Home > Consumer Reviews > Acer Aspire One A110-Aw Netbook, Linpus Linux Lite version, 512MB DDR2 RAM, 8GB Flash (Seashell White)

I bought mine to replace a far more powerful laptop which died. I chiefly wanted to be able to surf the web via wireless connection, and be able to work on presentations and documents on the move. I opted for the 8GB Linux version "just to give it a try" on the grounds that I could upgrade to Windows if I didn't like it. In fact, the installed Linux OS and software is very good, and runs much faster than the Windows machines. I am a complete newbie to Linux, but even so I got up and running with barely a glance at the manual.

The solid state drive is a bonus for true mobile use as it is much more jolt resistant than a traditional drive. 8GB storage is plenty, but can be upgraded in seconds to 40GB with an SDHC card. If you have a couple of screwdrivers and scant regard for your warranty the memory can be upgraded to 1.5GB easily. The screen is clear and sharp with a good viewing angle, and the keyboard size is good. The supplied browser (Firefox 2) and e-mail browser work well, and OpenOffice is excellent - on a par with MS office in terms of function and well documented at www.openoffice.org.

Although the Aspire One is a new player on the block there is already a thriving community offering help and support - www.aspireoneuser.com. I'd suggest a browse there before buying.

A superb bit of kit! I was initially a bit sceptical about "Linpus" Linux. I've used Linux since the mid-1990s, but was concerned that the installed version would be a limited, sub-standard version. I was fully ready to install my distro of choice, but found that I didn't need to.

The machine inspired confidence straight out of the box - the build quality is excellent (much better than the Asus offerings), and the keyboard felt OK. The display is bright and crisp. Battery life is OK (2.75 hours usually) but could be better. I have a home made battery box that I carry in my briefcase to plug into it if I need to.

Boot time is pretty quick, and the basic supplied applications will be sufficient for 90% of users. I've added more RAM (it's now 1 Gb) and another SDD (16 Gb) so that it's now a great little machine for working "out in the field". I've added a lot of administrative tools that I need for some of my work, and have GCC installed to allow me to write and compile software.

Wireless connection is flawless - it was trivially easy to configure for my home and office networks. I've also used it on public Wi-fi services without issue.

In all, a great machine - it's just what I needed!

I've just taken delivery of this new Acer Aspire One (Amazon delivery took 5 days).

Out of the box it looks great, it is light, the build quality looks and feels very good and the screen opens smoothly. It came with 80% battery life already which is handy if you don't have electricity to hand immediately.

I booted it up and went through a simple 4 step setup process (language, country, time, password) which took about 3 minutes. Then the OS booted. It is very user friendly with big links on the opening screen for Web, Mail, Photos, Video, Preferences, Documents etc.

There is no link to "Wireless" or "Networks" which would be handy, but there is an icon in the botton right. You click on that icon and it shows you all the wireless networks within range. I connected to my home wifi without any difficulty (though I don't use WPA or WEP security - I am a believer that wifi should be shared and free!).

The laptop is for my mother and she will have no trouble using it. It is a replacement for an Asus EEE that I bought her 4 months ago. The EEE was beautiful and cool, but it was temperamental in connecting to wireless networks. That's a major flaw.

I would strongly recommend the Acer Aspire One over the EEE. It is cheaper, just as cool, just as easy to use and it does not have wireless network difficulties. Top marks Acer and welcome to the mini-laptop market. Competition is great.

After much comparison (mainly with the Asus Eee netbook, the Apire One's main competitor) I decided I was going to splash out on an Acer Aspire one; not only is it sleek, solidly built, but it offers the user the ability to have a bit of say about what they want/need their machine to do (dont know about you, but I dont want to pay for bits and bobs I dont need or will never use)-- here are a few of the reasons why I found this to be such a awesome little bit of kit.

Well at first I thought I would stick to what I knew, Windows and an internal fixed Hard Drive (HD), but then I began to read about the merits of the alternatives that Acer offers-- Linux and non-fixed flash SD drives in particular. After a while I began to think I could really get my head round the idea of not having to pay for every bit of software I needed, and that is exactly what this machine avoids by offering the option of Linux pre-installed, but then there was the concern that Linux was some sort of foreign OS that would befuddle even the most able of computer users, or at least that is what some would like us all to think. So far I have not had to even open the software booklet that came with this sweet little machine--yes, its that easy to use and set up!

For those who dont know about Linux, it is a graphical user interface (GUI) similar if not slightly sleeker and more user intuitive than other more mainstream OS options like Windows XP. Two days in, I am already personalising different elements of the interface, such as backdrop, colour schemes, icon styles and updating all my software through the repositories, all of which is just so dead easy! And for the more advanced stuff, there is immense support from the online communities, mainly www.aspireoneusers.com, which is a forum specifically aimed at the aspire one user, particularly those who choose to use Linux. In fact, all the software put on this little gadget just works out of the box-- the codecs for video, image editing software, lots of games to play when you just want to faff a bit...its really got all angles covered.

Oh and one last thing to mention on the merits of Linux-- can you imagine not having to run spyware and antivirus software??? If you use Linux, then yes you can-- no more security threats, worms, Trojans and spyware to worry about-- because they all self-extract using the file extension .exe-- a Windows extension, which does not work on a Linux machine! So not only is Linux free, easy to use with its GUI, but is also well supported and safe. I'm sold-- never again will I pay for an OS.

We've all used SD cards, but would you want to depend on it as your HD? Well at first I thought not, but now I am really into the idea that I will never need to worry about HD failure again. You know what I mean if you've ever experienced HD failure! Its easy-- you buy a few 16gig cards (really in comparison, they are not that much more expensive than a proper HD) and you can switch them out easy peasy for just about everything- Ive got one strictly for media, another for games and another for documents etc... and so far I have to say its no trouble. In fact, without the weight of an internal HD (it only weighs 1kg) its well worth going the SD route!

So anyone wondering why I didnt go for the Eee? It was down to a few reasons, one, it tends to not be as competitively priced as the Acer, but also it has a technical fault-- it drops its wireless connection sporadically, something which I would find annoying and simply unacceptable for my needs. The Aspire One has no difficulty keeping an excellent connection with minimal fuss. Also, the battery is excellent and though the keyboard is only 85% the size of a full sized keyboard, I have found it quite easy to adjust to using.

So, in my opinion at he end of the day, this is a good value for money spent and would recommend it to any of my family and friends as a dependable, solid, good value for money machine.

I needed a small laptop to take on holidays and the Acer fits the bill exactly. I chose the white over the blue as the keyboard is easier to see in poor light. Build quality is good, it looks really good with a sort of pearlescent finish. The mains cable is incredibly thick for such a small machine, I bought another and shortened it.
I've never used Linux before but I chose it for its lower cost, better battery life and resilience to viruses; I recently had to reformat my XP laptop after a trojan attack, despite having very expensive anti-virus protection! The Linux implementation is a joy to use, useable straight out of the box. I had a problem with my Canon printer as Canon don't support Linux but my Samsung worked fine. I'm sure I'll solve it in time.
Word documents load into the included Office suite, as do powerpoint presentations. The Office suite is easily a match for Microsoft Office and it is included!
The screen is bright and clear, the keyboard, although small, is useable; the only downside is the mousepad, which is cramped. The 8Gb hard disk can be permanently increased by an SD card; my 16Gb SDHC cost £18.
I have increased the RAM to 1.5Gb but as it involves a complete dismantle it is not for the faint hearted (thanks Acer!)
It doesn't come with a case or any form of protection which is a pity. All in all highly recommended.