(Click here for a larger view of Acer's Aspire AOD150)

Acer's Aspire One (Click image for further information)

Acer has apparently surfed the netbook wave like no other vendor. According to a study released by DisplaySearch in December, the company had a 35 percent share of the netbook market in the third quarter of 2007. And, unlike second-ranked Asus, which has fielded a bevy of its Eee PC netbooks, Acer apparently achieved this all with one model, the original Aspire One (right).

The Aspire One was announced in June 2008 on the same day as the 1.6Ghz Intel Atom N270 CPU it employs. Other ingredients in Acer's first netbook, apart from Intel's 82945GSE northbridge and ICH7M southbridge, included 512MB or 1GB of RAM, 8GB flash, an 8.9-inch, 1024 x 600 display, WiFi, a webcam, and an optional 80GB hard drive. Significantly, the Aspire was also one of the first netbooks to include Windows XP, given a stay of execution by Microsoft until at least June 2010.

For its new Aspire One AOD150, Acer has obviously been reluctant to mess with success. Unlike Asus, which uses Intel's revamped N280 CPU in its latest Eee PC 1000HE, Acer has retained the N270. In fact, the only significant technical difference in this "second generation" AOD150 appears to be its 10.1-inch display, still with 1024 x 600 resolution.

Acer has also upped the AOD150's hard disk storage to 160GB, and given it four color options: "seashell white, sapphire blue, ruby red, and diamond black." In addition, the six-cell 4400mAh battery that was optional on the earlier model is now included as standard, delivering a claimed battery life of more than six hours.

Features and specifications listed by Acer for the Aspire One AOD150 include:

• Processor -- Intel Atom N270 clocked at 1.6GHz
  
• Memory -- 1GB of DDR2 RAM
• Display -- 10.1-inch screen, with 1024 x 600 resolution
  
• Camera -- Webcam (resolution not specified)
  
• Storage -- 160GB SATA II hard disk drive (5400rpm)
  
• Networking:
  • LAN -- 10/100 Ethernet
    
  • WLAN -- 802.11b/g
• Other I/O:
  • 3 x USB
    
  • VGA
    
  • Audio -- mic in, headphone/line out
• Expansion:
  • Memory card reader (SD/MMC/Memory Card formats)
    
  • Battery -- Six-cell, 4400mAh
    
  • Dimensions -- 10.2 x 8.0 x 1.31 inches
    
  • Weight -- 2.95 pounds

Further information

According to Acer, the Aspire One AOD150 is on sale now for approximately $350. Reviews of the system have already been provided by PC World, here, and Laptop Magazine, here.

Laptop Magazine additionally provides an interesting interview with Acer Vice President of Product Marketing Sumit Agnihotry, discussing the company's future product plans. To read the interview, see the publication's website, here.

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