Aspiring for an Acer Aspire One
I haven’t been blogging much because I’ve been writing something for the office but now that I am back, lemme share my latest fascination. The Acer Aspire One. I’ve read a bunch of reviews about it and I’d share what one of our local journalists, Chin Wong, had to say about the Aspire One.
Out of the box, this mini-notebook is the perfect traveling companion for anyone who simply needs to surf the Web, send e-mail and perform typical office tasks such as typing up documents, working on spreadsheets or giving a presentation….
Acer does a solid job at combining aesthetics with thoughtful design. Unlike other netbooks that have a matte finish, the Aspire One comes with an attractive glossy exterior. The unit I reviewed was pearl white, but the Aspire One is also available in shades of blue, pink and brown.
He’s so lucky to have gotten the chance to use it. Seriously, a mini-notebook like that will be so awesome because it also has a bigger keyboard. I wish that Acer, as well as other mini-notebook and ultraportable manufacturers would consider his suggestion of using the trackpoint. That is actually one thing I miss about my old IBM ThinkPad. Touchpads are a pain to work with, if you ask me. I’ve never been a big fan of them touchpads because I find it tricky to use them. I have a mouse or a trackball with me, more often than not. It’s just that for less stuff to carry along, Chin Wong is right.
But of course, I am drawn to the Aspire One because it runs Linpus Lite. They tried to simplify the menu for the users, especially those who don’t have experience using Linux. And it’s also designed to run on ultraportables. I hope to spot an Acer Aspire One soon in the mall so I could go play with it for a while. :D
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9 opinions for Aspiring for an Acer Aspire One
Sergi
Aug 3, 2008 at 6:50 am
I just bought one two days ago and I really like it. I changed the default menu to the “advanced desktop” and I must say that’s a fully functional ultraportable with Linux, with a really decent keyboard (finally) and a great screen.
William Gallafent
Aug 4, 2008 at 3:30 am
I couldn’t agree more about the touchpad / trackpoint issue. I have an Aspire One, and am very pleased with it in general … but the touchpad does not work well for me at all. A trackpoint in the middle of the keyboard would be a great improvement, either in addition to, or instead of, the touchpad. As it is, I tend to use keyboard navigation where possible, or plug in a mouse if not!
Other improvements for me would be the ability to use Compact Flash cards without an external reader, and to have no fan (it’s quiet, but not silent, and the fan is the only moving part!)
Vital, too, for me, is getting the wifi working in ad-hoc mode, which I have not yet been able to do. I believe this is a driver issue with the madwifi atheros driver. It works fine in managed mode with an access point, but not ad-hoc (e.g. to use a Windows Mobile 3G phone as a router with WMWiFiRouter …)
Karin Dalziel
Aug 6, 2008 at 2:30 pm
My main qualm with all of these mini notebooks is the battery life. Since my mom gave me her old Sony Vaio, I have been completely spoiled by the battery life - 5 hours under windows (more like 3 under Ubuntu, unfortunately, though I have not done any tweaking). I really hope someone solves the battery problem soon. When traveling, I usually can’t recharge every two hours. 4 hours of solid battery life and I’d be sold.
James
Aug 24, 2008 at 10:32 am
Hey William, or ANYONE, had any luck with getting an Ad Hoc network to work? I can’t set the mode to Ad Hoc with iwconfig, though I can see adhoc networks with nm-tool!
If you have any idea please mail me at: jph53 -at- cam [dot] ac [dot] uk
sgtrock
Aug 25, 2008 at 11:42 am
Battery life? Taken a look at the 6 cell eee 901s yet? :)
Hakcer
Aug 26, 2008 at 3:42 am
Ad-hoc seems to be a problem with no solution! I’ve tried same scripts that work with Asus but no luck. Aspire One just can’t see WMWifiRouter. If anyone has solved this PLEASE share the information globally.
A vital part of mini-PC usage is missing!
Barbara
Aug 27, 2008 at 3:09 am
I have just bought an Acer Aspire One and up to a point I am very happy. However I am unable to download Skype on it for some reason, can anyone help me please? I get as far as the download page on skype which recognises that I have Linux and there is a window to the left of the screen which gives a whole load of options all which seem to not want to download. I had someone try and download it for me ,I am a “Silver Surfer” and although I have downloaded Skype on all the other computers we have had ,this one has stumped both me and the guy who was helping me. Please can anyone give me the right method to download Skype?
Steve
Aug 27, 2008 at 9:01 pm
I am also trying to get ad hoc mode to work.
I get 3-3.5 hours of battery life with wifi off and the lowest light settings for the screen, which makes a BIG difference battery-wise. I’ve ordered a 6-cell battery but it’s backordered; everyone has been sold out for a while.
mini
Sep 10, 2008 at 2:28 am
For putting the AA1 in ad hoc mode, try this one
it works fine here.
http://www.aspireoneuser.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=125
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