Need help deciding re: Acer Aspire One ...

Discussion in 'Acer Aspire One' started by speedmaster, Oct 21, 2008.

  1. speedmaster

    speedmaster

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    I think I have my search down to the Aspire One and the Dell Inspiron Mini. Regardless, I think I want Linux (instead of XP, I expect it to get by better on less memory?) and 1GB of RAM.

    I would prefer Ubuntu over the version on the Acer, but that's not a dealbreaker. I like the fact that the Acer I saw had a 120 or 160GB HD instead of the 8 or 16GB SSDD on the Dell.

    A few questions I was hoping you guys could help me with.

    1. Is it possible to squeeze more than 1GB into the Aspire One? Is there much point?

    2. Can I updated the software for things such as Open Office and Firefox to the latest revisions?

    3. How annoying is the fan? (I think the Dell might not have a fan) Does it get unreasonably warm?

    4. Can I plug a USB mouse into it for regular use?

    5. Does the version of Linux on the Aspire One handle Macromedia Flash in the browser? I assume it's Firefox?

    6. The best prices U.S. dealer for this machine? I see that Newegg has it

    Any other words of wisdom to help me in my decision? ;-)

    All advice appreciated, thanks very much in advance!!!

    Chris
     
    speedmaster, Oct 21, 2008
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  2. speedmaster

    daldred

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    Check the hardware mods area of the forum: I think if you buy the 1Gb model you're stuck with 1Gb. The 512Mb model can have an additional 1Gb added, but it involves taking it apart.

    Yes. macles.blogspot.com is an excellent resource for these improvements.

    There are two versions of the fan - one is said to be whisper quiet, the other (which unfortunately I have) is less noisy than many laptop fans but is pitched rather high and so is annoying. I've used the acerfand hack to set my fan to come on at 60C and go off at 50C: it kicks in occasionally and only for fairly short times.

    Some people have reported their One getting hot, but I've not noticed anything much more than comfortably warm from mine.

    Yes. Some reviews have criticised the trackpad and the location of the buttons, but since you can tap the trackpad instead of the buttons I hardly use them anyway - but you can use a USB mouse if you want.

    Yes, and yes. The Flash version installed is 9.0: again the macles site provides instructions to upgrade to 10.0 if you want to.

    No idea - I'm in the UK!
     
    daldred, Oct 21, 2008
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  3. speedmaster

    scottro

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    1. Is it possible to squeeze more than 1GB into the Aspire One? Is there much point?

    I'm running Ubuntu (among other things) on a gig of RAM and it's fine.


    2. Can I updated the software for things such as Open Office and Firefox to the latest revisions?

    I'm guessing from your post that you're planning to get the hard drive version and install Ubuntu. (Which is relatively trivial to do.) In that case, yes, without problems. If using Linpus, it's slightly non-trivial but can be done. (I didn't do it--I wound up returning the Linpus version and getting the hard drive version and wiping XP from it.)

    3. How annoying is the fan? (I think the Dell might not have a fan) Does it get unreasonably warm?

    Although I hear complaints, I haven't heard any noise from it. It gets a bit warm, but not to the point that I would consider unreasonable.


    4. Can I plug a USB mouse into it for regular use?

    Untested but judging from the other post, yes.

    5. Does the version of Linux on the Aspire One handle Macromedia Flash in the browser? I assume it's Firefox?

    Yes an older version. I haven't, however, seen the hard drive version offered in the US with Linux. It is firefox, but has flash working out of the box. (I was under the impression that you're going to get the hard drive one and then install Ubuntu.)

    6. The best prices U.S. dealer for this machine? I see that Newegg has it

    You can probably always find a price drop if you look hard, but NewEgg and Amazon seem about the same. NewEgg charges shipping, Amazon charges tax (at least in NY) and shipping is less than tax. There's also MacMall, oddly enough, and another company called ZipZoomfly. They all charge around the same price, the difference is usually as to whether they charge tax and/or shipping.
     
    scottro, Oct 21, 2008
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  4. speedmaster

    speedmaster

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    VERY cool, thanks, David!! :D
     
    speedmaster, Oct 21, 2008
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