I've been reading about these new ultra-portable and ultra-cheap computers. They are usually configured with something like a 9 in screen, windows xp and an intel atom chip. What is this machine's capability? These machines are touted for websurfing, email etc. Could I install microsoft office on it? I can live with a small keyboard and screen when traveling - and would really like their 3lb weight, but don't want to stuck with something that doesn't do anything beyond email
Hi LenC, I just got my Acer Aspire One in the mail from Newegg ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115519 ) These machines are mostly for email/web/word/etc. I have loaded Microsoft office 2007 and had no problems. I have also heard of people loading Photoshop and other programs on these although i have not tried installing my master edition CS3 yet. What i can tell you is they are great for traveling and super light. They boot up very fast if your booting from SSD or Flash and Intel Atom is a great chip. Mine was a little heavier then it said in the specs. Specs had it at 2.19 lbs. , my scale put it at 2.4 not like it’s a big deal since 2.4 lbs is very light . Just don't plan on running any newer games or resource intense programs on it. I would recommend getting one that comes with a 6 cell battery. If your running Windows XP and a regular hard drive the 3 cell just doesn’t have that good of battery life for traveling and using on the go. Hope this helps
Berttt - Thank you for the feedback. At that price, it sounds like an excellent machine when traveling. Good luck with yours! Len
Berttt - Reading the newegg ad, it appears it does not include an internal or add-on cd or dvd reader. Is that correct? If yes, I assume I could purchase a separate detachable drive - use it at home and have the option of taking it with me on the road. Is that correct?
None of the current low cost netbooks have optical drives. Only the expensive ultra portables have them. The easiest thing to do is get a self powered, portable optical drive. They're very small and run off the laptops power which makes them easy to use while on the road.
