Product review . . .

A Portable Computer

by Conrad Weisert
©2009 Information Disciplines, Inc., Chicago -- 15 January, 2009

NOTE: This document may be circulated or quoted from freely, as long as the copyright credit is included.

I stopped reviewing products several years ago in response to a vigorous reaction from an offended vendor. I've been so pleased with this little computer, however, that I must share the experience with readers.

Several years ago I enjoyed using a little 3-pound¹ Sony Vaio computer. I used it while traveling for writing and for software development, and I connected it to projectors to make presentations. It was a little clumsy to use with its detachable "port replicator" bar, but a lot easier than a full-size "notebook" computer.

After the Sony wore out I used a couple of 7-pound monsters, which seem to be standard among the people I see using them in cafés and on trains. But they're a pain to lug through airports, especially when I'm also carrying heavy books and course materials. Furthermore, they're too bulky to use on an airliner tray table or coffee-shop counter, especially if you use an attached mouse.

The new Acer Aspire One fills my needs beautifully. It weighs a mere 2.2 pounds (one kilogram) and it needs no special attachments in normal operation. The near-full-size keyboard takes little getting used to. The configuration is ample, including a gigabyte of RAM and 160 gigabytes of fixed disk. Although the 8-inch screen is smaller than the big notebooks, the image is clear and easily viewed from normal working distance. It has the expected couple of USB ports and standard video output. It also includes a "web cam", which I'll probably never use.

You can get one for about $350 with either GNU Linux or Windows XP Home Edition pre-loaded.

The machine has no built-in CD reader, so you need an outboard one to load commercial software.

It's too early to report on durability, but at this price I'd buy a new one every year.