Shoppers in the United States can now order the 10.1-inch Acer Aspire One AOD150, which the company was originally expected to launch sometime next week. The 10.1-inch is the new successor to the company's 8.9-inch netbook that consumers had a few problems with after its launch.
The 10.1-inch model replaces Acer's 8.9-inch Aspire One netbook, with several important differences to consumers. Along with the larger screen in the newer model, consumers no longer have the ability to choose which operating system they want the unit to ship with. Acer originally gave consumers the choice between Microsoft Windows XP Home or Linpus Linux Lite, but the new model ships with Windows XP Home only.
The Acer Aspire One AOD150 has an Intel Atom Processor N270 (operating at 1.60GHz, 533MHz FSB), 1GB DDR 533 MHz SDRam, 160GB SATA HDD, 10.1-inch Acer CrystalBrite TFT LCD running at 1024 x 600, 6-cell battery, and three USB 2.0 ports. The device measures 10.2" x 7.28" x 1.31" and weighs just 2.95 lbs., according to the Acer press release.
The smaller version of the netbook left some users feeling a bit cramped because of the tiny keyboard, Acer hoped to fix this problem by expanding the keyboard to make it more comfortable.
The 10.1-inch netbook originally began shipping to U.K. consumers last month on Jan. 23.
The new Acer netbook is available on Amazon and J&R with an MSRP beginning at $349.99.
Netbooks have drastically increased in popularity over the past year, as consumers look to purchase smaller, lighter mobile devices that still have good hardware specifications. Manufacturers such as Acer, Dell and Asus continue to release new netbooks while also tweaking specifications to better suit their consumers.
