Accessories For Aspire One Acer Computer
The first Aspire One netbook made by Acer was launched back in 2008. It has a 8.9” LED-backlit screen, supporting resolutions up to 1024 x 600, but only 262,000 colors, while most LCD screens support at least 16 million colors.
The integrated GPU is a bit slow, only 133MHz Intel generation 3.5, while the Atom N270 1.6GHz single core (+HyperThreading) processor is capable of running the latest operating systems like Windows 7. It has 512MB DDR2 memory soldered to the main board, but it can be extended up to 1.5GB with an additional 1GB SODIMM module (there’s only one slot).
For storage it has space for a standard 2.5”, 9.5mm thick hard drive (or SSD) and card reader for high capacity flash memory cards of all types.
Recently Acer released an updated version of its Aspire One netbook. Screen size was upgraded to 10.1”, while resolution and number of colors remained the same, 1024 x 600 and 262,000. The most important change was the added support for one 2GB SODIMM module, so total system memory can reach 2.5GB, much better than 1.5GB on the previous model. Acer also realized that SSDs aren’t practical in such small and cheap netbooks, so it removed the SSD option from the standard configuration and added a cheap 160GB 5400RPM 2.5” aptop hard drive.
There are a lot of available accessories for Aspire One Acer computers, but the one component that is absent from both models and sometimes needs substitution is the optical drive. This means that for installing an operating system you’ll need an external CD/DVD drive connected to a USB port. The cheapest external DVD-ROM for notebooks costs only $39 at newegg.com:
The ASUS SDR-08B1-U reads DVDs at a maximum 8X speed, while CDs spin with up to 24X speed. There are a few more similar drives from Lite-ON, MSI, Polaroid and others with the same price tag. DVD writers cost a little more, but not as much as one would think. Prices start at $45 if you trust the Rosewill brand:
It also supports LightScribe technology for such a low price.
For those who have access to a computer with UBUNTU Linux installed, there’s an alternative solution for installing any operating system on a netbook without an optical drive. Using a simple program called Startup Disk Creator, automatically installed with UBUNTU in the SYSTEM – ADMINISTRATION menu, you can copy any CD/DVD image to a 1GB, 4GB or 8GB USB flash drive (or any kind of external hard drive connected through an USB port).
After such an operation the USB flash drive will become the most important accessory for your Aspire One Acer computer or any netbook.
Because both Acer Aspire Ones have everything (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G modem, LAN 10/100 and so on) integrated the second most important accessory is a good optical mouse. Of course it’s very important to buy one with the latest laser technology, because these are the best, most precise pointing devices available at prices starting from only $9.99:
A wired mouse like this one from SPEC Research would be the minimum, but you may also consider the advantages of a Bluetooth wireless mouse, because both types of Aspire Ones have integrated Bluetooth controllers, so this way you free up a USB port and also get rid of an annoying cable:
This Bluetooth laser mouse from Verbatim has some nice features like adjustable height and 1200DPI resolution, but it’s a little more expensive than wired mice. Bluetooth mouse prices start from $35 at newegg.com.
