Acer recently graced our test beds with their latest 10.1” netbook, the Acer Aspire One D250. With a $299 suggested retail price, this mini-computer is one of the least expensive available yet still provides a great computing experience. For more side-by-side comparisons and objective reviews, visit our netbook page.
Design:
Acer’s D250 is a sleek and slender machine. With something this attractive at this price point you needn’t look much further. From a physical design perspective, it’s simple, elegant, and includes the bare minimum – 3 USB 2.0 ports, headphone & microphone jacks, SVGA out, Ethernet, wireless on/off switch and even a Multi-card reader and security lock.
The 10.1” display is adequate for most general-purpose applications. There were some issues with running a few modern applications that require 1024x768 resolutions and the tops and bottoms of the applications being cut off from view, but this can be corrected with some third-party display tools. Brightness was scalable to various degrees making it useful in the brightest of sunlight and soft for viewing in dark spaces.
The D250’s keyboard measures 89% of a full-size keyboard. As such, the keys were slightly smaller and accommodate a petite hand versus my basketball hands. Regardless, with minor adjustment and attention I was able to quickly adjust to the smaller size. The touch and feel of the keys leave a little to be desired but they remain relatively quiet and suffice for such an inexpensive machine. One of our testers found several of the keys stuck, which may or may not turn out to be a widespread problem.
Only a minor drawback, but the Aspire One’s touchpad could have been enlarged. It measures a mere 2” wide by 1.5” deep and has a single rocker-style button below it. We found ourselves repeatedly dragging our fingers across multiple times to get my mouse to the other side of the screen. This can be adjusted in the Windows settings but you eventually risk accuracy. Despite its small size, the touchpad does accept gesture commands. Unfortunately, the physical space is so small that we found the gestures difficult to execute on the limited real estate and ended up disabling the feature altogether.
The D250’s connectivity features mirror the usual netbook offerings – 3 USB 2.0 ports, SVGA, microphone, headphone, Ethernet and AC adapter, and also include a memory card reader that supports MMC, MS, MSpro and SD expandable memory cards. Acer was kind enough to supply a dummy plastic stick to protect the slot while not in use, keeping unwanted dust out but the dummy stick provided protrudes slightly from the chassis. The Aspire One also supports a security lock and wireless on/off switch.
User Interface Features:
As with all our mini-laptop reviews, the internal components are so similar that there is little difference between models and manufacturers. The unit we received was equipped with an Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz single-core processor, 1GB of memory, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 (GMA 950) and 5400RPM 160GB hard disk drive. It has been determined that these components are capable of performing most basic work tasks such as browsing the web, sending and receiving email, listening to your iTunes playlist, watching standard definition video either streamed or played from the HDD, word processing, manipulating spreadsheets, preparing presentations - although the latter two may prove difficult on the restricted 10.1” screen size and resolution.
Memory/Battery Life:
The 3-cell battery fits snugly behind the keyboard and matches the chassis shape precisely. On a full charge, we reported only 2 hours 18 minutes use which is respectable given the 2200mWh battery. Unless you’re always near an outlet we’d suggest spending an extra $50 for the 6-cell battery that touts a 6 hour battery life – or likely 4 hours 30 minutes by our estimations.
Summary:
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, these mini-computers are so similar that it really comes down to aesthetics and price. This is where the Acer Aspire One D250 excels. It’s stylish enough to get by, offers the performance of any other netbook and comes in at a very low $299 price with a 3-cell battery.
Design:
Acer’s D250 is a sleek and slender machine. With something this attractive at this price point you needn’t look much further. From a physical design perspective, it’s simple, elegant, and includes the bare minimum – 3 USB 2.0 ports, headphone & microphone jacks, SVGA out, Ethernet, wireless on/off switch and even a Multi-card reader and security lock.
The 10.1” display is adequate for most general-purpose applications. There were some issues with running a few modern applications that require 1024x768 resolutions and the tops and bottoms of the applications being cut off from view, but this can be corrected with some third-party display tools. Brightness was scalable to various degrees making it useful in the brightest of sunlight and soft for viewing in dark spaces.
The D250’s keyboard measures 89% of a full-size keyboard. As such, the keys were slightly smaller and accommodate a petite hand versus my basketball hands. Regardless, with minor adjustment and attention I was able to quickly adjust to the smaller size. The touch and feel of the keys leave a little to be desired but they remain relatively quiet and suffice for such an inexpensive machine. One of our testers found several of the keys stuck, which may or may not turn out to be a widespread problem.
Only a minor drawback, but the Aspire One’s touchpad could have been enlarged. It measures a mere 2” wide by 1.5” deep and has a single rocker-style button below it. We found ourselves repeatedly dragging our fingers across multiple times to get my mouse to the other side of the screen. This can be adjusted in the Windows settings but you eventually risk accuracy. Despite its small size, the touchpad does accept gesture commands. Unfortunately, the physical space is so small that we found the gestures difficult to execute on the limited real estate and ended up disabling the feature altogether.
The D250’s connectivity features mirror the usual netbook offerings – 3 USB 2.0 ports, SVGA, microphone, headphone, Ethernet and AC adapter, and also include a memory card reader that supports MMC, MS, MSpro and SD expandable memory cards. Acer was kind enough to supply a dummy plastic stick to protect the slot while not in use, keeping unwanted dust out but the dummy stick provided protrudes slightly from the chassis. The Aspire One also supports a security lock and wireless on/off switch.
User Interface Features:
As with all our mini-laptop reviews, the internal components are so similar that there is little difference between models and manufacturers. The unit we received was equipped with an Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz single-core processor, 1GB of memory, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 (GMA 950) and 5400RPM 160GB hard disk drive. It has been determined that these components are capable of performing most basic work tasks such as browsing the web, sending and receiving email, listening to your iTunes playlist, watching standard definition video either streamed or played from the HDD, word processing, manipulating spreadsheets, preparing presentations - although the latter two may prove difficult on the restricted 10.1” screen size and resolution.
Memory/Battery Life:
The 3-cell battery fits snugly behind the keyboard and matches the chassis shape precisely. On a full charge, we reported only 2 hours 18 minutes use which is respectable given the 2200mWh battery. Unless you’re always near an outlet we’d suggest spending an extra $50 for the 6-cell battery that touts a 6 hour battery life – or likely 4 hours 30 minutes by our estimations.
Summary:
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, these mini-computers are so similar that it really comes down to aesthetics and price. This is where the Acer Aspire One D250 excels. It’s stylish enough to get by, offers the performance of any other netbook and comes in at a very low $299 price with a 3-cell battery.
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