Acer Aspire AO521-3782 10.1-Inch Netbook (Antique Brass)

by Acer

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 10.2 x 1.1 inches ; 2.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B003N3CEJ6
• Item model number: AO521-3782
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,713 in Computers & Accessories (See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 19, 2010

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Aspire One AO521: Ultra Mobile Power and Productivity

Optimized for improved energy efficiency and designed to deliver balanced performance needed to enjoy multiple applications and features, the Aspire One 521 features a powerful AMD Athlon II Neo processor, a big keyboard for fast-paced, accurate data input, and up to 5.5 hours of battery life. Browse the Web, check e-mail, share photos, keep up with social networks, listen to music, and enjoy a wide variety of entertainment on the 10.1-inch LED-backlit display.

The powerful Acer Aspire One 521 netbook with AMD Athlon II Neo processor and 10.1-inch LED backlit display.

 

Type comfortably with the 93 percent of standard-size keyboard.

 

With the AMD Athlon II Neo processor and ATI Radeon HD 4225 Graphics (with 384 MB of dedicated system memory), you'll be able to easily multitask--even with visually-intense, high-def applications--while freely exploring the Internet, sending and receiving e-mails, watching videos and playing games. The Aspire One 521 also features HDMI connectivity for enjoying high-definition entertainment on large peripheral displays.

A great choice for students as well as business travelers who like to travel light, Acer makes it easy to stay productive while on the go with the larger keyboard (93 percent standard size). You'll be able to easily video chat wherever you roam thanks to the Crystal Eye webcam integrated into the LCD's bezel, delivering smooth video streaming and high quality images even in low-light situations. The wide multi-gesture touchpad with anti-slip microbead texture provides precise control and mouseless, fingertip convenience, as well as support for multi-gesture controls such as pinch, flick, and swirl for an intuitive navigation to view web pages, photos, spreadsheets and more.

Weighing less than 3 pounds and measuring about 1 inch thin, this Aspire One 521 (model AO521-3782) comes in a striking Antique Brass color. In addition, the battery fits flush in the chassis and charging on the go is even more convenient now with the slim two-pin 40W Acer MiniGo AC adapter, which weighs 34-percent lighter than typical adapters.

This Aspire One comes pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Starter operating system.

Key Features

• 10.1-inch LED-backlit screen (1024 x 600 resolution, 200-nit brightness) presents crisp, clear imagery for a great web browsing experience for on-line chats, e-mail, surfing the Web.
• 1.7 GHz AMD Athlon II Neo single-core processor K125 (2 MB L2 cache) provides a full-featured PC experience, exceptional HD entertainment, and long battery life rating so you can do more on the go.
• ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics card provides exceptional features, performance and power-efficiencies that enrich what you see and do (384 MB dedicated graphics memory).
• 250 GB SATA hard drive (5400 RPM)
• 1 GB of installed DDR3 RAM
• Up to 5.5 hours of battery life with included 6-cell battery (4400 mAh).
• 1.3-megapixel Crystal Eye webcam integrated into the display bezel for easy video chats and conferencing (up to 1280 x 1024 resolution).
• Multi-Gesture Touchpad allows you to pinch, flick and swirl your fingers across the touchpad for more natural photo and video viewing as well as intuitive navigation of websites such as Google Earth. It also enables you to scroll, zoom in and out and flip through Web pages, photos, spreadsheets and more. (Learn more)
• 84-key Acer FineTip keyboard, 93 percent of standard-size keyboard, international language support
• Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking capability provides up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range using 802.11n-compatible routers as you would with 802.11g networks. It's also backward compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found at Wi-Fi hotspots and in older home routers).
• Next-generation Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity provides faster throughput while minimizing on power requirements. It's compatible with new Bluetooth 3.0-enabled devices as well as backward compatible with older Bluetooth-enabled peripherals such as printers and cell phones.
• Fast Ethernet (10/100)
• Three USB 2.0 ports
• Multi-in-1 memory card reader compatible with MultiMediaCard, Secure Digital, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, and xD-Picture Card (optional adapter supports optional Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo, miniSD, microSD, and Reduced-Size MultiMediaCard)
• HDMI port for connecting to a compatible HDTV or home theater receiver for uncompressed digital audio and video via a single cable. Also includes a single VGA output.
• Microsoft Windows 7 Starter operating system (Learn more)
• Kensington lock slot
• Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches (WxDxH)
• Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Warranty: One-year parts and labor limited warranty with concurrent International Traveler's Warranty
• Energy Star qualified

What's in the box

This package contains the Acer Aspire One AO521-3782 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions

It also comes with the following software: McAfee Internet Security Suite 2009 (trial version with 60 days of live update); Microsoft Works with Office Home and Student 2007 Trial (60 days); Google Toolbar; Norton Online Backup; MyWinLocker; Acer ePower Management, eRecovery Management and Launch Manager

Learn More

The Acer Multi-Gesture Touchpad

The wide Multi-Gesture Touchpad with anti-slip microbead texture gives you precise control and mouse-less, fingertip convenience when navigating through web pages, photos, spreadsheets and more. Pinch, flick and swirl your fingers across the touchpad for more natural photo and video viewing as well as intuitive navigation of websites.

The TouchPad can also be disabled with a one-touch button, eliminating accidental cursor movement with palms and wrists when using an external mouse.

Microsoft Windows 7 Starter

Microsoft Windows 7 Starter makes small notebook PCs easier to use because it puts less between you and what you want to do--less waiting, less clicking, less hassle connecting to networks. Windows 7 Starter combines the latest in reliability and responsiveness with the familiarity and compatibility of Windows. Some features include:

• Features like Jump Lists, Pin, Snap, and Windows Search all make using a small notebook PC simple and easy
• Joining home networks with other PCs running Windows 7 is easy and simple
• Connecting to printers and devices is easier than ever
• Supports the latest hardware and software
• Internet Explorer 8 improves the safety of web browsing

Product Description

Acer Aspire AO521-3782 Netbook comes with these specs: AMD Athlon II Neo Processor K125, Windows 7 Starter, 10.1-inch WSVGA LED-backlit Display, AMD 880G Chipset, 1024 MB DDR3 Memory, ATI Radeon HD 4225 Graphics, 250 GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive, Built-In Webcam (1280 x 1024), Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader, High-Definition Audio Support, 802.11b/g/n WiFi CERTIFIED, Bluetooth 3.0+HS, Ethernet, 3 - USB 2.0 Ports, HDMI, Multi-gesture Touchpad, 6-cell Li-ion Battery (4400 mAh), up to 5.5 Hours of Battery Life, 2.76 lbs. | 1.25 kg (system unit only), AC Power Adapter, AC Power Cord, Wireless Setup Card, Registration/ Limited Warranty Card, McAfee Internet Security Suite Trial (60-day trial).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific small computer, November 2, 2010

By 

GD from ND (ISN, ND United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Acer Aspire AO521-3782 10.1-Inch Netbook (Antique Brass) (Personal Computers)

My wife bought one of these little Acer 521s and during the process of setting it up for her and installing the software she wanted I kind of fell in love with it. So I bought one for myself. The more I use it the more I like it. The display is positively brilliant and the touch pad is pure genius, giving you a lot of the advantages of a touch screen without the forever messy looks of a touch screen.

The processor seems speedy enough, I see no difference in performance between the Acer and our other laptops. The hard drive is enormous, for a net book, and considering my own needs have never filled much more than 60 Gig so it's kind of over kill but nice to have.

It is easily totable and it has very good battery life.

Do invest in a dvd/cd burner for whatever netbook you buy. After experimenting with a linux operating system the the boot sector of my hard drive was over-written rendering the computer useless. The restore disks got my Acer up and running again. Just a word to the wise.

I like this Acer and highly recommended it.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's a fast machine, but there are glitches with Ubuntu, October 28, 2010

By 

iankur - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Acer Aspire AO521-3782 10.1-Inch Netbook (Antique Brass) (Personal Computers)

It is a good netbook, great value for money for the hardware. However, there are a few issues that Acer might want to look into.

The battery is said to last for 5.5 hours, but I got about 4. Not bad for a processor of it's calibre.

Windows 7 Starter came with it was fastooned with bloatware- all of them trial software that I didn't want. It took me straight two hours to get rid of all of them. I don't understand, also, why it is the 32 bit version whereas the chip is 64 bit. Overall, it's got bad software.

But I didn't want Windows in the first place. I bought this to run Ubuntu on it.

All my previous attempts to install Ubuntu on Aspire One series netbooks went flawlessly, and everything worked like a charm.

In this one, though, I faced a lot of difficulties. At first when I boot from a live USB stick, the keyboard stops responding. I found a bios update from Acer's support site, and that solved that issue (I don't get why they don't fix it before shipping it.) There still are ton of issues with the suspend mode, battery status, audio jack. Everything else works. Internal sound, wifi and all that.

Acer should fix the compatibility issues and have preinstalled Ubuntu as an OS option. I don't like be forced to pay for an Windows license.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Capable but Complicated, December 29, 2010

By 

Roberto Castillo "mobile slacker" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Acer Aspire AO521-3782 10.1-Inch Netbook (Antique Brass) (Personal Computers)

The AMD Neo II processor in this machine is more powerful and efficient than the typical Atom processor that comes in most netbooks so in theory it should be a great performer. In practice, it takes a memory upgrade and a thorough cleaning of the crapware Acer loads on it to really unleash it.

Out of the box, Windows 7 Starter with only 1GB of RAM is fairly sluggish when multi-tasking or even when it is only running a browser with multiple tabs like Chrome. I upgraded the RAM to 2GB and uninstalled a lot unnecessary software which ships with the netbook. (Acer seems to be a bit worse with the crapware than Asus, the other big netbook maker.) I then used Ninite (http://ninite.com/) to quickly install my favorite apps. Finally I used the Anytime Upgrade to upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium. With this done, this netbook really flies and performs very well.

Speaking of Windows, Windows 7 Starter is crippleware, pure and simple. In addition to not being able to change the default wallpaper, this netbook could not join the Windows 7 Homegroup which I had set up between the computers in my house. While Microsoft's Anytime Upgrade worked flawlessly and really boosted this netbook's performance. But ultimately, I wonder why I even had upgrade when Win7 Starter is so mediocre that its mere existence feels pointless in comparison to the much better Home and Professional versions of Windows 7.

While I bought this machine for about [...] on Black Friday, I found myself spending an additional [...] on a 2GB RAM upgrade and on the Windows Anytime Upgrade. That brings its price beyond Dual Core Atom territory and into iPad territory. Now this comparison is perhaps unfair as this netbook's Neo II processor competes favorably with even a dual core Atom and its ATI graphics blow away the Intel GMA graphics that are typically found on Atom-based netbooks. And in comparison to the iPad, this netbook is a real computer with an excellent keyboard, USB, VGA, and even an HDMI port. But my point is that there has been a strong trend of tech pundits insisting that Netbooks are dead as a category and when I look at the work I had to get this otherwise nice machine to perform as well as it should have performed out of the box, I am beginning to see their point. Microsoft and its hardware parters need to wake up and stop trying to shovel crapware and crippleware down our throats.