Review: Acer Aspire One D150

Acer's updated Aspire One adds a 10.1in screen and can be fitted with up to 2GB memory

The latest version of Acer's Aspire One mini laptop brings a larger 10.1in screen and the option to fit 2GB memory - double that typical with other so-called "netbook" systems. Combined with good build quality, these attributes mark out the new Aspire as one of the better models of this type now on the market.

Announced in January and available now, The Aspire One D150 series is similar in size and specification to many other mini laptops, so it is minor details such as a decent keyboard and screen that can make a model stand out from the crowd, and the Acer scores well on these.

We found the Aspire a pleasure to use, although our review sample came pre-loaded with numerous tools and applications that ate up system resources and therefore might be best left out from a system such as this.

Some models of the Aspire are set to use Intel's new N280 version of the Atom processor, which boasts a slightly higher 1.68GHz clock speed and supports faster memory. However, our review unit was based on the 1.6GHz N270 version found in existing netbooks, with 1GB of memory and a 160GB SATA hard drive.

For this reason, we did not benchmark the compute performance of the Aspire One D150, as its near-identical specification to other models such as Lenovo's IdeaPad S10e means its performance is also very similar.

One aspect we did test was battery life, and the Aspire One achieved an impressive five hours and 13 minutes, as measured with the Battery Eater Pro benchmark. However, our review unit was fitted with a larger than standard 5800mAh battery pack, which costs an additional £79.99 and bulges out somewhat from the rear of the system.

The standard battery pack sold with the Aspire is a 4400mAh type, which by extrapolation should provide about three hours and 45 minutes. Tests were conducted with power management disabled, and with all wireless interfaces inactive.

Our review model came in an off-white colour scheme on the outside, but all black when opened up. It is a fairly standard size for a mini laptop, at about 26cm wide by 18cm deep and 3.5cm thick, and weighs 1.3kg with the extended battery fitted.

The chief difference between this model and earlier Aspires is the 10.1in screen, which we found to be nice and bright and gave an easy to read display at its native resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. This provides more usable screen room for applications than the first generation netbooks, but may still be a little small when compared with standard laptops.

Review: Acer Aspire One D150

Acer's updated Aspire One adds a 10.1in screen and can be fitted with up to 2GB memory

Acer's keyboard is also good, but the travel of the keys is a little short. Most of the keys are well sized, save for the function and cursor (arrow) keys. We were able to type at a reasonable speed with the Aspire One balanced on our lap. In this position, it is also just possible to push the lid back far enough to get a decent view of the screen as well.

Below the keyboard, the Aspire has a small touchpad with a single bar instead of two separate mouse buttons. Pressing the respective ends of this gives a left or right mouse click. The system also comes with a Synaptics driver that supports scrolling in applications by swiping a finger along the edge of the touchpad.

The Aspire One has a fairly standard collection of ports, including two USB ports on the right side of the case, while the left side has a third, plus an Ethernet port, VGA output connector, audio jack sockets, and a slot for Flash memory cards, compatible with SD Card, Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro, plus xD cards. There is also a slot for attaching a Kensington security lock.

In addition, the Aspire One can connect wirelessly using 802.11b/g Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Some models can also be fitted with an optional internal 3G broadband modem for connectivity virtually anywhere, but our review unit did not have this. A button near the screen hinge turns Bluetooth on and off, while a slide switch at the front of the case does the same for Wi-Fi.

On the underside of the case, the Aspire One has three covers held in place by screws. These allow access to the hard drive, SO-DIMM memory module, and wireless adapter. These should allow the system to be upgraded relatively easily.

While earlier Aspire models came with a choice of operating system, the new Aspire One series ships only with Windows XP Home edition. Other software includes a trial version of Microsoft Office 2007, Microsoft's Works suite aimed at home users, and McAfee Security Center.

Other pre-loaded software includes eSobi, a tool for internet news feeds, Google Desktop and Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer. There are also various utilities, the most potentially useful of which is Acer's eRecovery Management, which restores the system to the original state it was delivered in from an image in a hidden partition on the hard drive.

While some of the other tools are useful, many are just clutter and take up valuable system resources. Google Desktop is set to load at startup, for example, even if you don’t want or need it.