There are a wide variety of netbooks on the market today and with each comes it’s own set of flaws and advantages, and while some (HP Mininote 2133 or MSI Wind) fail miserably at understanding the basic premise behind consumer demand, others seem to get it right – ok, most of it right.  The Acer Aspire One is the latter group, and we’ll explain why below.

The compact frame (245mm x 165mm x 25mm) contains all the basics – 512MB RAM, 8 GB solid-state storage, 1.6GHz Atom CPU, Wifi (802.11g) and a webcam.  For connections there are USB ports and card readers (SD, Memory duo) as well as Ethernet, VGA out and audio ports.  The screen is 8.9” and runs at 1024×600 off the 3-cell battery, which isn’t on the high-end of batteries offered, but battery life is acceptable despite this (2.5 hours sans Wifi).  The included speakers are tinny and would likely give you a headache if used for more than a basic feedback mechanism or gaming.  There is a headphone port, and we suggest you use it.

Balancing out the speaker is the excellent keyboard, which for all intents and purposes is as good as it gets in this price range.  Feel is excellent and responsive, without the squishy feeling that some netbooks seem to produce, and considering this is one of the most used aspects of these mini-laptops we’re very happy that Acer took the time to get it right.  As a result of the nicely sized keyboard however, the trackpad suffers.  Like other netbooks, Acer chose to put the buttons to the side of the trackpad to save space, however this results in some rather awkward usage and sometimes requires two hands to use effectively.  You do get used to it, but it could be better. 

The Aspire One uses Linux as the operating system and given the specifications we think that’s just perfect.  For those who are used to Windows and think this would be a big change from what you are used to, relax, it looks and feels almost exactly the same, and all the typical activities such as web surfing, preparing documents, spreadsheets and presentations are pre-loaded.  Did we mention that it only takes 13 seconds to boot up?

One of the biggest strengths of the Acer Aspire One is cost – priced at $50-60 less than it’s competitors, you can use that cash to buy a substantial memory stick and still come out ahead.  When you look at the intent of a netbook, it’s supposed to be small, snappy and cheap – All things that the Aspire One does nicely.

Intel’s Atom N270 processor and 1GB of system memory (expandable to 2GB) give you with the horsepower you need for surfing the net, creating documents, watching video and more

With no moving parts, the 8GB solid state drive keeps your data safe and provides enough storage for media and documents you need to take with you

The 8.9″ BrightView LED display uses less energy than other laptop displays, helping to conserve battery life, while providing a crystal clear image to view your content

Connect and enjoy external devices, hard drives, and more with 2 USB 2.0 inputs

Video chat with friends and family online using the built-in webcam and mic

Surf the internet in any open hotspot thanks to 802.11b/g wireless connectivity

Easily transfer media to and from your portable digital devices with the SD and MMC memory card reader

While the 3K Razorbook 400 won’t be at the top of the list for overall performance or asthetics, the latest offering from a company with a long history of consumer products packs a lot of bang for the buck.   With a 400MHz ARM CPU, 4GB of memory for storage, a 7 inch, 800 x 480 pixel display, and a modest 128MB of RAM it comes under the specifications of the top netbooks significantly but makes up for it with a price that’s half of it’s competition.

The mini-laptop from 3K computers runs Windows CE 6.0, which is essentially the same operating system used on Windows Mobile phones. Packaged with it are lightweight Office applications for basic creation and editing of text and spreadsheets, and a simple web browser.  The RazorBook 400 includes a 2100mAh battery and comes in smaller than it’s brethren at 8.7″ x 5.6″ x 1.25″.