Review by T. Orkun for Acer Aspire One AOD150-1920 10.1-Inch Ruby Red Netbook – 6.5 Hour Battery Life
Rating:
I ordered my Acer Aspire One 10.1 Netbook (AOD150-1165) on Feb 28, 2009 from Amazon. Item shipped on March 2nd and arrived on March 14.

When I ordered only Sapphire Blue color was available but I am happy with Sapphire Blue. It looks very attractive. I would normally order either white or black model but I am glad they were not available The only thing I can complain is that it easily gets finger marks so I try not to touch the shiny surfaces.

When you unpack the box and hold it on your hand, you will realise how light this is (especially if you have been lugging a 17″ laptop) This is very transportable and ideal for those small airplane tray tables (or your lap)

The 1.6Ghz N270 Intel Atom processor is a single core processor but it is pretty snappy and certainly more than enough for most office type usage. The Netbook ships with Windows XP Home w/SP3 installed instead of Vista so to me it feels as responsive as (or better than) a Core 2 Duo based laptop running Vista.

The unit is rather quiet. The fan or hard disk noise is minimal. The fan does not kick in often during normal use. It might be more active with some heavy CPU/HD activity tasks.

The screen is 1024×600 CrystalBright (shiny) type LCD but very comfortable to read under various light conditions. There is an integrated 0.3M megapixel (640×480) webcam and microphone embedded in the screen frame. Ideal to use a video phone/conferencing software like Skype, etc. BTW, to gain some vertical space on desktop, you might want to set Windows XP taskbar to auto-hide and pop-up when you move the cursor to the edge of the screen.

The keyboard is actually pretty well designed. Unlike some models from competitors, the shift, control, alt, tab, enter, backspace keys are all in the right places. Initially, I found the keys a bit small but after a few days of use, you get used to and avoid hitting two keys. The arrow keys could have been a bit bigger as there is room along the lower right side of the keyboard.

The touchpad on this model is made by Synaptics and is pretty configurable. Like everything else it is a bit small but works acceptably well. It would have been better if it was made wider. Touchpad buttons is another story. They are correctly placed below the touchpad but instead of using two independent buttons the designers chose to use one bar over the two buttons. This made the buttons much harder to press. I would have preferred two independent buttons. I think this is the biggest complaint about the design of this netbook. Nevertheless, the buttons do get softer over time. I have softened the buttons out by pressing both ends of the button bar at the same time repeatedly. I do this a number of times before using the laptop each day. So, it is not that hopeless.

Well, I do try to get myself used to build-in keyboard and mouse but those that are doing extensive work can still attach a regular USB keyboard and a USB mouse. For example, Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 3000 is a perfect match.

Alternatively, you can tap on the touchpad instead of pressing the buttons. The synaptics touchpad is pretty configurable. You can configure a corner of the touchpad for right button and anywhere else would be left button.

The speakers for this netbook is under it. They are pretty loud and sound quality is pretty decent. However, since the speaker openings are underside of the netbook, if you are holding it on a soft surface such as carpet or bed the sound can get muffled as the openings will be blocked. It’s not a very good idea to keep it on the soft surfaces for a long time anyway as this will block the fan vents as well and cause the netbook to overheat.

There is 1GB RAM memory on DDR2 SODIMM module installed (mine was made by Samsung). There is no on-board soldered memory (the description on Amazon is incorrect and is referring to older 8.9″ model). The memory is easily upgradable to 2GB by replacing the SODIMM module. I upgraded the memory on 10.1″ Aspire One to 2GB by installing a “Mushkin 2GB 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Laptop Memory – Retail” module (Mushkin part #991618). It works great! Please note that this module has CAS4 (4-4-4-12) timing instead of more common CAS5 (5-5-5-16). In other words, it is slightly faster memory as it has less wait states

The hard disk is a Hitachi HTS543216L9A300, 160GB 2.5″ 5400rpm, Serial ATA, 8MB Cache disk. It’s pretty quiet. I think there is plenty of space for most applications. If you need more you can attach an external USB hard drive or the hard disk itself can be upgraded almost as easily as the RAM memory.

The wireless chip (AR5007EG) is made by Atheros and supports 802.11b/g. The range is decent enough. I had no issues connecting to my home WiFi Access Point, at work or other free public hotspots. I used wifi at Starbucks, Barnes and Noble Bookstore and McDonald’s among others (I get free WiFi at these locations since I have AT&T DSL). However, some users are reporting that they have some issues. The Atheros driver installed by default is old (version 7.6.0.260). The latest I have found for the AR5007EG wifi chipset is version 7.6.1.244 (dated 2/25/2009) and I believe might solve issues that some people are experiencing. (As a convenience, I’ve provided instructions at the bottom of this review for access to updated drivers) The device properties indicate that the WiFi chip is setup for maximum power saving. By the way, just like RAM and HDD, the wireless module is also accessible. Who knows, someone (or Acer) would come up with an replacement module for 802.11n or a Bluetooth+WiFi combo.

There is no build-in bluetooth capability. If you need to interface with Bluetooth devices you will need to buy a USB adapter such as Cirago Bluetooth BTA3210 v2.1 EDR Class 2 Micro Bluetooth Adapter or you can get a combo with a bluetooth mouse such as Logitech VX Nano Cordless Laser Mouse for Notebooks (Black) Update: Apparently, Acer Aspire One AOD150 models build for some Asian markets do come with build-in Bluetooth. It’s a pity Bluetooth is not included for American version.

Like many other early adopters, the laptop arrived with Panasonic Built 5800mAh, 59W battery. It lasts 7-8hrs under normal office type work with Wi-Fi enabled. This is a bigger capacity battery than it would ship normally (4400mAh, also 6-cell) but most everyone got the larger one so far.

There are 3x USB 2.0 ports, 1x 10/100 Ethernet port, 1x VGA external monitor port and a single Multi-format flash memory card reader/writer (again, Amazon’s description is incorrect about 2nd SD card slot). There are also a headphone and external microphone jacks and a Kensington style lock slot.

There is also a slot for 3G SIM chip beside the battery. My netbook did have the slot but no 3G hardware in there to accept the SIM card. Presumably some models will be equipped to have 3G wireless capability.

Unlike 8.9″ predecessor, this 10.1 model did not come with a case. I picked a Neoprene sleeve from a local store that is designed for an 11″ laptop (Sony VAIO 11.1-Inch Neoprene protection case). Please note that with 6-cell battery the width of the netbook is about 8.5″. So, most 10″ cases with width around 7-8″ will either not fit or will require signficant stretching so choose your case accordingly. Actually, I personally use two cases. The neoprene sleeve goes inside a larger 12-13″ laptop bag with enough storage pockets for the charger and other cables. When I go out to a cafe, I only take the netbook in sleeve and leave the rest in the car.

The netbook also does not come with system recovery disks. There is a Acer recovery utility pre-installed that will generate your recovery disks for you. You should do this as soon as possible. You never know when you will need them. You will need a USB attached CD/DVD writer and some recordable media (6 CD-Rs for System Recovery + 2 for Apps and Drivers, OR alternatively 2 DVD-R for Recovery + 1 DVD-R for Apps and Drivers). I’ve purchased a NU Slim USB External SuperMulti Drive DVD Burner ESW860 and worked for me well. It’s slim enough to carry along with your netbook and you can watch DVDs if you like. You should be able to use it on any other laptop or desktop computer with USB 2.0 interface. Update: You can also order a set of recover CDs directly from Acer for $20. You need to go to Acer Support Website http://www.acerpanam.com and click on US on the map and select “eRecovery CD Purchase” link. It will verify the serial number of your netbook first.

Besides Windows XP Home, there is MS Works, a trial version of Microsoft Office 2007, a 30-day version of McAfee anti-virus suite and a couple other trialware installed. These can be uninstalled from Control Panel easily if desired (or needed).

Overall, I am very satisfied with it and highly recommend it. Obviously, I cannot talk about Customer Support/Service as I did not need to use the service. If your aim is to run your usual applications and surf the net with a decent screen size, this is the right one.

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Update: Updating Atheros AR5007EG WiFi driver:

You can download version 7.6.1.244 (2/25/2009) driver free from Softpedia. Go to drivers.softpedia.com and enter AR5007EG at the top search box. Download the zip file (ar5_ar9_7.6.1.244.zip) and unzip it. Then go to Install_CD sub-folder and run setup.exe. When prompted choose to upgrade the driver. It’s simple and painless… If you are still having problems after driver update, change the channel of your AP/Router. There may be high interference from a nearby wifi router/access point. Good luck!

Review by D. Erickson for Acer Aspire One AOD150-1920 10.1-Inch Ruby Red Netbook – 6.5 Hour Battery Life
Rating:
I was worried about getting one as I have had a 12″ laptop and was not happy with screen size. But this screen is SO bright it does not even become a issue, not to mention the 1064×600 really makes it seem bigger!

Another bonus, this baby runs 7.5 to 8 hours due to the 5800Amh 6 cell battery! Sweet. Very happy with that. I heard most were shipping with the 4400Amh 6 cell which gives your 5-6 hours. I can run this all day or two before recharge, very nice! I have to keep looking at battery indicator in dis-belief that the battery is still 75% or 50%, it just lasts forever!

This is super portable obviously, and really how laptops SHOULD be. You can put on one leg, it doesn’t weigh you down when actually sitting in your lap which is nice. I have had many laptops over the years, screen sizes and this one wins hands down for price, and performance. The unit is strong heavy duty case, compared to some newer thin plastic laptops.

Review by Kramer WA for Acer Aspire One AOD150-1920 10.1-Inch Ruby Red Netbook – 6.5 Hour Battery Life
Rating:
I’m very impressed with this netbook. I ordered mine as soon as I heard they were initially shipping with 5800 mAH batteries and I was pleased to find mine came with one. It is rated 5800 mAh / 59 Wh, and the model number is UM08B52. Windows estimates close to 8 hours of battery life when fully charged and it seems to be accurate. The display is glossy and looks great. It boots very quickly although I haven’t timed it. Performance is better than expected – I can’t tell a difference between this and my Thinkpad R61 when running Microsoft Office applications or browsing the web. I’m not sure if it has a fan because I haven’t heard it kick in yet. It stays fairly cool except when charging. The keyboard takes some getting used to. It has great feel but I can tell it is slightly smaller than the HP netbooks I’ve tried in stores. As noted in some reviews, the mouse buttons are pretty stiff but after a couple of days I’ve gotten used to it.