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Rumor has it that Acer is planning to make dual boot a standard feature on all of their dual core netbook models. And that dual boot includes a Windows 7 install sitting beside an Android install of all things. If it was some other distro of Linux like MeeGO, Jolicloud, Ubuntu Netbook or even the newly releases SmeeGol, — then things could’ve been slightly different. Continue reading Acer Planning Dual Boot For All Dual Core Netbook Models
Acer is not cutting its main netbook competitor any slack and is going to release its own dual-core Atom netbook soon. This development comes from newly leaked development details from deep inside Acer. The new model is going to be called D255 and it is going to go on a head to head collision course with Asus’ Eee PC 1215N. The Eee PC 1215N is a fairly new model from Asus and it is their first to sport the new dual-core Atom N550 chip. Atom of course, already had a dual-c0re chip before this — the N330. But that was not meant for use in portables, for power consumption issues of course. Intel has been hard at work developing a chip that will work well for netbooks and still be able to run twin cores simultaneously. The Atom N550 has two chips running at 1.5GHz each and thus gives the whole system a significant power boost. The difference will especially show in multi-tasking performance, which is a processor oriented job. However, other than the processor details, little else is known about this forthcoming Acer netbook model. It is believed that the D255 will actually resemble the D260 in terms of the other hardware features and looks. The D255 is expected to have different color options and perhaps a chrome trim. So nothing out of the ordinary is to be expected from this release. There’s one thing that might differentiate the two competing models from Acer and Asus respectively, quite distinct from each other. Whilst Asus’ model uses the NVIDIA ION 2 graphics to deliver superior graphics and 3D performance, Acer’s model might be paried with an ordinary Intel onboard graphics. But less graphics performance also means longer battery life and vice versa. So it might be a close one after all. [via]  The Current Aspire One Models From Acer Acer has plans for 2010 and it has plans to make it big. Or so it will seem from the number of things that they are planning to do this year. Starting with an eBook reader, something that almost everyone’s doing these days, they will go on to making a Chrome OS netbook, setting up a cross-platform application store and probably making the large number of mainstream computer models that they already make. This being a netbook blog, I will focus on the netbook bit here but you really have to give it to the company for playing catch up like this! App store and eBook in one fell sweep! Of course, they are not going to release them both simultaneously but they sure have their fingers in a lot of pies. Acer’s plant to launch a Chrome OS netbook should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone who knows what the Chrome OS is. Not only is Google’s netbok OS free but just Android it will be developed and maintained by Google while being open to developers just like the Android. Seeing what Android has done to mobile companies like Motorola, it is obvious that Acer would like to get in on this. In fact, as more time goes by, I fully expect to report Chrome OS announcements from all the major companies. That is because they are already making hardware that is not selling very well and if changing it around a bit to meet Google’s specifications can help them sell more, why not? After all, this promises to be a new platform and this might mean sales to individuals who otherwise would not have bought a new or a second netbook-class device. The cross-platform app store that Acer is planning will have both Windows Mobile and Android apps when it launches and then in due course it will carry Chrome OS apps (the ones that you need to download, I presume). Details such as timing are a little vague right now but it is definitely coming this year according to them.
This model from Acer will be Acer Aspire One 532 and it will be carrying the Atom N450 in conjunction to your boring old netbook configuration. you would think that the new chip and the subsequent upgrade in power would make them add more RAM but it seems like a pipedream now. Of course, there’s no blaming Acer for this one. The hindrance comes from Intel themselves and how they control the Atom and the associated Intel chipset. Intel has so far dictated extremely forcefully about the configuration that these netbooks can be built around. This is actually the main reason why there has been absolutely zero variety in the market before ION and the other chipmakers came along with their own offerings for the scene. Intel, like other large companies, is worried about the cheap yet powerful Atom cutting into their profits by cannibalizing the sales of the high end models. There is always a fixed amount of consumption that can take place before the market is saturated. This because at any given point — there is a limited number of customers who want to buy a portable. If they get a cheaper device that does their work just fine, they will buy that instead of a higher model and that will be their purchase. This causes the companies to lose revenue. So companies don’t really like Atom but they will lose market if they don’t make Atom-based devices. Hence, they continue to both manufacture and downplay Atom as much as they can.
Acer has become the first ever company to go on record saying that they are looking into Google’s Chrome OS with the intention to manufacture a device for it. If it sticks to its words, the company will likely manufacture the first ever Chrome OS netbook. Chrome OS is a special OS being developed by Google and it is currently meant solely for netbooks. It is a Linux-based OS but it is different from all the hitherto existing OS’. It is a browser-based OS where everything is controlled and done through the Chrome browser. There are no native applications and nothing is stored onboard except the bootloader, the OS and the settings. This ensures a secure environment and a speedy one too. All applications on Chrome OS will be web applications, starting with Google’s own array of web apps like Gmail, Docs, Wave, etc. Google has promised to monitor web apps for its OS to weed out the malicious content. The OS is currently available for developers and a package is available for download. Although the OS is free and open source , the finished product will not be available for download and it will not install on any and every netbook. Google intends to do the same thing Apple does – control the hardware and the software. Google will be deciding the hardware that will run the OS. It has already done away with HDDs in favor of SSDs so that the OS remains speedy. Google will be responsible for all the updates maintenance. So the use is absolved of all duties. With everything online and nothing being saved on the computer, there’s nothing to maintain anyway. Whatever little is downloaded via Google Gears will be maintained automatically. So manufacturers will have a cheap laptop to sell that takes care of itself, boots extremely fast and is very secure. What better device to push to the masses looking to connect to the Internet wherever they are.
However, there were the images of a device with a swiveling screen that suggested the existence of such a device but no live images were available of the device. This status quo has now changed, thanks to an active Italian blog. They have managed to go hands on with the device and put it through the paces. It is understandable that such an opportunity had to have been brief but they still managed to glean quite a bit of information out of the device. The device itself is quite powerful and slim, when compared to the Atom-powered netbooks. The Acer Timline 1820PT is powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 CULV processor, humming away at 1.20GHz with 3MB cache. There’s 4GB of 1066MHz DDR3 RAM and Intel GMA X4500M HD graphics. Price is of course not available but from the looks of it, you can easily expect it to be at least around $550 and most probably around $600. But that is mainly because it has a multitouch 11.6” screen and a 1366×768 resolution. The (comparatively) powerful components also warrant for some of the extra cost. However, this is not the first time that someone has tried to make a tablet out of a netbook device. The Asus Eee PC T91 was the first such device but it wasn’t multitouch. It was only last week when Asus announced a new and upgraded version of the T91 called the T91MT. Whether this trend catches on is yet to be seen.
The main idea is that the Android OS will be used in place of the usual lightweight Linux distro that graces the fast booting alternative OS slot. Android is definitely a far more stable and mature option when it comes to a Linux OS that is small, fast and light. Acer has used its Aspire One D250 model to bring this dual-booting system to life. The new D250 netbooks have the Android OS in place for the instant booting feature and it works really well. The main purpose of the OS being enabling Internet usage and some media consumption the Android does the job pretty well. It boots in just a few seconds to a usable state but you have to reboot in to Windows when you want to get serious work done. Google shouldn’t want Android to get to netbooks simply because that is what the Chrome OS is meant for. But netbook manufacturers have already seen the Android as a strong and stable platform that has been through two upgrades already. The trend has hit smaller netbooks especially. There are little known or unknown companies all over the world who are turning to the Android to deliver better user experience at a cheaper price. Google’s intention from the very beginning was to hand device manufacturers a strong software platform so that they can concentrate on the hardware. This approach is slowly but surely paying off for Google and these fringe products are an indication of that success. The Current Aspire One Models From Acer The Android OS has become plenty common in smartphones and MIDs. We had the Archos 5 MID using the Android OS and there are quite a few Android phones in the market right now. What has not been common is Android being used on Netbooks. Now even though Google is working on a separate OS for the netbooks, namely the Chrome OS, putting the Android OS on netbooks should not be too bad. In fact, it might actually be a very good idea. That is because the Android OS is meant to run on low resources and is tuned to perform well even under low-powered conditions. Running it on netbooks might mean super fast response actually. However, adapting the UI for a keyboard and mouse setup might prove challenging. So far, it has only been used on touchscreen phones. The Chrome OS is a good few months away with most major manufacturers looking at releases dates sometime next year. In all likelihood, we will see a major roll out about this time next year. Acer has not officially announced the Android netbook yet but major tech blogs have already posted information leaks that give out the details. The netbooks will not be solely dependant on Android but will dual boot with Microsoft Windows XP. Looks like Windows 7 needs more time to eclipse XP completely. Perhaps half a decade or so more. This new netbook is expected to be out before the holidays hit, with the leaks putting it sometime this November. It will be part of Acer’s current Aspire One line of netbooks and configuration-wise it should not be that much different from existing Windows based netbooks. Since the lowest Aspire One starts from $350, the new Android dual-booting netbook will possibly hover around the $400 range. Acer is also expected to bring out Android phones sometime next year. Acer’s Aspire One is a small and a good netbook which can be carried anywhere easily. It has Intel’s Atom N270 Processor that’s large enough to get the job done. The following are some of the features and advantages of the Acer AOD150. With a 1.6 gigahertz Intel Atom N270 CPU, the AOD150 combines battery life with performance which will help you easily get things done. You can access the net easily with the help of this netbook. It takes a very few minutes to go online by booting the netbook. It is also ideal for use in the car. It has a swish style and weighs about three pounds. Both the color and the swish design are liked by the general public. It is also notable for its latest technology. Plenty of media can be stored as the storage drive has a capacity of 160 gigabytes. The screen measuring about 10.1 inches includes two gigabytes of memory. It also has enough space for four gigabytes of RAM. It also has a large amount of power and a very good web cam. It is priced very less considering the features it has to offer. You can get better sound by buying external speakers as the sound is just decent. You can use the 3 USB ports as you like. This netbook includes a 6.5 hour battery. So the Acer Aspire One AOD150-1165 is good considering the battery feature also. You can opt for the wireless connection if you wish to attach an optical drive. Alternately you can make use of the serial port to access your DVD and CD drives. There is also a SD drive and another which allows you to make use of different varieties of drives. There is a microphone jack and a headphone jack. The Acer Aspire One D250 is the next evolution of the Aspire D150, with a few changes in features and size. One of the first things you’ll notice is the size has been cut, along with some of the weight from the Aspire D150. This is due in to the fact the newer model has opted to drop half of its battery load from six cells in the Acer Aspire D150, down to half. Yes, this netbook has three cells, and a shorter battery life is the most noticeable result. The Aspire D150 has the same thing under the hood as the D250, so there were no surprises there. You’re looking at a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 as the processor, 1GB DDR2 RAM at 533 MHz, and 160GB hard drive. It comes with Windows XP SP3 operating system and comes in a little over 2 pounds without the AC adapter. Taking out the other three battery cells brought the height down to 1 inch, with over all dimensions of 10.17 x 7.24 inches. The screen has a diagonal width of 10.1 inches. For those of you who are fashion conscious, the machine is available in several colors: Diamond Black, Ruby Red, Seashell White, and Sapphire Blue. Since this machine is based on the same Atom N270 of all other netbooks, it is pretty much standard fair in performance. It’s definitely well suited for the purpose of Web surfing, viewing media files, and office documents. The loss of the three battery cells made a difference in size, but at a cost of battery life. To some this may not be such a big deal, but we’re talking about four hours of battery power doing nothing intensive. All things considered, for a starting price of $298, you can’t really complain, but it’s also nothing to get excited about either. |
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Acer’s 
Rumors have been flying around a lot lately that Acer’s Timeline series of CULV toting ultraportables are going to have a convertible tablet amongst their ranks very soon. So far, we have had images of such a device from various sources but so far they have all seemed like a normal Timeline device.
Acer has been working on a Windows-Android dual booting Aspire One netbook and it is now time to taste the fruits of their labor. Initially it was available as a dual booting machine that had Windows XP and Android. This time round Acer has gone ahead and upgraded it to Windows 7.
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