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.

IT Pro 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.

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It's also worth bearing in mind that Windows 7 Starter does have limitations not present in other versions of Windows 7. For example, it's missing the built-in encryption and the Windows XP Virtualisation Mode found in Windows 7 Professional.

When a second display is connected to the VGA port you can only mirror the contents of the Aspire's screen onto the external display, not show more windows. The resolution of the second display is also artificially limited to 1,440x1,050 pixels no matter what its actual resolution. These issues affect the usefulness of the Aspire One for giving PowerPoint presentations.

Aside from the dual operating systems, the Aspire One is otherwise very similar to other netbooks, both from Acer and from other manufacturers. It's equipped with 1GB of RAM and a dual-core Intel Atom N550 processor. It's fast enough for simple, everyday tasks, although the limited amount of memory does make using more than one or two applications at once sluggish. Adding more RAM is trickier than it is with some other netbooks, as you have to remove the entire bottom plate to access the memory slots instead of just a single access hatch.

Alan Lu
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