Acer Aspire One AOD260 (Intel Atom N475 Processor 1.83GHz, 1GB RAM)

07/09/2010
The Aspire One line of Netbooks has long been a bright spot in Acer’s laptop lineup, thanks to the company’s firm commitment to rock-bottom prices and decent if unexciting design and construction. The latest version, called the Acer Aspire One AOD260, scores points for being small, thin, and light even for a 10-inch Netbook, despite having a decent-size keyboard and touchpad.

Available for S$499, the AOD260 is right in the mainstream of entry-level Netbook prices, despite the good looks and smart design. Even more interesting, this is the first Netbook we’ve seen with the newer single-core Intel Atom N475 CPU instead of the more common N450 version. This new processor runs at 1.83GHz instead of the N450′s 1.66GHz, but it didn’t help the Acer Aspire AOD260 feel any faster than typical Netbooks; in anecdotal use, it actually felt more sluggish than we expected.

Of course, even fast Netbooks are still pretty basic machines, good only for Web surfing, email and not much more. If you’re most concerned with size and weight, the AOD260 is an appealing package with good battery life, but we’d also suggest checking out the Asus Eee PC 1018PB for a better overall take on high-design, low-cost Netbook.

Editors’ note : This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.com. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please inquire directly at the site where the article was originally published. References made to some of other products in this review may not be available or applicable in Asia. Do check directly with your local distributor for details.

Design

The most notable design feature of the Acer Aspire One AOD260 is how small it is. Though the actual difference between it and other 10-inch Netbook bodies may be minuscule, at these small sizes every fraction of an inch counts.

Specifications	Acer Aspire One AOD260
Price	S$499
Processor	1.83GHz Intel Atom N475
Memory	1GB, 1,333MHz DDR3
Hard drive	250GB 5,400rpm
Chipset	Intel NM10
Graphics	Intel GMA 3150 (integrated)
Operating system	Windows 7 Starter
Dimensions (W x D)	260 x 185mm
Height	23mm
Screen size (diagonal)	10.1 inches
System weight (with AC adapter)	1.23kg (1.41kg)
Category	Netbook

Cast in dark businesslike gray with straight lines and minimal flash, the AOD260 looks more buttoned down than some of the curvier, more colorful Netbooks we’ve seen, making it a good nondescript office companion. If gray is not for you, the Aspire One AOAOD260 is also available in black, purple, silver or red.

The gray interior is offset by a black keyboard, which uses the current style of large, flat-topped, closely spaced keys. Most Netbook makers have moved to an island-style keyboard, which is similar, but with more space between the actual keys, which we find to be a little easier to use. The end result certainly packs the most key surface area into the least amount of space, but it took us a little while to get the hang of error-free typing.

The touchpad is generous for this system’s small size, but mostly because it’s wider than it is high. The feel of the pad is good, but the left and right mouse buttons are relegated to a thin rocker bar rather than separate buttons.

Features

The 10.1-inch display has a native resolution of 1,024 x 600 pixels, which is standard for 10-inch basic Netbooks–although slightly more expensive models can be found with 1,366 x 768-pixel displays. The panel iss less glossy than many we’ve seen, which is good for avoiding excess screen glare, but we also noted that off-axis viewing (both horizontally and vertically) was iffy.

	Acer Aspire One AOAOD260	Average for category (Netbook)
Video	VGA	VGA
Audio	Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks	Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks
Data	Three USB 2.0, SD card reader	Three USB 2.0, SD card reader
Expansion	None	None
Networking	Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth	Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Optical drive	None	None

There are no real surprises in the ports and connections on the Acer Aspire One AOD260, or in its RAM and hard drive. But we were pleasantly surprised to find the latest version of Intel’s single-core Atom CPU beneath the hood. The 1.83GHz Intel Atom N475 is technically a faster chip than the 1.6GHz N450 version found in most Netbooks, at least on paper.

Performance And Battery Life

In practice, there was only minimal improvement in our benchmark tests, and premium Netbooks with AMD’s latest Neo CPUs were much faster (but also more expensive). In hands-on use, the system felt largely on par with other Intel Atom Netbooks, but despite the slightly better benchmark scores, we had occasional bouts of sluggishness.

As with most standard Netbooks, video playback isn’t a strong suit, especially streaming online video. Locally hosted 480p video files play back fine, but YouTube videos stuttered at 720p and even a bit at 480p when played in full-screen mode.

Jalbum photo conversion test (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Dell Inspiron M101z

93

Acer Aspire One AOD260

167

Samsung N150

176

HP Mini 210

176

Asus Eee PC 1018PB

186

Multimedia multitasking test (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Dell Inspiron M101z

1,476

Acer Aspire One AOD260

3,024

Samsung N150

3,217

Asus Eee PC 1018PB

3,240

HP Mini 210

3,274

Apple iTunes encoding test (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Dell Inspiron M101z

406

Acer Aspire One AOD260

749

Samsung N150

811

Asus Eee PC 1018PB

815

HP Mini 210

820

The low-power components in the Acer Aspire AOD260 pay off when it comes to battery life. The included six-cell battery ran for 4 hours 52 minutes in our video playback battery drain test, which is very good for a Netbook, but not extraordinary. Some models can run nearly 2 hours more per charge. Using the Aspire One AOD260 for casual Web and productivity use will likely net you a longer running time.

Video playback battery drain test (in minutes)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Asus Eee PC 1018PB

315

Acer Aspire One AOD260

292

Samsung N150

280

HP Mini 210

274

Dell Inspiron M101z

217

System configurations:

Acer Aspire One AOD260
Windows 7 Starter; 1.83GHz Intel Atom N475; 1,024MB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 250MB (shared) Intel GMA 3150; 250GB Western Digital 5,400rpm

Dell Inspiron M101z
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit); 1.3GHz AMD Athlon II Neo K325; 4,096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz; 384MB (dedicated) ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4225; 320GB Seagate 5,400rpm

HP Mini 210
Windows 7 Starter; 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450; 1,024MB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz; 250MB (shared) Intel GMA 3150; 160GB Toshiba 5,400rpm

Asus Eee PC 1018PB
Windows 7 Starter; 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450; 1,024MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 256MB (shared) Mobile Intel GMA 3150; 250GB Western Digital 5,400rpm

Samsung N150
Windows 7 Starter; 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450; 1,024MB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz; 256MB (shared) Mobile Intel GMA 3150; 250GB Hitachi 5,400rpm

Service And Support

Acer includes a standard one-year warranty with the system, and the support Web site is good at providing a list of appropriate driver software and FAQ pages for your particular model of laptop. You can also call a phone line for technical support, but you’ll need your system’s serial number. Unfortunately, it is inconveniently found only on a sticker inside the battery compartment, under the power cell.

Specs

General
Motherboard chipset	Intel NM10
Processor number	N475
Processor speed	1.83GHz
Processor	Intel Atom
Memory/Storage
Amt of RAM	1024 MB
Hard drive	250 GB
Card Reader	SD, MMC
Connectivity
Ports	3 x USB 2.0; VGA out
Bluetooth	No
Infrared	No
Ethernet	10/100
Wireless LAN	802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n
Webcam	Yes
Display
Graphics hardware	Intel GMA 3150
Diagonal screen size	10.1 inch
LCD technology	Transflective (widescreen)
Screen resolution (max)	1,024 x 600
Multimedia
Sound hardware	Integrated audio; 2 x speakers
Software
Operating system	Win 7 Starter
Chassis
Weight w/battery	1.23 kg
Dimensions	260 x 185 x 23 mm
Power Supply
Battery type(s) included	six-cell lithium ion
2nd battery included	No

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