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Acer's Netbook line adds dual-boot Android version

Acer's Aspire One line of Netbooks is adding a dual-boot version that will include both Windows XP and Google's Android operating system.

Dan Ackerman Editorial Director / Computers and Gaming
Dan Ackerman leads CNET's coverage of computers and gaming hardware. A New York native and former radio DJ, he's also a regular TV talking head and the author of "The Tetris Effect" (Hachette/PublicAffairs), a non-fiction gaming and business history book that has earned rave reviews from the New York Times, Fortune, LA Review of Books, and many other publications. "Upends the standard Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs/Mark Zuckerberg technology-creation myth... the story shines." -- The New York Times
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Dan Ackerman
2 min read
The dual-boot version of the Acer Aspire One includes XP and Android.

Acer's Aspire One line of Netbooks is adding a dual-boot version that will include both Windows XP and Google's Android operating system. The Aspire One has always been popular for its entry level pricing, and adding Android may be a more practical alternative to the underused quick-launch OS options found on some Netbooks (which many users either don't use, or are unaware they even have installed on their systems).

"The Android operating system and the Aspire One Netbook is an ideal combination for end users that require a highly mobile device for data consumption," said Sumit Agnihotry, vice president of product management for Acer America in a press release. "The unique dual-boot OS on the new Aspire One ensures users fast connections, the familiarity of Windows, and the added convenience of open source mobile platforms and applications."

Other than the Android OS, this new version of the AOD250 seems very similar to the XP-only model we reviewed recently. For $349 (a $50 premium), you trade up to a slightly faster Intel Atom N280 CPU in addition to the dual-boot feature.

Acer says the system is available starting today, but so far we've only seen it on Amazon as a pre-order. We're also surprised it's being touted with an XP/Android combo, with Windows 7 right around the corner. We've asked Acer why they wouldn't just wait a week and release this with Windows 7 (or if it'll switch to Win 7 after 10/22) -- we'll let you know what they say.