NetbookTech

The folks at the Tech Report have put together a fairly comprehensive review comparing two of the latest 11.6 inch netbooks – the Gateway LT3103u (you can see our review here) and the Acer Aspire One AO751h.

While both systems feature beautiful 11.6 inch displays, the internal composition couldn’t be more different. The Gateway netbook is powered by the AMD Athlon 64 L110 processor, and utilizes ATI Radeon Mobility Graphics. The Acer netbook utilizes the Intel Atom processor and Intel integrated graphics (although the Atom found in the AO751h is the Z520 processor as opposed to the more common Atom N270/N280 processor)

So what about the performance?  As expected, the Atom Z520 processor is slower in many of the performance benchmarks than the Athlon 64 L110 processor. The Acer AO751h excels in battery life tho – getting approximately 5+ hours on a six cell battery compared to 3-4 hours with the Gateway. Graphics performance –  nothing to write home about here with either system as Flash performance is next to nill.

So what about the conclusion? Here’s a snippet from the review:

“The Gateway LT3103 is the most successfully executed of the two systems, because its Athlon 64 processor and Radeon graphics give it the performance to match its larger screen and keyboard. The grown-up looks and finish of the Gateway set it apart from the Aspire One 751, as well. If you like to fret over the semantics of "netbook" versus "notebook," the LT3103 will positively put you into a tizzy of hair splitting and confusion—endless hours of fun. I could see this system replacing a full-sized laptop for an awful lot of users. It’s a heck of a bargain, too, compared to the Aspire One 751, since it comes with a larger battery at the same price.”

[Check it out via CrunchGear]

Have you been waiting for the Acer Aspire One AO751h 11.6 inch netbook to hit retailers here in the U.S.? Well it appears they’re finally showing up over at Amazon.com – at least for pre-order. You can pre-order the 11.6 inch netbooks in red, blue, white, or black with either a 3 cell or a 6 cell battery (though Amazon claims the red 3 cell Acer Aspire One AO751h is now available). The 3 cell models are priced at $399.99 while the 6 cell models are priced at $449.99. Here are the links:

Acer Aspire One 11.6 inch 3 cell battery:

• Acer Aspire One AO751h-1259 11.6-Inch Red Netbook – 3 Cell Battery
• Acer Aspire One AO751h-1346 11.6-Inch Black Netbook – 3 Cell Battery
• Acer Aspire One AO751h-1080 11.6-Inch Blue Netbook – 3 Cell Battery
• Acer Aspire One AO751h-1351 11.6-Inch White Netbook – 3 Cell Battery

Acer Aspire One 11.6 inch 6 cell battery:

• Acer Aspire One AO751h-1273 11.6-Inch White Netbook – 6 Cell Battery
• Acer Aspire One AO751h-1211 11.6-Inch Red Netbook – 6 Cell Battery
• Acer Aspire One AO751h-1893 11.6-Inch Black Netbook – 6 Cell Battery
• Acer Aspire One AO751h-1522 11.6-Inch Blue Netbook – 6 Cell Battery

And in case you forgot the specs to the 11.6 inch Aspire One, here they are:

• Intel Atom Z520 processor
• Intel US15W chipset
• Up to 2GB RAM
• Up to 250GB HDD
• Memory card reader with support for MMC, SD, MS, MS PRO, xD-Pict
• 11.6 inch WXGA (1366 x 768) resolution LED backlit display
• 200 nits of brightness
• Intel GMA 500
• Acer Crystal Eye webcam
• VGA port
• Two integrated speakers
• Integrated digital microphone
• Headphones/speakers/line-out and microphone ports
• Dolby Headphone technology
• 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi
• 10/100 Ethernet
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• Measures 11.2 x 7.8 x 1 inch and weighs 2.8 lbs with the three cell battery and 3.0 lbs with the six cell battery

So if there’s any red flag in all of this, it would have to be the use of the Intel Atom Z520 processor as opposed to the N270 or N280. It’s a lower clocked processor ideal for power conservation.  If you’re not thrilled with the prospect of using the Z520, then definitely wait around for the upcoming Lenovo S12 netbook (which has an optional NVIDIA ION platform).

Acer is clearly looking to extend it’s dominance in the netbook industry with yesterday’s announcement of two new Aspire One models – the industry’s first 11.6 inch Aspire One netbook (model AO751h) and a new 10.1 inch Acer Aspire One model AOD250.

Let’s focus first on the 11.6 inch model shall we? Specs and features include:

• Intel Atom N270 or Z520 processor
• 11.6 inch high definition CrystalBrite LED-backlit widescreen (16:9) display
• Full sized keyboard (oh yeah)
• Mobile Intel US15W Express Chipset
• 1GB RAM
• 160GB SATA 5400RPM HDD
• Multi-format media card reader
• Acer InviLink 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi
• Acer Crystal Eye Webcam
• Two built-in stereo speakers
• Three USB 2.0 ports
• Extended 6 cell battery for up to 8 hours of power
• 3 cell battery for up to 4 hours of power
• Multi-Gesture touchpad which allows users to pinch, flick, and swirl their fingers across the touchpad
• Windows XP Home SP3
• Weight of 2.75 lbs
• Measures 11.18 x 7.79 x 1 inch
• MSRP of $379.99

Meanwhile, the new 10.1 inch Acer Aspire One model AOD250 features:

• Intel Atom N270 processor
• 10.1 inch WSVGA LED backlit display
• Mobile Intel 945GSE Express Chipset
• 1GB RAM
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• 160GB SATA 5400RPM HDD
• Multi-format card reader
• Acer Crystal Eye Web Camera
• Two built-in stereo speakers
• Three USB 2.0 ports
• 3 cell battery for up to 3 hours and 15 minutes of power
• 6 cell battery for up to 6 hours of power
• Weight of 2.44 lbs
• Measures 10.17 x 7.24 x 1 inch
• MSRP of $298

Judging from the aggressive pricing, it’s clear Acer is trying to bring the hammer down on the competition. The starting price for the 11.6 inch Aspire One A075h netbook is $349.99. Throw in the 6 cell battery and the starting price only goes up to $379.99. The new 10 inch model has starting prices in the $298 range. Very cool.

[Check it out]