The netbook fairy (or a UPS driver named Karl) just dropped off the 11.6-inch Aspire One 751h. I’ll be putting the machine through its paces for the next week or two for a thorough review but I wanted to check with you guys to see if there was anything in particular you’d like me to test. Just drop your requests in the comments section and I’ll try to address some or all of them in the final review.
Aside from that, here are some initial first impressions along with some photos.
Specs:
- Intel Atom Z520 CPU at 1.2GHz
- Windows XP Home SP3
- 11.6-inch widescreen display at 1366×768
- Intel GMA 500 graphics chipset
- 1GB RAM
- 160GB hard drive (5400RPM)
- 802.11b/g Wi-Fi
- Built-in webcam
- Three USB ports
- Six-cell battery
- MSRP: $399, Street Price: $379
Impressions:
- It’s smaller than I expected. Despite having an 11.6-inch screen, it’s slimmer than the 8.9-inch Aspire One and doesn’t take up much more space.
- The keyboard is phenomenal as far as making use of all the available space is concerned, but it still takes getting used to when typing. The keyboard on my 13.3-inch Sony notebook is still much easier to use so far. However, I’ve only had the Acer for a short while now.
- Upgrading the 751h will be dead simple thanks to easy-to-access hard drive, RAM, and communications doors on the underside of the machine.
- Windows XP runs pretty well. The model I have contains 1GB of RAM and I’ve found that multitasking slows things down a bit but regular web surfing and whatnot clips along just fine. I immediately uninstalled McAfee Security Center, which sped everything up somewhat.
- It feels heavier than I thought it would. Because it’s not that big, all the weight makes it feel kind of stocky. It’s still very portable but compared to the 8.9-inch Aspire One with a three-cell battery, the 11.6-inch 751h with the six-cell battery feels more substantial when carrying it around with one hand.
- Seeing “8:16 remaining” on the battery meter is a tingle-inducing experience.
- A full-screen episode of Conan O’Brien streamed off of Hulu was jittery but watchable. I’ll do some more thorough video testing but at first glance, this machine probably isn’t going to appeal to video lovers.
- The 1366×768 screen resolution makes all the difference in the world. It’s much, much better than the standard 1024×600 resolution found on most other netbooks.
Photos:
What’s the processor in this thing? Is it the n270 or the n280?
Did it come with XP ?
Updated the post with the machine’s specs. It has a 1.2GHz Atom Z520 processor and Windows XP SP3.
That explains your lag.
Is it as fingerprint attracting as it looks?
Are those arrow keys as tiny and uncomfortable as they look?
Thanks for a new XP serial #. ;)
Who loves ya? What other tech blog hands out Windows serial numbers?
None! That is why I love CG so much!
Thought that might have been too blurry. You have good eyes, Jabsie.
Lovely pic-zoom in firefox. :)
Doug,
Is the video streaming thing a common problem with netbooks? Are there any higher-end ones that you know of that don’t have that issue, or ones with dedicated graphics?
Thanks
Some perform better than others, but really, they all have varying degrees of lagginess.
My current netbook has the newer n280 processor, and it has the occasional hiccup, but not as much as previous machines I’ve had with the n270 processor.
Believe it or not, my first netbook (Eee Pc 701) with the Celeron processor seemed to handle video a lot better than these Atoms.
Check out this Gateway, too. Pretty much the same as this Acer I’m reviewing except with an AMD chip and ATI graphics. Battery life is lower (5 hours versus 8 hours) but it should handle video much, much better.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9370272&type=product&id=1218093001788
Bought this at Costco a week ago. I love everything about it but it is painfully slow. My wife has the 8.9 and it is much zippier. Don’t know if it will be a keeper due to the lagginess.
Thanks guys. I’ll check out best buy in person when I move to DC (from the UK) in the fall.
So, I just picked up that netbook myself. If you want to test something, throw Win7 on it so I don’t have to =)
I’m torn between ubuntu remix and Win7 right now. I’ll boot off a usb key for the remix…
The youtube, hulu video streaming issues I read from others are still holding me back from getting this 751 netbook. I love the design. Please let us all know when you test this if casual video streaming is okay or a no-go. Another thing that some reviewers don’t mention is how it runs after they get rid of all the bloatware. Would also be nice to compare the speed of web browsing, videos, apps, etc. to the 8.9. Thanks
Missing information. What does this thing cost in the first place?
The model I have can be found for around $379 at most places.
http://acer.links.channelintelligence.com/pages/prices.asp?sSKU=LU.S850B.239&nRGID=2035
Things I like to have tested and know how well it works:
1. Hulu HD – clean and without delays? frame rate?
2. 720p video – clean and without delays? frame rate?
3. 1024 video – clean and without delays? frame rate?
4. Java VM performance?
5. Ubuntu compatibility? What works, what doesn’t?
Did it come with XP or Vista?
a few days ago, i buy a acer aspire one 9-cell battery ,long battery life,can last 9-10 hours ,its perfect,suggest you:
http://www.diggingshop.com/laptop-battery/acer-aspire-one.htm
http://www.diggingshop.com/laptop-battery/acer-aspire-one-9-cell.htm
Hi Doug, when will we expect your posting of the final review? Thanks.
I bought one and love it..
How to fix it up:
Install Windows 7, which installs a new graphics driver. Set it up with the Win 7 basic theme until Intel fixes the driver problem with the GMA 500.
I get beautiful 720p video and it’s not slow. The 2 gig/250MB HD verion works beautifully..
The problem you guys are having is completely in the video driver..
To fix this look at:
http://www.istartedsomething.com/20090723/lesson-intel-graphics-power-saving-feature/
then run MSCONFIG from the CMD window
disable anything in the startup tab labeled “Intel” and it will update and not crash the video driver at all.. There is still an issue with AERO and the Windows media player but it can be fixed. It’s just a problem with compositing a video windows on aero, much like the prob they had on the earlier 845 chipset. Intel writes the worst drivers. This little trick I am suggesting works in VISTA and intel either way.. You’ll find everything speeds up and draws faster too..
Adding Windows 7 really speeds it up too..