of course, I could not live with a dead wireless radio, because my whole reason for buying the portable was to use it on the road. So, I have just returned it to Amazon. Pity, because, even with the lame Messenger application, I really liked this computer.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Nifty Little Workhorse
Comment: Love this little PC - does everything I wanted and anticipated. Have been using it for 4 days now and am not experiencing any problems. I have the XP unit. The WiFI hasn't skipped a beat and there is barely a sound from the fan. Screen is awsome and a perfect size. Wasn't sure if I should have waited for Lenovo with a 10" screen but am glad I didn't. Keyboard is ok - but I have small hands which helps. Wouldn't want to do hours of typing on it, though. The touchscreen is good. I'm not accustomed to the position of the L & R buttons but I rarely use them. I really have nothing negative to say about this unit. I tried out the Asus XP unit and there is no comparison. This Acer is beats it hands down. The Acer user forum is a great place to get tips and share ideas about these Acer netbooks.
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