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Acer Aspire One Pro - Professionalism and style.
Specifications
Package contents
Physical aspects
Physical aspects continued
Benchmark
Conclusion
All Pages

The familiar and previously reviewed Aspire One has taken a new guise, posing as a ’Pro’ model. It is characterized by its style, choice been XP Home or XP Pro, more RAM and a larger hard drive.

We will not be running any benchmarks on this model as the small changes to the hardware do not warrant much of a difference in terms of benchmark results. Rather we will focus on the netbook itself, its ‘feel’, to see how Pro it really is.

The product was kindly lent to us by Acer.



Specifications

Category
Netbooks, Business

Processor
IntelÂŽ Atom N270 1.6GHz

Chipset
Mobile IntelÂŽ 945GSE Express Chipset (DDR2 400/533/667 MHz)
Mobile IntelÂŽ 82801GBM Chipset

RAM
1GB DDR2
1x2GB DDR2

HDD
160GB 5400rpm
250GB 5400rpm
64GB SSD

Display
10.1" LED CrystalBrite (1024 x 600)

Sound card & speakers
Audio High Definition Audio Support
Two built-in stereo speakers
MS-Sound compatible
Built-in digital microphone
 
GPU
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator

Battery
6 cell 2.6 Li-Ion

Inputs/outputs
3x USB 2.0
1x VGA port
1x RJ45 Ethernet
1x Audio jack-out
1x Audio jack-in
1x 5-in-1 card reader
1x CrystalEye webcam
1x DC-in jack for AC adapter

Wireless connectivity
802.11bg WiFi
Bluetooth 2.0

Dimensions
(W X D X H) : 260 x 185 x 33.4 mm
1.3 kg incl. battery

Support
Support is available via Acer

Warranty
1 year hand-in, parts and repair

Operating system
Original WindowsÂŽ XP Professional
Original Windows VistaÂŽ Business
Original WindowsÂŽ XP Home Edition

Software included
• Acer Recovery Management
• Microsoft® Office Ready 2007 (Service Pack 1)
• Google Toolbar™
• Google Desktop™
• Google™ Setup
• Adobe® Reader® 9
• Adobe® Flash® Player 10
• Microsoft®.NET Framework 2.0
• Customized Internet Explorer® 7.0
• eSobi
• Carbonite online backup
McAfeeÂŽ Internet Security Suite (60-day trial)

Communication/ISP programs
• Acer Video Conference Manager 4.0
• Windows Live™ Essentials — Wave 3 (Mail, Photo Gallery, Live™ Messenger, Writer)

Price
Starts at about ÂŁ350.00 including VAT.



Package contents







It is obvious Acer has put a lot of effort into the design just by looking at the box. Acer claims the design is professional, stylish, and exudes quality to the beholder. It bodes very well from the moment you hold the box in your hands; Acer hasn’t held back, and you can only hope the product itself upholds this standard.



I thought this picture should be included. Some will view the imprinted cardboard as a fine little feature which adds to the overall impression that Acer really cared for this product.



The computer itself is protected by a plastic layer; once removed, a shiny, handsome, faded black computer meets the eye. You’ll see plenty of more pictures of this below. It’s always a nice touch when the manufacturer covers their product with some protection, giving you that ‘I-just-got-a-shiny-new-toy’ feeling we all love so much.



The accessories are packed neatly in the box and are easy to remove. The standard items like power supply, a quick start manual and of course the 6-celled battery are all included.







Included
- AC adapter
- Assorted manuals
- Battery



Physical aspects

First impression





An exquisite faded black colour meets the eye once the plastic is removed. The silvery Acer logo imprinted on the netbook is an extra nice touch; it looks fantastic and tells you that this computer is not just a hunk of plastic.



The colour scheme on this netbook consists of shiny silver and black. It looks extra nice at the hinges and where the lid is opened as they are cast in the same silvery colour as the Acer logo, and this whole faded black look just works wonder for the appearance of this netbook. If you care a lot about how your computer looks, you will definitely appreciate the Pro.



The design is also particularly elegant where the hinges are located when you open up the netbook. This netbook really stands out already at first glance; fine, faded colors and soft edges.
 




The display and keyboard are of an adequate size; as mentioned earlier, it’s a 10.1 inch netbook capable of running a resolution of up to 1024x600px. Just the right size for surfing the web.



If you have to say something negative about the first impression, it’ll have to be those annoying stickers, standing out like a tree in a desert.





Why the manufacturer has to put on something that dirties the otherwise clean design on their own product is beyond me. Who knows, maybe it’s a requirement from the respective software and hardware makers to have their stickers on the assembled product, but it’s annoying nonetheless.



I get the idea the faded black is rather susceptible to fingerprints, which is something you have to take into consideration, but I’d never go without it as it looks so awesome when polished and clean.


The lid





The lid, on which the silvery logo is located, feels like pure quality. The material on this model is definitely alright. The feeling you get from drawing your fingers across the lid is a good one, something that Acer had sort of promised; you can clearly feel the texture of the material.



The hinges work really well and are not too tight, yet tight enough to uphold the lid. I don’t anticipate they will wear out anytime soon; they seem capable of enduring many openings and closings before getting dull.

In addition, the part where the hinges are attached is very elegant. Very refreshing to see that Acer has cared for all aspects of the design. So far, the design has prevailed over all the netbook. Everything is cut in elegant, smooth forms which is a very nice contrast to the slightly more professional black colour.



Here you get a good feeling of the texture of the material; it’s not just a faded black colour to be looked at, but a surface that should be touched.

The front:

No reason to say a lot about a little.
The front is kept simple and features little but a slider to open the lid and the soft, organic forms which generally pride this netbook. No nasty, sharp edges to make it cold and impersonal; it is a joy to the eyes…once you remove the stickers, that is.




The rear





At the rear we have the 6-celled battery, which takes up quite a lot of space. It does stick out a bit but that doesn’t affect the design too adversely, though it might appear a bit over the top at first glance. On the other hand it would be silly to sacrifice the larger battery for the design, because the battery life is really something you will appreciate in netbooks like this; they were practically made for longer trips on trains/planes and the like.

The bottom





Not a whole lot to say about the bottom. This is where you insert the battery, and where you find a slider to loosen it. It’s pretty easy to take in and out, and beyond that there is little of interest. Okay, the bottom will be where you’ll attach the extra RAM if you get the larger version of this Pro computer with XP Pro etc.

The right side



The left side



Overview



No particular comments on this. There are no unexpected inputs/outputs and none are missed; nice with enough USB ports and the option of connecting an external monitor. Simple and adequate.

Diodes







All the usual diodes are here. One for the on/off button and Bluetooth at the top by the hinges on both sides. A checkered stripe runs along at the top which looks very nice – an extra little touch that adds to the design. We also have diodes for capslock and numlock as is appropriate, as well as a system indicator.
Additionally we have a battery and WiFi indicator, both of which are always nice to have. There isn’t exactly any breakthrough in terms of diodes. That is not in itself a problem, for too many diodes can be annoying, so it’s nice the netbook isn’t plastered with colours and diodes, which would go against the design in any case.

Keyboard and touchpad





The keyboard is quite well done. The size is very fine and the keys do not seem too small or squished together for lack of space. However, there is ‘plasticky’ click sound when you press the keys. Acer could have worked a little more on this and given the sound the same touch as the rest of the netbook. Still, it’s good enough to type with and it doesn’t get annoying. The keys feel well enough, so the sole criticism is the sound.

In my opinion, the touchpad could have been made a tad wider…it is slightly narrow when you’re navigating around the screen. However it tracks your finger nicely and both it and the click-bar below not only work really well, but feel fantastic. The click-bar is a single unit, but it’s pretty easy to both left- and right-click on it.



Again a fine texture making the computer very nice to look at.
Some ways of utilizing the touchpad are illustrated when you receive the netbook. It’s nice to know how it works from the outset, and you can always take off the sticker once you’re comfortable with the mechanics.

You have to assume Acer prioritized a larger keyboard and cut off some of the space below the touchpad as a result.

The display



Not a whole lot to say about the display. It has a very fine size and colour reproduction. It does cause a bit of glare which you get used to fairly quickly, but it can be annoying in for example sharp lights. Just above the display we have the webcam, again accompanied by a nice little sticker. I guess it’s just a bit of advertising for a product you already bought.



The display is capable of running a resolution of up to 1024 x 600px, making it nice and easy to surf the web and view most websites. No complaints in this area.

Sound and speakers

The sound is acceptable but not much more than that. Never expect fantastic audio from a netbook. Investing in some good headphones or speakers is always recommended for a netbook, and really computers in general. It is capable of running Skype and other programs that don’t require much, but it will never be your first choice to play music on.

It does have fairly good audio compared to other netbooks, but that doesn’t say as much about the Pro as it does about the overall quality of audio on netbooks in general.

Noise, heat, and power consumption

It is very silent and noise is not a problem. This is also something Acer supposedly prioritized in this Pro version. Whether it’s true I do not know, but if so it worked out very well. You also have the option of 64GB SSD storage rather than a hard drive which, in theory, should lower the noise level even more. However, I’d like to stress that it’s already very silent to begin with.

A 6-celled battery is never a bad choice when it comes to power consumption, and it has a theoretical battery life of up to 7.5 hours according to Acer’s website. That should be plenty, and certainly enough for most flights across Europe.

The netbook never gets too hot to sit with, so you can easily keep it in your lap over an entire trip without getting annoyed by the heat. However, computers will always be better off on smooth surfaces in order to release heat, at least if their fan is at the bottom.


Benchmark
We won’t be running any benchmarks on this model as we have already tested – for example – the D150 which is much alike this model, and you cannot but assume the benchmark results will be very similar. Besides, the model we have is fairly standard in terms of hardware.


Conclusion
A very impressive design is definitely one of the major incentives to pick this model. It has an exquisite ’feel’ and there is no doubting the quality of the materials. It’s rather light, weighing just above 1 kg incl. a 6-celled battery, which is pretty good.

There is little doubt Acer really cared for the details and the materials used. This is without a doubt the greatest netbook I’ve gotten my hands on to date, at least when you look at design and materials.

This machine closely resembles the Acer Aspire One D150 we already reviewed on our site, and the prices are almost identical. I’d say this Pro edition has an advantage in terms of design and materials, however it does have an older processor, perhaps to reduce costs; the Pro has an N270 Atom processor at 1.6GHz while the D150 has an N280 1.66GHz processor. Whether or not that makes a noticeable difference is a topic subject to much debate, but nevertheless a marginal difference is present.

I wish they would soon upgrade their hard drives from 5400 RPM to 7200 RPM; while it would result in a higher price, the performance improvement would be much appreciated.

In any case, I’m very much impressed by Acer’s design and style when they’ve come up with a model like this. Personally I would spend the extra £100 or so and get the Pro edition with 1GB extra RAM and a larger hard drive. Then you’d really have a luxurious netbook.

Acer has certainly given us the silent, stylish netbook with low weight and exquisite design as promised. Well done once again, Acer.

Pros
- Design
- Weight
- Noise (or lack thereof)
- Keyboard size
- Quality of materials

Cons
- Susceptibility to fingerprints
- Size of touchpad
- Hard drive RPM

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