Digital Home Thoughts - News & Reviews for the Digital Home

A few months back, I posted an article on DecalGirl.com skins for the Asus Eee. Since I was so pleased with the first set, I ordered a set for my new Aspire One. Even though the blue finish on the Aspire One is gorgeous, it is a fingerprint magnet and ends up looking pretty yucky, so I figured a DecalGirl skin would be just the ticket. I've got to say, I like this set even better than the first set.

Two really nice things about this set over the set for the Eee are that the decal fully covers the lid and a third decal is included with the set to cover the area between the hinges.

About the only thing I did not like was that even though the extra piece had cutouts for the indicator lights (upper left, above the keyboard) the decal covered the labels showing what each indicator was for. Like the previous set I reviewed, these were top notch in quality and very easy to install. My only other request would be that they make a matching desktop wallpaper available like they do for many of the handheld devices they support. You can get skins for the Aspire One and a large variety of other devices directly from DecalGirl.com.

"A netbook as we’ve come to know it is a small laptop that is cheap. That’s about it, although the term can be confusing, as larger notebooks are sometimes called netbooks, since that is currently the hot buzzword. So you want to get a small, cheap notebook (or netbook) if you will, what are the five things you should know before plunking down your cash? 1. How are you going to use your device? 2. How much screen do you need? 3. How small of a keyboard will you tolerate? 4. Do you need the (heavier) extended battery? 5. Can you walk away from Windows?"

I recently upgraded from the original Eee to the Acer Aspire One. The above article really hits it on the head for me. Everyone had different needs but here is my take on each of the 5 items mentioned. 1. I use or want to be able to use my netbook for almost everything I would use my regular computer for, save video editing. I fully recognize that a netbook pretty much by definition would not have the horsepower. I also don't really intent to do things like sync my Zune, or even load my music collection on to it. 2. The screen is a biggie. The 7 inch screen on the Eee was OK, but the 800x480 resolution was not bearable. I'd be satisfied with a 7 inch screen at 1024x600, but like the 8.9 inch screen on the Aspire One, except for the glossy finish. 3. Keyboard really depends on how big your hands are. The Aspire keyboard is noticeably bigger than the Eee, but I have fairly small hands and did not have much of a problem typing on the Eee. I'd really like to see a tablet version with no keyboard at all, but built in Bluetooth to connect to a fold-up keyboard when necessary. 4. I don't really need the extended battery since I mostly use mine either at work or home, but I would like a more economical option for a second power adapter. I don't want to pay nearly 25% of the cost of the device just for a second adapter. 5. Windows vs. Linux - I really liked Ubuntu on the Eee. But there were a few key things I wanted that I needed Windows for, namely Slingbox and Netflix video streaming.

"The Acer Aspire One is now available from U.S. retailers including Amazon.com, Buy.com, NewEgg.com and many others. If you’re thinking of buying an ASUS Eee PC 901, MSI Wind or an HP 2133 you should definitely take a look at the Acer Aspire One. Acer boasts that the Aspire One can run for up to seven hours on an optional six-cell battery, which is very impressive for such an affordable notebook. The Acer Apire One features Intel’s Atom, which is designed specifically for small mobile devices. It has an 8.9-inch display with a resolution of 1024×600 pixels and an integrated Web cam. Available in three models, the Acer One is available with either Windows XP Home or Linux operating systems."

At not too much more than I paid for the original Eee, this looks like a hit. I especially like the available extended battery. I will be upgrading to something with an 8.9 inch screen in the near future, but I'm holding out for the new Dell since rumor is it will be priced at $299. If you can't wait, you can pick this up from Amazon (Affiliate) now.

"If you gotta go the desktop route, Acer's got three mini-PCs packed heavy with ports that don't take up a ton of space. Measuring 10.6" x 4" x 14.4", about the same as a hardcover book, the X1200s have an HDMI port-like Dell's leaked mini, aka the green PC, but unlike the smaller Asus Eee Box, which only has DVI-plus two PCIes, nine(!!) USBs, FireWire, front and back audio jacks, a DVD SuperMulti drive and a 14-in-1 card reader. Under the hood, it comes standard with 4GB RAM, the better to power the AMD dual-core processor with Nvidia GeForce 8200 integrated graphics to run Vista (now with SP1!). The PCs are out now for $450 to $700, a config which includes a 500GB drive and 22" LCD monitor. Check out the press release after the jump."

I've never owned an Acer PC, but this might be my first: this little box, only 10.6 inches tall, packs more ports than your average desktop PC (nine USB ports!?). The native HDMI, and small size, makes this especially appealing for my digital wall project - I need something unobtrusive with on-board HDMI. If the pricing in Canada is in line with the US pricing, my search might just be over before it really began.