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Photos: Acer Aspire One is quite literally 'the one'

We've been hanging with our chums at Acer, getting a proper hands-on and taking pictures -- lots of pictures -- of the brand new Aspire One

Rory Reid
4 min read

Earlier we brought you details on the Aspire One -- Acer's rival to the Eee PC 900. While you've been reading that, we've been hanging with our chums at Acer, getting a proper hands-on, and taking pictures. Lots of pictures.

Feel free to click through to the images now, but you might want to stick around for some details. Specs-wise, Acer's supplying both Linux and Windows XP versions of the One. Both models will use an 8.9-inch 1,024x600-pixel screen, the same 1.6GHz N270 Intel Atom CPU that you'll find in the MSI Wind, and a 0.3-megapixel webcam.

The Linux model will get 512MB of RAM and an 8GB solid-state hard drive, while the Windows XP model will get 1GB of RAM and an 80GB mechanical hard drive. The Linux flavour will set you back a ridiculously inexpensive £199, while the Windows model is set to cost £299. Mechanical hard drives are an option in the Linux variant, but pricing on this is still unconfirmed.

The One will come with Wi-Fi as standard, but UK consumers will also benefit from optional integrated HSDPA -- which means you'll be able to get online anywhere you damn well please. Those lucky Americans will get a WiMax option.

As for build quality and design, Acer seems to have got most of it right. The keyboard is fantastic to use, as is its non-glossy screen. The only slight problems are that the mouse selector buttons are in the wrong place, you only get a year's warranty, and the standard battery is just 2200mAh instead of the 4400mAh unit you get as standard on UK Eee 900. Despite this, Acer reckons the One will deliver about 3 hours of battery life -- although we'll reserve judgement until we test it ourselves.

All in all, the Acer Aspire One is, quite literally, the One. On the surface of things it's better than an Eee 900, and might even have the upper hand on the the MSI Wind. Watch for a full preview and review shortly, but in the meantime click Next Photo for more pics and deets. -Rory Reid

Update: Read our full Acer Aspire One review

There's no denying the Aspire One is a sexy machine. Forget all the technological advancements, high portability and low cost -- we love this machine simply because of the way it looks. Blue and black versions will also be available.

It's also pretty dashing from the front, although we're not particularly keen on the gap between the screen and the keyboard section. In this regard, the more solid-looking Eee PC has the upper hand.

Here it is from the left side -- again looking all sexy. Those drinks in the background are vodka and oranges -- and notice we've hardly touched them. This Aspire One thingy must be something special.

The left side of the machine has a D-Sub video output port, Ethernet, a single USB and an SD card reader.

The right side has mic and headphone ports, plud two additional USB ports, and another card reader. More on the latter shortly.

Here's a close-up of that card reader. This one supports all sorts of media including memory stick, SD, and XD cards. That's more support than you get from most of its peers. Cheers, Acer.

The one letdown we've seen so far is this mouse trackpad. It's not completely awful. But the buttons are sat on either side of the trackpad instead of directly below it, which can take a lot of getting used to. Also note how skinny they are. Meh.

The Aspire One logo, and the power button at the top left of the keyboard. There's not an awful lot to say about this, but it looks pretty sexy so we thought you'd want to have a look. FYI, that red thing on the right does nothing. It's a mere decoration.

The status buttons are clearly labelled. There's a battery indicator, hard drive access LED, plus num lock and caps lock lights. Also note the tilde button sits to the left of the 1 key. On the Eee PC 900 it's on its own button above the number 2.

Well done, Acer! The Ctrl button is to the left of the Fn button, just the way it's supposed to be. You'd be surprised just how many times manufacturers get this wrong. Also note the 'home' key, indicating this is the Linux version of the machine and not the Windows model.

Here's the underside of the machine. It's riddled with holes, but it's not particularly unattractive. Get rid of that sticker and Bob's your mother's very attractive brother.

Here's the GUI. It's Acer's own, but it's based on Linux. Note how it's all separated into categories: Connect (for Internet and instant messaging type apps) Work (for office productivity), Fun (for games and media management) and Files (for managing, er, files).