Acer Review, Asus Review – Netbook 10

Netbook manufacturers are heading away from the 9″ form factor in a quest to bring in 12″ netbooks. So far, the quest hasn’t been successful at all. The Acer 751 (also called the 751h) is the only 11.6″ netbook available. It’s affordable at $400 for a 3 cell battery and $450 for a 6 cell, but the innards – in particular the 1.33GHz Atom 520 processor – are lacking. Bad news, the Asus 1101HA will have the same lacking processor. So, do you really want an 11.6″? Read on.

[Rating:4.9/7]

Features

• Speakers – I’m excited about the speakers. It’s probably the only thing Acer did right with this netbook. The AO751 comes with two built in stereos, and the headphones are optimized for Dolby 5.1 surround sound!

• Made for Video playback – sort of. 11.6″ screen that can reach a 16:9 or 4:3 ratio is great for wide screen video playback. However the 1.33 GHz Atom Z520 processor is too weak to play HD videos. It’s good for YouTube videos though; as is every other netbook.
• 2GB memory - great memory! Too bad it doesn’t have a good enough processor.

• Multi touch touchpad – it allows for intuitive web browsing, and iPhone-esque gestures – pinch to make things smaller and bigger, multi touch etc.
  

Drawbacks

• Lackluster Atom Z520 Processor – Sure it’s power efficient. But why opt for a 1.33GHz processor when all other netbooks are sporting 1.6 GHz N270 and N280 processors?

• Doesn’t play HD videos smoothly

Rating – 4.9/7

• Value for Money  – 0.5
• Speed and Performance – 0.4
• Screen – 1
• Keyboard – 1
• Portability & Battery Life –0.5
• Looks and Design – 0.8
• Extensibility & connectivity – 0.7

Specs

Processor – 1.33 GHz Intel Atom Z520

Graphic Chipset – Intel GMA 500

OS – Windows XP/Vista

Memory – 1GB, 2GB

Storage – upto 250GB

Display – 11.6″ (1366 x 768)

Connectivity – 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.0, 10/100 LAN

Ports – 3 USB, VGA, multiple card reader, optional SD card reader (mini SD and Memory Stick Duo/Pro)

Battery – 3 cell, 6 cell (5200 mAh)

Dimensions – 11.2″  x 7.8″  x 1.0″

Weight – 2.8lbs or 3lbs depending on the battery

Colors – White, black, red, blue

(UPDATED 7/11) Bottom line: In Comparison to the Asus 1101HA

The only reason you’d buy the Acer AO751 is if you’re looking for a larger screen netbook. The rest of its specs are average or below average, and its pricing ($400-$450) doesn’t make it cheaper than the pack. It does make it cheaper than the Asus 1101HA though.

Both netbooks are sleek, have Z520 processors, 1366 x 786 resolution, the same ports and connectivity options (Asus 1101HA has Bluetooth 2.1 in comparison to the AO751′s Bluetooth 2.0) and so on. The AO751 offers better storage options (upto 250GB vs. the Asus 1101HA’s 160GB) and and better memory (2GB vs. the Asus 1101 HA’s 1GB). The only thing the Asus 1101HA has going for it is an 11 hour battery life. Oh wait. That’s a LOT.

If you want a cheap 12″ netbook, I recommend the AO751HA. You’ll get better specs and save about 200 bucks. But if the Asus 1101HA comes out for less than $500, it takes the spot of 12″ top dog.

Note: Samsung will be coming out with an 11.6in netbook as well. The launch date is unknown, and the price is speculated to be even higher than the Asus 1101HA (around $800!). The advantage of the Samsung N510 is that it uses the more powerful Atom N280  processor – 1.66GHz, 667MHz bus speed.

Related posts:

1. Watch Out for the Asus Eee PC 1101HA at Computex
2. Acer D250 Review
3. Asus Eee PC 1000HE Review
4. Acer Aspire One 751 Reviewed, Found Lacking
5. GigaByte T1028M TouchNote Review: Asus T91’s main competitor?

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