Most netbooks are less expensive than larger laptop computers, but many of us may still be deterred by the price of certain desirable netbooks. There are a fair number of them out there that retail in the $400 to $600 range and this is creeping too close to the range of a “real” notebook. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could have that portable Internet-surfing device on a more modest budget? With the Acer Aspire One, you can. There are configurations of the Aspire One that sell for $400 or more, but if you look to the lower end of the range, there are more affordable options as well.
Saving even more money, you may want to consider the refurbished route by picking up the less expensive Acer Aspire One AOA 110-1722 which is sold by Geeks.com. As you may recall, I had a look at some other refurbished products from Geeks in the past, including some really affordable digital cameras and a debranded HP LCD monitor. They also have an extensive selection of refurbished laptop computers.
Based on the “bang for your buck” factor, the refurbished cameras and monitor seemed to provide an excellent value. Somehow, I suspected that the refurbished Acer Aspire One will be much the same.
Features and Specifications
As mentioned, there are several configurations available for the Acer Aspire One, so my impressions are based only on the version that I was provided to review. The model number is the Aspire One AOA 110-1722. Since the reconditioned version from Geeks.com sells for just $250, it is not at all surprising that the specs are nowhere near as impressive as those found on the MSI Wind U100 and Asus Eee PC 1000HA, both of which sell for $400 or more.
In terms of the key features and specifications, the Acer Aspire One AOA 110-1722 netbook comes equipped with the following:
- 8.9-inch WSVGA (1024×600) Acer CrystalBrite TFT LCD with LED backlight
- Linpus Linux Lite operating system
- Intel Atom N270 1.60GHz processor
- 512MB SDRAM (upgradeable to 1GB/1.5GB)
- 8GB SSD NAND flash module
- Intel 945GME Express integrated graphics
- Multi-card reader
- Stereo speakers
- Integrated 0.3 megapixel webcam and digital microphone
- Acer InviLink 802.11b/g Wi-Fi Certified network Connection
- VGA, three USB 2.0, RJ-45 Ethernet, microphone, and headphone jacks
- 1.14 x 9.8 x 6.7-inches (H x W x D, approximate)
- Weight: 2.19 lbs. with battery
Aside from the marginally smaller screen, the two biggest differences between this netbook and its more expensive counterparts are that it only has 8GB of internal flash memory (others have 80GB, 120GB or 160GB hard drives) and it runs on Linpus Linux (others usually have Windows XP). The latter can be addressed with your own installation of Windows using an external optical drive.
Is it the Packaging That Makes it Refurbished?
Compared to some of the more trendy devices on the market, the box for the refurbished Acer Aspire One is decidedly understated. It’s a plain brown cardboard, lacking in any sort of personality whatsoever. Aside from the splash of Acer green on the sides, it really doesn’t do much in terms of helping to sell the product. You are buying this online, so there’s no need for the box itself to have any buyer appeal.
That said, I was quite pleased to see that the contents of the box were well protected with soft foam inserts rather than with the standard Styrofoam that you find everywhere else. Since you don’t get any formed Styrofoam, however, the contents of the box are all jumbled together in the middle. I’d imagine that a new Aspire One is a little more organized, in this respect, but it’s not really something that matters all that much.
What’s In The Brown Box?
In addition to the Acer Aspire One AOA 110-1722 netbook itself, you get the 2200 mAh Lithium-ion rechargeable battery (3-cell), the AC adapter and power cord, and a leather-like soft case. The soft case offers some protection, but it is very unfortunate that it is completely open-ended on one edge. There is no Velcro or zipper mechanism to prevent an unfortunate spill.
There is also no instruction manual, but there is a sheet of paper telling you that you can download a copy from the Internet. The lack of documentation is likely due to the refurbished nature of this particular netbook, even if it is an “Acer Certified” reconditioning. Aside from that, there really isn’t all that much that is completely out of the ordinary here.
This is Refurbished? Really?
Part of the reason why you are saving some cash with this particular product is that it is a refurbished unit. You could just as easily go to a regular retail store and pick up a brand new Acer Aspire One and it would still (typically) be cheaper than some of its competitors, but the “reconditioned” route further improves these savings.
The inherent risk with refurbished products isn’t really that they will fail on you — they do go through a rigorous testing process before being shot back out to consumers — but you could suffer through a fair bit of cosmetic damage. Some refurbished products can come back with all sorts of scuffs, scratches, dents, and bruises. This, of course, varies widely from case to case and your experience may not be quite the same as mine, but this particular refurbished Aspire One had no visible signs of wear. If it wasn’t for the sticker on the back, the unique packaging, and my pre-existing knowledge, I would have assumed that this was brand new.
Realistically, any physical damage that you see on a refurbished netbook is likely just cosmetic and will not affect the performance of the product. That said, I don’t really want to get a used laptop with a big scar on its outer panel either. A netbook is a lifestyle PC, after all.
Design, Functions, and Ports
Although the Acer Aspire One is a less expensive alternative to some other netbooks, I found the build quality to be reasonably impressive. There is very little flex to the chassis on the lower portion, but the top half (with the display) does have some flex to it. The hinge appears to be well-built and I’m glad to see that there are little rubber feet on the base of the Aspire One. This helps to prop up the bottom when you place it on a table, allowing for improved airflow and cooling. Above the screen are the integrated microphone and VGA webcam.
Instead of using a function button to turn the Wi-Fi radio on and off, there is actually a dedicated switch to the bottom right of the netbook. This hard switch can certainly come in handy when you want to save some battery life. The power button is located to the top-right of the keyboard and you’ll notice the indicator lights to the top-left. The narrow gap between the screen and the lower half of the netbook is also a notable design cue.
Along the left side of the Aspire One, you’ll find the power port, the VGA port, Ethernet port, one USB port, and a storage expansion slot. Along the right side, there is a Kensington lock, multi-card reader, two USB ports, and the jacks for the headphone and microphone.
Keyboard Layout
Even though the screen on the Acer Aspire One is 1.2-inches smaller than the Asus Eee PC 1000HA and the newer 1000HE (8.9 vs. 10.1), the keyboard felt like it wasn’t that much smaller. There is very little in terms of a border on either edge of the keyboard, so it stretches nearly across the entire width of the netbook. Those adjusting from larger laptops will need some time to grow accustomed to the smaller keyboard, but it’s not nearly as difficult as the ones you experienced with early-generation 7-inch Eee PCs.
The one area of the keyboard that I particularly liked was how they arranged the lower-right corner of the keyboard. With the Asus Eee PC 1000HA, one of my complaints was that the right shift key was way too far away from my right pinky finger, because it was placed to the right of the up arrow. This is not the case with the Acer Aspire One. You get a bigger shift key and then the four directional arrows are placed beneath it. The arrow keys are decidedly smaller, but they also make room for the page up and page down keys here as well. Very handy for quick movements through webpages, spreadsheets, and other documents.
Trackpad Design
I’m not quite as happy with how Acer decided to design the trackpad. In an effort to better accommodate the larger keyboard, the trackpad had to be made quite small. It’s a narrow horizontal strip and there are no mouse buttons beneath it. Instead, the mouse buttons have been relocated to either side of the trackpad. This is certainly unconventional and it makes for the “use my thumb to left click” strategy a little more challenging. You may also notice that the trackpad is the same Sapphire Blue as the rest of the netbook. It also appears to be a very similar plastic material.
The Quick Boot to Linpus Linux Lite
Having used Windows as my operating system since the days of Windows 3.1, I’ve grown quite accustomed to the way a Microsoft-powered computer should look. I’ve fiddled with some Apple products over the years, so I’m familiar with the Mac side of things too. The one “major” area that I have not explored nearly as much is Linux. Enthusiasts in this realm swear by it, but the mainstream largely ignores it. After using the Linux-powered Aspire One, I can see how this lightweight OS is suitable for a lightweight netbook.
The Acer Aspire One comes powered by Linpus Linux Lite, a somewhat unconventional build of Linux. It may have been better to use a more mainstream build, like Ubuntu, but Linpus Lite is very usable. It’s not as robust as Windows XP, which is available on higher models of the Aspire One, but it gets the job done. The best part is that the bootup time is a lot faster, getting you from power button to home screen in about 5-10 seconds. I’d imagine XP would take much longer on this machine.
The home screen is broken up into four distinct sections: Connect is home to the web apps, like FireFox and IM; Work has its versions of a word processor, spreadsheet,, and so on; Fun has the media player, games (lots of trialware, a couple full games), and picture viewer; and Files gives you quick access to your photos, music, and downloads. For more advanced use, there is also Terminal access. As with any operating system, Linux will feel a little foreign at first.
Getting Connected
Connecting to Wi-Fi access points is pretty straightforward. There is an icon in the taskbar for this and clicking on it reveals the hotspots in the area. Select the one you want, enter the passcode if needed, and you’re good to go. I did find that I sometimes had to enter the passcode twice for my home network though. Basic configurations can be done through the settings menu as well, like determining your power preferences and so on. If you have troubles with WiFi, Ethernet is also an option.
The Casual User Experience
If you’re hoping to do any heavy-duty lifting with this netbook, you’ll be sorely disappointed. It was never meant to be a primary computer and you should not expect it to perform as such. In our subjective tests (because we can’t use our usual sweet of Windows benchmarks) it seems to handle YouTube videos without too much trouble, but you really shouldn’t be running too many tabs in FireFox while surfing the Internet. The 512MB of RAM is pretty anemic. The 1024×600 resolution display can handle most webpages, but anything with too much vertical height (like Google Reader) can present some frustration.
One situation that ended up being quite frustrating was my attempt to use TweetDeck, my preferred Twitter desktop client, on the Aspire One. TweetDeck is powered by Adobe AIR and the Adobe website had a version of AIR for Linux. I thought I was in luck. Well, first it wouldn’t let me execute the .bin installation file (I later learned to chmod +x it). When I did get it to run, it asked for the root password. This was never given to me and it was only after some searching online that I found how to reset it. After all of that, AIR still wouldn’t install, because it said the administrator “may” have disallowed it. In the end, I gave up and went with TwittterFox instead.
Battery Life
The expected battery life on the Acer Aspire One will vary considerably based on a number of factors. Where have you set the screen brightness? Are you using the webcam and microphone? Do you have any peripherals plugged into the USB port? Are you reading text files or watching a series of intensive videos?
That said, I found that with moderate Internet surfing duties (no other applications running, no more than 3 tabs at a time) and with Wi-Fi on continuously, I was able to get about two to three hours on the 3-cell 2200mAh rechargeable battery. My average, over the course of a couple of days, was in the 2:15 to 2:30 range. Not surprisingly, this dipped when I was playing games, watching YouTube videos, and doing other things that draw more battery.
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
Yes, it is possible that netbooks could already be obsolete, but one of the reasons why I proposed that notion was the issue of price. At $400 to $500, many netbooks don’t offer as much in terms of a value proposition, but at just $250, the refurbished Acer Aspire One is very affordable and gives great bang for the buck. It’s the same price as an iPod touch and it offers a truer Internet browsing experience.
There are certainly some quirks to this netbook, like the strange design of the trackpad and the use of Linpus Linux, but it has its advantages as well. The keyboard, while not being the highest of quality, offers good travel and a terrific layout. It’s a reasonable size and it didn’t take long at all to get used to typing on it. Surfing the net using the pre-installed Mozilla FireFox was fine, so long as I didn’t try to push its limits. I could not, for example, get UStream.tv to work properly for me. I could view but not broadcast.
At just over two hours of life, I found the Aspire One to be a little inadequate in this respect. If you can hook up to a wall outlet, you should. There are larger batteries available for the Aspire One, but these can run over $100 each. By picking one of these up, you are nearly nullifying the savings you are getting over a more expensive alternative. If the $249 refurb’d Acer came with a 6-cell battery, I’d be happier, even if I sacrificed a little in weight and portability. Geeks.com always has special sales so it might be worth it to drop by on occasion to see if that refurbished configuration miraculously becomes available.
No, the Acer Aspire One AOA 110-1722 is not as powerful or robust as something like the Sony VAIO P or HP Mini 1000, but it’s not nearly as pricey either. You’re not sacrificing too much, because the main reason for a netbook is to surf the “real” web in a laptop-like fashion and the el cheapo Aspire One can do that.
Pros
- Great value for your money
- Nice keyboard with friendly layout
- Linpus Linux is remarkably fast, even with 512MB of RAM
- LED-backlit display
Cons
- Glossy surface attracts lots of fingerprints, especially on palm rest
- Trackpad and button design is odd
- Less than desirable specs, including 3-cell battery, 8GB storage, 512MB RAM
- Performance not quite as good as competitors
- Provided protective sleeve is open-ended
Overall Rating: 7.5/10.0
Discuss This Review in the Futurelooks Community Forums
Refurbished Acer Aspire One AOA 110-1722 Netbook Photo Gallery
