EDsight

Two things I never thought I would do — work on an under 10-inch screen on a notebook and using Unix. I’ve got nothing against either. It’s just that ultra lightweight notebooks are so expensive while Unix is not even on my radar — such is my bondage to Microsoft.

However, this changed three months ago when I laid my hands on the Acer Aspire One. Drawn by its affordability and an aching shoulder from my travels, I decided to venture into the netbook arena. After studying the specifications and price of various models, I picked the Acer Aspire One for its value.

Having used it for three months, I rate its most impressive attributes as screen resolution, light weight and speed of booting up and shutting down. The screen is bright and clear, making it a joy to work under most lighting conditions. My only peeve about the screen is that it is very loyal to finger prints — touch it and you can easily leave an impression.

The netbook is so light — about 1kg — that it makes my Dell notebook feel like a ton of bricks. I’m looking forward to bringing it with me on my trips.

Running on Linux, the Acer Aspire One took under 30 seconds — 27 to be precise — to book up. That’s very fast and impressed this Microsoft Vista user greatly. Shutting down is just as fast.

While some may consider the keyboard (about 95% the normal size) small, it is touch typable and firm.

On the downside, the battery life is short (just over two hours) and the applications are limited — what you have are what you get.

Bottomline: The Acer Aspire One offers great value and is one of the better options available now. For frequent travellers, you can bring this netbook around and stay connected without straining your shoulders — and at a low price to boot!