It’s been just about a month since I received my Acer Aspire One Netbook, and although I’m not ready to do a full review yet, I did want to give some other impressions after using it for a month. As I mentioned in my other article, I installed a variety of software such as Impulse, Live Writer, OpenOffice, and several other office and utility type programs. This thing is made for internet use, communication, and office work, all of which it excels at.
I was a bit concerned about the speed of the machine, but with the tasks I have been doing there have no considerable slowdowns. The only application that does slow down a bit is Firefox, which it’s a tremendous hog even on my desktop, so for this little machine to handle it, I say that’s a big plus. The one application I use the most is Windows Live Writer, which is a light app to begin with, but writing blog posts is nothing short of simple.
That was the biggest reason I wanted a Netbook, was to be able to write blogs and articles either in another part of the house, or just away entirely. The screen is very bright, and fairly easy to see in the daylight. Although I like the glossy screen, the reflection off of it can sometimes become bothersome during the day, but it’s a minor issue overall.
Currently I’m using Windows XP Home. One of the first things I installed was WindowBlinds, as I had to get rid of the XP interface as soon as possible. I am hearing from many people who tell me Windows 7 runs absolutely fantastic on a Netbook, so I might get brave one of these days and try it. I would love to see an edition of Windows 7 made for Netbooks, mainly a smaller install.
So after using this for a month, I am enjoying just as much as the first day I got it. Anybody who needs an ultra-portable solution should seriously consider getting one of these, regardless of the brand.
