I'm making my very first post from my new Acer Aspire Netbook. I just bought it this afternoon and have been setting it up. It is an amazing machine.

It's pretty peppy. It boots in 2 minutes. It surfs at a good speed. It lags a bit when multitasking but I'm not intending this for that kind of use.

I was actually looking for an mp3 player to play Rhapsody to Go when I stumbled on this baby. I ended up with an mp3 player which can play the not to go streaming Rhapsody thus letting me cut $5 off my monthly bill for them. Now, I know it's not like a real mp3 player but I'm going to use it mainly when in transit not walking around so carrying this small computer won't be that big a deal.

I can also play my Netflix on Demand as well as browse the internet ( and play The West! )at hotspots and I'm even considering a connection card in the future so I can do these things anywhere at any time. That'll cost a pretty penny though so maybe I won't.

In closing, if anyone is interested in a netbook I can say I recommend this one and if anyone has any questions about this one and it's performance, I'll do my best to answer.

Yeah I recently got an Asus 1000HE netbook and am really loving it - great battery life, comfortable nearly full size keyboard, multitouch trackpad, etc. All I needed to do was attach an external DVD drive and I'm good to go, watching movies, surfing the web, etc.

I am looking at getting a netbook at the start of the summer. The Acer looks like it will be my choice (especially because it is available at Costco). The HP is more expensive and doesn't have a VGA output on it, although it is much more attractive. Asus doesn't have anything at Costco.

I am looking at getting a netbook at the start of the summer. The Acer looks like it will be my choice (especially because it is available at Costco). The HP is more expensive and doesn't have a VGA output on it, although it is much more attractive. Asus doesn't have anything at Costco.

Yep, I'm an HP fan but there was no comparison. For the same price at the store I bought this at the HP had 2 less usb ports ( 3-1 ) and a 16 gig solid state drive vs 160 gig SATA hard drive .

I just couldn't see paying that much more for the aesthetics. I'm thinking about upgrading to the 10.1" screen model though since for $50 it has the bigger screen, a bit larger of a keyboard and a 6 cell battery instead of the 3 cell in this one. The battery alone is over $100 so it'd be woth it for that but I like the smaller size. I'll decide after using this one for a couple of days.

Personally I found Newegg.com to be a good place to compare a lot of different netbooks - they have a wide selection, buyer reviews, and good prices. That's where I bought mine from.

Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=772&name=Netbooks)

I didn't know Acer was still around. Reminds me of the Packard Bell days.

I raised an eye at the 2 minutes to boot up, but I'm spoiled by the SSD on my Dell SXPS16. Netbooks are a good way to go...makes me think of that device Toshiba made a few years ago (7" mini-laptop, not really a pre-cursor to netbooks but had a lot of the same things).

For many of the uses you state, I use my Archos 5. It's a PMP with a touch-screen and a 250 GB HD, WiFi, DVR capabilities, and the fastest mobile browser of any device in the world. It's bigger than an iPod (5" screen) but still fits in your pocket. It's quite possibly the only useful thing the French have ever produced.

By the way, anyone looking at buying a machine soon, go to Notebook and Laptop Reviews (www.notebookreview.com) . It's a very comprehensive site with a fantastic forum, filled with people who are extremely helpful.

I didn't know Acer was still around. Reminds me of the Packard Bell days.

Nothing reminds me of the Packard Bell days. The worst computer manufacturer of all times.

By the way, anyone looking at buying a machine soon, go to Notebook and Laptop Reviews (www.notebookreview.com) . It's a very comprehensive site with a fantastic forum, filled with people who are extremely helpful.

Nice to know my Aspire rated well there too but I quibble since they say it's expandable to 2 meg RAM when it actually is only expandable to 1.5 since the .5 meg chip is soldered on. That's what I've read in other reviews. Not sure who's right.

Nothing reminds me of the Packard Bell days. The worst computer manufacturer of all times.

My first computer in 1994 was a Packard-Bell. A 486 SX processor, 4 MB of RAM, a 210 MB HDD, a CD-ROM drive (quite snazzy for the time), and a 2400 Baud Modem. All for $1500.

Nothing reminds me of the Packard Bell days. The worst computer manufacturer of all times.

Emachines says hai. Then again, weren't they basically the same shitty company?

My first computer in 1994 was a Packard-Bell. A 486 SX processor, 4 MB of RAM, a 210 MB HDD, a CD-ROM drive (quite snazzy for the time), and a 2400 Baud Modem. All for $1500.

Well, once Packard Bell kept a laptop I'd sent in for over a year before finally just replacing it, I kinda lost faith in them at that point.

Emachines says hai. Then again, weren't they basically the same shitty company?

Yep.

NEC Sells Packard Bell to eMachines Co-Founder
Tuesday, Oct 17th 2006 by Ewdison Then

Packard BellNEC confirmed its sale of Packard Bell to Lap Shun Hui, the co-founder of PC Maker eMachines, which was acquired by Gateway in 2004. NEC will sell Packard Bell for roughly US$87 million. Packard Bell used to be one of the main players as PC Maker in the mid 90’s; its success was short-lived as it built a poor reputation of terrible technical support and product quality. Packard Bell was pulled out from the North America market but is still afloat in the European market.

hxxp://www.slashgear.com/nec-sells-packard-bell-to-emachines-co-founder-172093/

Nothing reminds me of the Packard Bell days. The worst computer manufacturer of all times.

The Acer we had after that PB was just as bad. :p

Nothing reminds me of the Packard Bell days. The worst computer manufacturer of all times.

Heh. Apparently, some folks agree with you.

Brand New: OMG, Packard Bell is, Like, so Cool (http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/omg_packard_bell_is_like_so_co.php)

I didn't know Acer was still around. Reminds me of the Packard Bell days.

maybe computer threads aren't for you.

Heh. Apparently, some folks agree with you.

Brand New: OMG, Packard Bell is, Like, so Cool (http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/omg_packard_bell_is_like_so_co.php)

Thank you. In my mind that settles it. I wasn't crazy, or at least that crazy. Packard Bell for the Lose. Heck, emachines had one lousy computer in the top ten ranking eighth. Every PB ranked at number one. Really funny read.

Packard Bell? Can that computer run this "Electronic Mail" I've heard about?

http://cache-foo.gizmodo.com/gawker/assets/images/4/2009/04/504x_Electronic_Mail_2.jpg