the Acer AspireOne

[h0ughy]

About a week or so ago I bought a brand new Acer AspireOne from officeworks for $645 and there was a $99 cashback available on the item
The specifications are as laid out below
Specifications
Processor and Chipset
Intel® Atom™ processor N270
(1.60GHz, 533MHz, 512KB L2 Cache)
Mobile Intel 945GSE Chipset (DDR2 400/533MHz)
Operating System
Linpus™ Linux®,
Genuine Microsoft® Windows XP® Home

LCD Type & Size
8.9" WSVGA High-Brightness LED Backlight Widescreen Display, support 1024 x 600 pixel resolution
Memory
Up to 1GB DDR2 533MHz SDRAM
Storage
8GB Flash Drive (Linpus™ Linux®)
120GB Hard Drive (Microsoft® Windows XP® Home)
Storage Bay
Dedicated SD™ Carder reader for storage expansion
I/O Interfaces
1 x 5-in-1 card reader (SD™, MMC, MS, MS PRO, xD)
3 x USB 2.0 ports
1 x External display (VGA) port
1 x Headphone/speaker/line-out jack
1 x Microphone-in jack
1 x Ethernet (RJ-45) port
1 x DC-in jack for AC adapter
Audio
High-definition audio support, two built-in stero speakers, MS-Sound compatible, built-in microphone
System Power
Battery Type: 24W 2000 mAh 3-cell Li-ion battery pack
Battery Life:Up to 3 with a 3 Cell Li-ion battery**
AC Adapter:3-pin 30W AC adapter
Weight and Dimensions
249 (W) x 170 (D) x 29 (H) mm
985 g
Compliance
C-Tick (AS/NZS 60950)
Standard Warranty
Australia - 1 Year Courier Pickup and Return Standard Warranty
New Zealand - 1 Year Return to Base Standard Warranty


Well I opted for the extended warranty instead of the cash back. At the time I bought mine there was only the standard 3 cell battery with bugger all battery life – 1.5 hours at best. They quickly made available a 6 cell Li battery which I bought for 99 dollars – I now have well over 3.5-4 hours of lappy life. I am not much of a fan of the touchpads, this one is no different – I simply don’t like it. The wireless network is brilliant – works well but only at 54Mbs max so if you want more speed use a USB 108 or greater wireless device.

It is no speed machine but it is ultra portable, has a brilliant screen. One drawback is the memory – only 1 gig, but it is running windows XP home – so there is plenty in the tank. The 120 gig hdd is ample and allows me to load on most of the astroware I like – and runs it ok. The graphics in the machine is only a meagre 8 megs but it is sufficient to run everything I need. It looks great, easy to transport and carry, has a heap of potential and has the ability to guide the scope in a remote location for a few hours.

I rate it 8 out of 10 for what it is – an ultra portable laptop – or as the marketing department of Acer call it a netbook


anyway if interested check it out online at www.acer.com.au or go and have a look at them - they are cute:D

[RB]

Nice one Houghy but geez you're a tease. :P
They do look good though.

I'm very tempted....:(

[gmbfilter]

Thanks for that info I'm looking for something similar myself

Will it run starry night pro 6 and drive heq5pro?

What scope driving software will it run?

[acropolite]

The ASUS eePC has recently been updated as well with more memory Atom processor and a HDD, I'm not sure how it compares to the Acer.

[h0ughy]

ok here is a screen shot with Starry night pro 4.5 , PHD guideing and andy shotglass guide reticle and photoshop all being opoened at the same time.

i hope that does ease you a little bit? i am actually on the net via a connection point atm with the acer aspire one(working of course:whistle:)

[h0ughy]

bigger screen, smaller HDD, not sure aboutthe memory dept?:shrug:

[h0ughy]

but RB you have the HP version - just get a bigger battery

Part number 482263-001 is used in the product models listed below.

Select a model number to view a product diagram with your part.

Product Model
2133 Mini-Note PC AM784US, AM822US, AM823US, AN041US, AN042US, AN043US http://h20141.www2.hp.com/hpparts/Part_Where_Used.asp?mscssid=XTLFJ1W U5GBF9KT8GMBSJ3QP4WNH72A5&SearchCriteria=482263-001

[erick]

No RS-232 port - take it back? :D

[h0ughy]

that is what a targus replicator port is for:whistle:

[gmbfilter]

Thanks David, just what I need

[Chippy]

This months APC reviews about 5 or 6 similar devices including the Acer, Asus, HP, etc. The Acer actually scored low in their review - although your report sounds much more promising. Might be worth a read for others interested in purchasing though.

[RB]

Thanks for the info Houghy, you're a legend !
I'll check it out.
Yep I'm very happy with the mini-HP (running Vist-ahhh :scared:) but this little Acer (Which I told you about !) looks great too and it's XP :jump2:

[snowyskiesau]

Dell have recently announced their entry (http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/laptop-inspiron-9?cs=19&s=dhs&ref=homepg) in to the netbook/subnotebook market with the Inspiron Mini 9.
It does have wireless but as an option, as is bluetooth.
Don't know when this will be available locally.

[RB]

Thanks for the info Geoff, I couldn't get the link to work but found this one (http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/laptop-inspiron-9?c=au&cs=audhs1&l=en&s=dhs) instead.

Cheers

[snowyskiesau]

Hmm original link seems to have died, thanks RB.

I think this may be that Dell try to route you to the local website (AP) instead of the one you really want to go to ...
Here's a direct link (http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/laptop-inspiron-9?cs=19&s=dhs&ref=homepg) to the US site - US pricing.

[RB]

I'm trying to find the HD capacity on the Dell, seems like it's 16Gb, is that right?
Both Houghy's Acer and my HP have 120GB.

:shrug:

[h0ughy]

ok looking at the Dell - its components are basically the same as the first versions of the ACER and they do not have a HDD version yet. The keypad does look better than the ACER or the HP - and probbly works better, but as for the rest of the features - they are identical to the Acer. in my mind the acer is still the value for money at the moment - they all share the same screens and have the same basic features. the dell does come with a bigger 4 cell battery than the HP or the ACER - but as i said earlier i got a bigger 6 cell battery for 99 dollars which fixed up that short coming. The EEEPC is on par with this entry level from Dell. Gee i even bet they source the same components from the same factory in china!!

[h0ughy]

OK now fr a size comparison - I have set up my Hp DV9000 17" laptop, my wife's new Acer 15.4" Aspire 5720Z (i just blew away vista home premium and loaded XP pro) and the Acer AspireOne with its quaint 8.9" screen.

[h0ughy]

now compare with the dell specs below - -they are the same with exception to the keyboard (i think the ACER is better as the function keys are there, not having to hit another key to get)

Processors
Intel® AtomTM Processor (1.6GHz, 512KB L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB)


Operating System
Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition SP3


Memory
Up to 1GB 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM.

Chipset
Intel® 965PM / GM Express Chipset


Graphics
Intel® Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator 950


LCD Display
Glossy 8.9 inch LED display (1024X600)

Colour
Obsidian Black Colour with Gloss Finish

Audio and Speakers
One external speaker

Hard Drives
Up to 16GB configured with a Solid State hard drive.


Optical Drives
None

Ports
USB 2.0 (3)
Integrated 10/100 LAN (RJ45)
15-pin VGA video connector
Audio jacks (1-line out, 1 mic-in)
4-in-1 Media Card Reader
AC adapter connector

Power
4-cell Primary Battery

Camera
1.3MP webcams

Wireless
Wi-Fi Options:
802.11g mini-card


Bluetooth Options:
Bluetooth® Internal (2.0) mini-card

Ports, Slots, Chassis
Externally Accessible
USB 2.0 (3)
Integrated 10/100 LAN (RJ45)
15-pin VGA video connector
Audio jacks (1-line out, 1 Mic-in)
3-in-1 Media Card Reader
AC adapter connector Dimensions & Weight
Width: 9.13" (232mm)
Height: 0.66" (16.8mm) front / 1.25" (31.7mm) back
Depth: 6.77" (172mm)
Weight: Starting weight of 2.28 lbs. (1.035 kg)1(8.9" display, 4 cell battery). Weights will vary depending on configurations and manufacturing variability.

[gmbfilter]

:help:
Just purchased 1 off Acer Aspireone nice
BUT

Can't get starry night pro 6 to drive my heq5pro

I'm using the same serial to usb that worked on my big computer
on the Acer I cant find where to assign a coms port (ie there is no listing of coms ports in device manager

Any help will be appreciated
Thanks

[RB]

You may need to load the drivers for the USB>Serial adapter.

To get my Belkin to work on my old laptop after I reformatted it I had to go to the Belkin website and download the drivers before I could use it since I didn't have the install CD's handy at the time.

[gmbfilter]

:) Acer aces

Thanks for reply Andrew.
I needed it

Apparently, you have to find a usb-rs232 adapter that has drivers that allows Starrynights to find it as a com (#?) port

I have apparently managed to do this!

Its a Targus.

The whole thing beyond my comfort zone
I'm going to have half a bottle of wild turkey and a good throw up
Stuff work

[h0ughy]

did andrews advice help Geoff? have you got it working?

[gmbfilter]

:)Yes sure did. Absolutely fabulous:)

At the time I was probably a little fed up, in the end everything went very smoothly

It's really great, loaded everything up OK
It drives the mount, I can run live view through Canon EOS utilities
Now I'm a happy camper.

[h0ughy]

the Acerone windows XP home version with 120Gig drive is now 598 dollars at officeworks - together with that price and the 99 dollar ACER cashback that is only available until next week (30 September 2008) makes this only 498 dollars. i am impressed with this little machine!!!

[rider]

yeh, thats great news, ...unless you bought one a month ago.

#$@$#%^*!

[rasimus]

Hi,

I have been looking at threads for a while now and have not chipped in as yet - so this is my first post.

I have just bought an inspiron 910 from Dell online. After a week with it I am pretty happy. I have removed a lot of bloatware and now it runs pretty well with xp. Open office is reasonably fast. I use mysql/navicat for databases and that requires little processor speed. I have just installed sky charts 3 and it runs fine. I also have tweaked firefox (autohide and increased the text size on the address bar) for a smaller screen.

The keyboard is small but you soon get used to it - I saw an aspire today and the keyboard is a lot more familiar (90% against 80% size). I have bought Dell computers before and were happy with their service and quality. The inspiron is certainly well made.

I have looked at a few forums and many are bemoaning the fact there is not a linux incarnation in Australia. The xp version runs fine once you get rid of google toolbar, McAfee etc. Everything including power management works fine - can be a problem with linux.

Just thought I would feed back my experience - certainly look at as many versions as you can. Happy netbooking!

rasimus

[cfranks]

I've just finished upgrading my Aspire one to 1.5Gb RAM. There must be a hardware limit on this as I tried to go to 2.5Gb annd it wouldn't even power on. I had to remove 18 screws :eyepop:but it was straight forward.

Charles

[h0ughy]

i dont suppose you took any pictures of the motherboard and memory area?:shrug:

[cfranks]

Try this link. http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;613470003;img;8164;ssid;1

Mine has a 2.5" HDD and the link refers to an SSD but it is easily worked out.

Charles

[h0ughy]

there is a major problem with the link Charles:shrug:

[h0ughy]

ahh i see the new link

[rider]

I asked about this when I bought mine, youre right about the 1.5 limit.

also I was told doing this voids the warranty, so put the old RAM back if it breaks.

(I havent yet found anything it has trouble with using the standard RAM, but I'm tempted anyway, cos I love hotting things up.)

rider

[Calibos]

Geoff,

Now that you have the Acer Aspireone for a month and have probably had a chance to fully put it through its paces with Starry Night Pro 6 and other astrosoftware. Can you tell us how well it is working out.

I have a future project planned with an LB16/Servocat/ARgo and one of the ideas I had was building in/mounting a PC to the base.

I found this..... tinyurl.com/5ap2xb (http://tinyurl.com/5ap2xb)

Basically the same internals as the acer aspireone with the added advantage of a touchscreen built in. I was going to use one of those red laser virtual keyboards as the input device.

This device would be perfect assuming it has the power to Run SNP 6.23 and maybe some image capture and even giuiding software at the same time. I'd transfer the captures and do the processing at home on a powerful desktop of course.

Also, I don't suppose anyone knows whether SNP 6 can be controlled with a touch screen interface. It would be pretty cool just to be able to select buttons with the touchscreen, Guides and slews and gotos of the servocat for instance. but how cool would it be to be able to tap on the screen and drag the FOV around with your finger ala I-Phones. Not sure whether a standard touchscreen interface could work like that with SNP though?

I'd build this into the base in such a way that it pivoted down out of the way when not in use and protected by 4 hinged flaps/covers. In use it would pivot up in front of the alt bearing area and the protective flaps would open out to form a light/dew shield with the bottom flap having the virtual laser keyboard projected onto it.

[Calibos]

Just found a video of someone scrolling a browser window with their finger. So if touchscreen can mimic the action of holding the left mouse button on a scroll bar and moving it with the mouse then the fact that the method of panning the view in SNP is holding the left mouse button and moving the mouse could mean that it is indeed possible to use the touchscreen to fully interact with SNP.

How cool would that be!! For SNP actions where a keyboard is preferable I'll have the virtual keyboard. While those things were no replacement for a real keyboard for touch typing. They were not responsive enough to keep up with a fast typist. It doesn't matter in our application. In astro software the keyboard controls are just discrete controls, ie more like a control pad with lots of buttons, that we just need to tap once or twice. The Virtual keyboard can cope with this no problem......and means brightness adjustable red lit keys...and takes up the space of a credit card...How cool and more importantly, functional and space saving would that be!!

Guess who is going to have the longest queues of kids at next years outreach events!! ;)

Add a mallincam and this....http://tinyurl.com/4pnmey

Eh, I'll have to start working work out my appearance fee's. LOL no I'll do it for free of course, will just need petrol money and guesthouse bed and board from the regional astronomy socs request my attendance at their outreach events. :)