Acer Aspire One D250 is a 10.1″ netbook produced by the international organization Acer. Netbooks are nothing but handy, compact and easy to use shorter versions of the laptops and notebooks. They are as simple as they can be, but at the same time, equally productive. The reduced sizes and the reduced features also pave way to the reduced cost netbooks. These cost effective netbooks are also known as cheaper notebooks with few features that are excluded simply because they are way too expensive to be covered within a price range.

It looks like Taiwan has always been aiming for producing good netbooks because two companies from Taiwan have been highly competitive and are producing many netbooks. They are Acer and Asus. While this Acer Aspire One D250 can no way be compared to the natural beauty Seashell of Asus, the latter company’s products can obviously not be compared to the Acer’s Aspire D250 model in terms of the cost. This D250 netbook is an updated version of the company’s previous model D150. All the errors that were found in the 150 model were corrected and there evolved a new model under the name Acer Aspire One D250 netbook. This Acer Aspire One D250 10.1” netbook is a really cheap model out in the market and it has been targeted for users who are not more into the computer and technical field, but would use it just as an aid. For instance, this model is for those who occasionally type, rarely sit for hours together in the net and listen to music only at times. Though the productivity and success of the netbooks is not much commendable, they offer the users the best of what they can. These netbooks contain many things but not everything. All the basic features are present for sure and for the first time it runs on the mobile software Android. So what are the features that Acer offers its user at a mind blowing cheaper price? Let us see.

Acer Aspire One D250 Netbook Black

Design:

Build:

One thing that makes a product very attractive and also makes it the most wanted is the outer appearance. The D250 10.1″ LED-Backlit Display Netbook model has an appearance that might not compel the users in to buying the product the moment they set their eyes on the tiny netbook, but then, it is definitely one of those good looking models that come within the price range of this particular one. The Acer Aspire D250 comes in four different colours, the beautiful sapphire blue, the elegant seashell white, the haunting diamond black and the bright ruby red. All these colors enhance the coolness of this object. This 10.1” netbook has a native resolution of 1024 x 600 which is good enough for its price, though not totally satisfying. Beginning with the design, the D250 netbook has appearances similar to the D150 in certain ways although not entirely. The screen has an LED backlight display which is supposed to adjust to the lighting of the environment and make the user work comfortably. But then unfortunately, the screen is covered with a glossy material and this naturally means that reflection and glare will be a problem. Particularly, if the users are going to work for a long time, they would find their eyes getting irritated because of the glossiness. This netbook has a design which makes it a light weighted device that can be carried easily in their bags. It is thinner than the 150 model. It weighs about 1.27 Kg (if the battery has 6 cells) or 1.11 Kg (if the battery has only 3 cells), with the dimensions of the width, depth and height as 258.5 x 184 x 25.4 mm respectively.

Keyboard:

The keyboard of the Acer Aspire One D250 is really small and it is placed at the base of the machine. The keyboard is neatly designed with the keys that are very small in size. This might be an issue for the regular users. All the keys are present in their appropriate places. Good typists can manage with this easily. If you are someone who is not even sure where the letter “a” is exactly on the keyboard and can not press the right button when their eyes are on the screen will have complaints on this aspect. This model is not for those who fumble for the letters while it would be completely suitable for the simple users or fast typists. The keyboard does not occupy the entire space on the base, but occupies only after some distance from the edge on all the sides. This actually reduces the size of the keys and in turn, the comfort.

Touch Pad:

The touch pad is one feature that has many errors that can not be debugged. In fact, it was this touch pad where its previous model D150 faced a fall. The pad is placed below the keyboard and it has a very small area for operating the cursor. The touch pad is separated from the rest of the surface by deepening it. The size of the touch pad is inadequate and so not easy to use. At the bottom of the touch pad is a long horizontal button that is used for the left and right mouse button operations. There might be few people who would want to use the external mouse after using the touch pad for some time because of the lack of differentiation between the left and right bar. If the size of the touch pad had been bigger, it would have been better. Also, the touch pad can sense the gestures which mean that photos can be easily moved or zoomed using the fingers. The photos can be zoomed using the pinch action, the pages can be moved from one to the next using the 2 fingers.

Microphone and Speaker:

The microphone is located at the top of the D250 netbook, above the screen and to the left of the camera. The microphone functions very clearly. It avoids the external voice and transmits only what the user speaks. The speakers are integrated on the set and it is not very good. Clarity is lacking in the speaker of the Acer Aspire D250.

Camera:

At the center of the bezel above the screen is positioned the camera that can be used for chatting online or taking snaps. The web camera is an integrated Acer Crystal Eye camera with crystal clarity and a resolution of 0.3 MP. This resolution is clear enough to have chats with friends or family who are across the seas.

Aspire One D250 10.1 inch Netbook Red

Processor and Memory:

The Processor of the Acer Aspire One D250 is a normal Intel Atom Processor with two options, the lower N270 or the higher N280. The N270 has a speed of 1.6 GHz while that of the N280 is 1.66 GHz. There is 1 GB of onboard memory storage though it can be extended up to 2 GB. The hard drive storage capacity is about 160 GB which is really good. The speed of the memory and the processor are quite reasonable. Moreover, it is not good to expect more from a budget model.

Ports:

There are a number of ports available in this small netbook. Beginning with the left hand side of the netbook, there is the ethernet port for getting connected to the internet, then there is a fan vent which sends the heat developed inside the netbook to the outside. This in turn is followed by the VGA plug and a USB 2.0 ports, an audio in and an audio out. The Microphone and head set can be connected using this. If these are the ports on the left hand side, there are more exciting but common ports on the right side.

On the right side, there is the connection for the power adapter which is used to charge the battery, two USB 2.0 ports and then a SD Card slot. There are a total of 3 USB 2.0 ports in this netbook which is excellent. Moreover, the SD card slot is a Multi-in-1 reader which is really good.

Upgrades:

Upgrading the hardware or the memory will no longer be a trouble if you have the D250 model. Flipping back the netbook reveals three lids that cover the hard drive, the memory and an empty slot for mini PCIe cards. The lids can be removed by unscrewing the screws and the hard drive or the memory can be taken out. Hence, they can be upgraded to a higher version.

Android:

This is the first netbook that has been produced by Acer that comes with the special application software Android. This software works really well and the application of a software that was used for mobiles to the netbook means so much and Android did keep up to its standard.

Connectivity:

Both wired and wireless connectivity are present in this D250 Lean Design netbook. This is not something unusual for a netbook, but indeed needs to be mentioned because of the highlight, the price tag. The wireless connectivity switch is present at the left side on the front at the base portion of the netbook and this switch can be used to avail the internet connection via wireless system. The coverage of the wireless connection is WLAN 802.11 BG. Normal usage of the wired net can be made by connecting to the ethernet port. Access to internet is good enough though best would be an overstatement.

Heat and Noise:

The heat emission is as normal for any other netbook in the market. So this does not add to the down side of the netbook. The touch pad below the keyboard and the memory area at the back are the areas that get heated up easily when the stress is more. Otherwise the hotness is nominal for a cheaper netbook. The ventilation for the heat to be thrown out is present as a vent at the left side of the netbook and the noise produced by this fan is not really bad.

Battery:

There are two types of batteries that go along with this model, they are, the 3 cell Li-ion battery or the 6 cell battery. The normal expected life of the battery life on single charge is only 3 hours and this can be achieved only if the book is used for very light purposes. If the job is more, the time of lasting of the battery is very less. In fact, under slightly straining conditions, the battery was found to last for only 2 hours and 32 minutes. But then, the 6 cell battery provides battery life for nearly 6 hours which is pretty good for a netbook that is very cheap. Obviously, there would amount an extra weight because of the addition of 3 cells while it would not be a matter for those who only mind on the life of the battery.

Acer Aspire One D250 White

Performance:

The netbook has so many complaints, especially in the fields of touchpad and the battery. But in spite of that, it manages to put up a decent show. The Power consumption of the netbook is a nominal 30 W. The audio and video plays back are only okay. All normal and simple operations can be performed at a good speed and with ease while the complex or straining operations do not suit this model. This netbook has a pre installed Microsoft Windows which is just basic but functions without any trouble.

Warranty:

The Acer Aspire One D250 comes with a 1 year International Travelers Warranty. Though this warranty does not include the replacement of the netbook, all the important repairing work will be taken care of by the company.

Verdict:

The Acer Aspire One D250 has many features. They are not out of the box for a netbook, but out of the box for a cheaper netbook. So many compromises have been made by Acer for producing this model just for the sake of having reduced the cost. But is it necessary? Just tip off a few more pounds, and you would be using a better netbook. But a few pounds definitely mean something. So to cut the ice short, if you are only keen about the cost, then this model would suit you. But not for those who intend to work more. Compromises can not be compromised, definitely not in the field of performance.

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Acer Aspire One D250 10.1 inch Netbook – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer Acer
Model Name Acer Aspire One D250
Dimensions: (W x D x H) 265.5 x 184 x 25.4 mm
Weight 1.11 Kg or 1.27 Kg
Type Netbook
Display
Screen Size 10.1 inch
Screen Type LED backlit widescreen
Screen Resolution 1024 x 600
Internal Components
Processor Intel Atom N270 (533MHz FSB, 1.6GHz) or N280(1.66 GHz)
RAM 1GB DDR2 (Extendable up to 2 GB)
Hard drive 160 GB
Keypad Very small but good response
Touchpad Yes, with Multi touch facilities
Multimedia
Graphics Intel 945GSE Express Chipset
Speakers Built-in stereo speakers
Communication Setup
Wireless support WLAN 802.11 BG
Memory card slot Multi-in-1 card reader
Connectivity 3 USB 2.0 ports, Audio line in, Audio line out,
1 VGA video output
Other Detail
Warranty 1 Year complete warranty

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