Acer Computer AOA110-1722 Aspire One 8.9-Inch Notebook PC

by Acer

Product Details

• Item Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 pounds
• ASIN: B001DABBV8
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,238 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 16, 2008

Product Description

Weighing in at just over 2 pounds, the Aspire one mobile Internet device is the ideal traveling companion that lets you take the Internet on the road without the heavy load. Good things come in small packages, just like the Acer Aspire one mobile Internet device providing ultra-portable performance to enjoy full Internet browsing, communicate with friends and family and enjoy a variety of entertainment in a small portable design that keeps you connected on-the-go. The Intel Atom Processor combines performance, power and efficiency to explore the Internet and stay connected while on the go. Enjoy reliable on-line access with 802.11b/g Wireless to explore the Internet and view photos or video clips and listen to music in a comfortable browsing environment on the Acer CrystalBrite display. Linpus Linux Lite lets you surf the Internet, edit documents and photos, read email, and enjoy the webcam to chat online with or take still photos smoothly and reliably right out-of-the-box at a great price. Whether you are a first time user or just want a second computing device to easily check e-mail and surf the Internet, the Aspire one was designed for simplicity with a intuitive desktop design, widescreen display and easy-typing keyboard. 8.9 diagonal WSVGA (1024 x 600) CrystalBrite TFT LCD Display Integrated 0.3 Crystal Eye Webcam Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 Built-in Stereo Speakers Acer InviLink 802.11b/g Wireless 10/100 Ethernet LAN Multi-in-1 Card Reader SD, MMC, RS-MMC, MS, MS Pro, xD 3 x USB 2.0, Headphone/Speaker/Line-Out, Microphone-in, VGA, RJ-45 (LAN) Approximate Unit Dimensions - 9.8 (W) x 6.7 (D) x 1.14 (H) Approximate Unit Weight - 2.19 Pounds

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Netbook, wireless didn't work on Linux, works on WinXP, August 20, 2008

By 

AS (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Acer Computer AOA110-1722 Aspire One 8.9-Inch Notebook PC (Personal Computers)

UPDATE 08/29/2008: Received my new Acer Aspire One today. Wow, one day shipping from J&R rocks! The blue AAO with Win XP looks just like the Linux version: there is the SD "Storage Expansion" slot on the left side and a multi-format card reader on the right, 3 USB ports, etc. It boots up pretty fast and runs the so familiar WIN XP OS. I liked the Linux graphics, but to be honest, as a Windows user, I felt lost. So far, I haven't had any problems with the wireless (knock on wood) that I have experienced when I used the Linux version. Yes, you can hear the fan, as some of the reviewers have mentioned, BUT, it is not nearly as annoying as they claim. I can live with that. The Hard Drive is listed as 120GB, however, it shows up as 105 GB. The windows XP version comes with a 60-day trial of MS Office 2007 and McAfee Security Suite. Curiously, it also comes with InterVideo WinDVD, although, as you are aware, there is no DVD drive. Other programs included are: MS Works, Adober Reader 8, IE, MSN, Windows Media Player, Windows Messenger, Windows Movie Maker, Acer eRecovery Manager. I installed Firefox without a glitch. So far, I am very pleased with the laptop. It's not a $2,000 Sony or Mac, but it's a great value. It does what it is supposed to do. I am glad I returned the Linux and ordered the Windows. It works better for my needs.

UPDATE 8/28/2008: So, Amazon dropped the price on Acer Aspire One with Linux OS. However, the Win XP version continues to be overpriced compared to other online retailers. I've decided to order the blue Win XP machine directly from J&R for $369.99 and will get an additional 15% off via Live Search Cashback (total price after cashback excluding shipping: $314.41). I decided to go back to the familiar XP configuration simply because I believe that learning Linux will involve too much effort to justify the cost. In addition, the Linux version of Acer Aspire One appears to have more wireless bugs than Windows. We'll see how the Win XP netbook performs.

UPDATE 8/25/2008. So far I haven't seen any price reductions by online retailers. I think they are waiting to purge their inventory. Best Buy, however, does have the blue Acer Aspire One with 1gb Ram, 120 gb HD and Win XP Home for $349.99. So far they are the first ones to jump on the Acer price drop bandwagon.

UPDATE 8/20/08. Acer just (4 hrs ago) made the announcement on Market Watch that it will slash the prices for Acer Aspire One to $349 for Win XP and $329 for Linux. I miss my Acer One and will order one again as soon as retailers update their prices. I thought it was a great deal for $379 but for $50 less it's an absolute bargain. I do hope that I won't have anymore wireless problems with this one.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: I had purchased this laptop from J&R in blue with Linux and it was in my hands the very next day. I really liked Acer Aspire One from the moment I pulled it out of the box. It's very compact, light, elegant, boots in no time (20 sec). I am a first-time Linux user and was actually pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to use. I followed the instructions from one of the Amazon reviews here to unlock the full OS and was able to add Skype (Fedora version) without a problem. OpenOffice is very straightforward and easy to use, email setup was a breeze. I plugged it into my cable modem and loved the very fast web page loading times. All in all, it's a great little laptop alternative, the screen is easy to read, the keyboard size is adequate for error-free typing, the trackpad took some getting used to but it was fine within a couple of hours.

Now to the negatives:
-the surface is very prone to fingerprint smudges
-the screen is very glossy and reflective, but the brightness compensated for the fact that I could always see my reflection on the screen
-the left and right mouse buttons are oddly positioned on either side of the keyboard, so that takes some getting used to
-now last but not least - wireless connectivity problems. I've had the Acer Aspire One for over a week and have tried every single approach out there to get the wireless connection on it. the wireless networks would show up on the connection manager, but when I would attempt to connect to a particular network I would get an error message saying connection was terminated. One of the networks I tried to connect to was my own home wireless network which successfully worked for all of my other laptops. I tried the WEP protocol - no success, I changed the router settings to WPA - tried to connect - no success, I changed it to the open network - no success although I am sure my neighbors appreciated the open net access they could steal from me in the interim. I've searched the web for a solution and found out that this wireless problem seems to be an issue for a number of Acer Aspire One users out there. Some were able to fix it by running Live Update on a wired connection (I did it, but it didn't fix the problem), some played with sleep modes, reboots, etc. None of that worked for me. I tried to look up this issue on the Acer website, but their customer support is not very user friendly. So, I gave up, called customer service for an RMA# and am returning the Acer Aspire One today. I wish it had worked as I liked it so much, but it's no use to me without wireless connections and I believe that if I purchase a brand new item, it has to be fully operational straight out of the box. So, goodbye my dear sapphire blue Acer Aspire One, you will be missed, I hope your maker solves the wireless problem and I will buy you again when that happens. I would recommend this product without reservation if only the wireless problem is resolved.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super portable computing, August 28, 2008

By 

J. Devine (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Acer Computer AOA110-1722 Aspire One 8.9-Inch Notebook PC (Personal Computers)

I bought this netbook to keep in my backpack at all times for email and web opportunities while I'm out and about. Other netbooks seem to suffer a bit from spec bloat- bigger drives, more memory, higher prices.
Pros-
1. Small and light. Really light. I also have the eee pc 1000h. The difference is dramatic.
2. Given it's size, keyboard is ok.
3. On a purely personal note, the blue color is great.
4. Cheap, cheap, cheap. I picked mine up for $309. Other comparable netbooks seem to be up over $400.
5. I really like the Linux operating system. Its more like a PDA's. Lots of apps are included. Upgrading to latest versions looks easy.
6. Quiet
7. Very fast boot
8. Second SD slot that adds to drive size is a cool idea. Now if 16 or 32gb SD card prices would just come down, things would be great. I have lots of media files on SD's for other devices, I can plug them in and still have one free.
9. After seeing the 7" screens, I think the 8.9" is as small as you can go and still have it useful
10. Total travel package is really light. Small, light power brick and cord.
Negs-
1. Battery life is good, but would be amazing with a 6-cell
2. Shiny- get used to lots of fingerprints. Would have been much better matte.
3. Included sleeve will protect from scratches, but not much else. No padding, no zipper- just basically a plastic pocket. I'm looking for an aftermarket sleeve.

Because of it's specs its more of a net appliance than notebook. But if you're looking for a cheap way to use hotspots and apps that don't require lots of resources, this is great.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Netbook, But minor issues, September 24, 2008

By 

Candelario Trevino "ctrack" (Duncanville, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Acer Computer AOA110-1722 Aspire One 8.9-Inch Notebook PC (Personal Computers)

I bought the Blue Acer Aspire One (XP version with 120 gigabyte HD) just as soon as one was available. Did not buy it from Amazon because the price was higher than a local retailer (Micro Center). Micro Center has dropped the price to the Acer suggested retail price of $349 (XP). I did see the Linux Version at Circuit City for $307. So far no real complaints except that the touch pad is difficult to work with and it is not very precise. Actually the buttons are awkward to use and it often "double-clicks" seemingly on it's own. I use a mouse now. So far I have not needed a DVD player since I usually rip my DVDs "for my own use" and load them via the USB port on a Jump Drive or use my card reader. I purchased a home version of MS Office and simply entered the code. No need for the DVD just the code and it worked seamlessly. As noted the exterior is very prone to smudges and I find myself cleaning the unit regularly. I did note that the fan noise is a little loud when used in a quiet room but at coffee shops and other WIFI hotspots it is not noticeable. Again no real gripes and for the price it does what I was hoping for, a small websurfer with the capability of performing more complex tasks if needed. I purchased it for the price of a good PDA and it surfs the web better than my iPod Touch. Its a winner in my book...