Aspire One unboxing and thoughts.

I am finally getting around to posting my unboxing vid of my aoa-150. I had to cut the sound out, as there was a lot of giggling and snorting involved... I have provided you with some petty captions for your reading enjoyment.

Specs:

1.6GHz N270 Intel Atom Processor
1GB DDR2 533MHz
Windows XP Home SP3
8.9" 1024 x 600 WSVGA glossy LED backlit display
120GB 2.5" 5400RPM Hitachi Hard Drive (with SDHC storage expansion slot)
802.11b/g Atheros Wireless
3-Cell 23Wh battery
Size: 9.75" x 6.625" x 1.28"
Weight: 2lb 5.0oz

On to the mini review:

After opening the unit and comparing it to my Eee 701 (see video), I have to say that the AA1 is exponentially better than the Eee. Now, don't get me wrong Eee enthusiasts, I love my little celeron powerhouse, but there are so many advantages to the AA1 that I cant even list them all. Also, I havent had a chance to play with a 901, so I don't have an equal basis for comparison.

Pros: Bigger screen has some awesome clarity to it. Power button is in a great place and feels much less "clicky" than other laptops. The keyboard is.... well... pure pwnage across all netbooks. This thing feels even better than the keyboard on my Gateway lappy, and i friggin love typing on that one. (typing this review on the AA1 just FYI). Touchpad: I have no idea what all this hate is being directed at the touchpad for.... It's sexy. It'sleek. Its the same color as the case... The buttons take a minute to get used to. But lets remember the trackball mouse for a second. I don't think that 95% of the country EVER got used to that.

Cons: Fingerprint magnet! I find myself constantly wiping the thing down, which is annoying as all getout. The multicard reader is pure coolness, but the the fact that sd cards stick out of it make it awkward and ill advised to keep one in there full time. Temperature: Even my Eee ran cooler than the AA1.... I'm getting upwards of 75 degrees celcius on this thing when playing games. Its not the heat itself that worries me, but the potential damage being done to the computer itself.

Other Thoughts: The wifi latches on quite fast. Coming out of sleep mode, the wifi is on within 10 seconds. The hard drive is a little clicky and slow at times, but at other times it is quite zippy. Upgrading the ram is really reccomended. Who doesn't need an extra 512? The process took 20 minutes from start to finish and was nothing for someone who knows their way around a screwdriver. Wipe xp and use a slimmed version of xp pro or vista for a performance boost. I've been on a vlited install of vista since the second day, and I haven't looked back.

So there we go. I am very happy with the little guy, and the annoyances are trivial at best. I will be putting my Eee up for sale, probably on craigslist. I'm fairly sure that this netbook will be with me for at least a year. By then dual core netbooks should be out, and it will once again be time for an upgrade.