Since my initial unboxing of the Acer Aspire One, I’ve managed to get my hands on a 6-cell version for testing. I was interested in seeing what this unit was like, considering that most complaints stemmed from the inadequate battery life of the 3-cell version, which was also evident to me. Here are some comparison pictures to help you decide whether the extra bulk is worth the additional run time. My opinion follows.
Update
I’ve since completed my full review of the Aspire One. Please read if you’re interested.
With the 3-cell battery you’re going to get less than three hours of run time on the Aspire One. Most reviews I’ve read report a battery life of around two and a half hours. I can confirm this, as I got just over 2h:35m of run time before the Windows power management automatically put the Aspire One into hibernate with 3% of battery life left.
This was with the wireless LAN enabled and the screen at just over half-way brightness. I was doing regular desktop activities like browsing the Internet for most of the time, though this is far from a scientific test as I didn’t keep track of exactly what I did or did not do. I have the subjective feeling that the Aspire One might have trouble making it through a full-length feature film during an airline flight with only the 3-cell battery.
Thankfully, that’s where the 6-cell comes into play. The 6-cell does not add that much bulk or weight to the overall package and even though it may look unsightly in the pictures, it is well worth the additional battery life. In any event, you will hardly notice its presence during use - I can wholeheartedly recommend the 6-cell version, especially with the recent price drops and introduction of an additional 6-cell version with a 160 GB HDD at a lower price than the previous top-of-the-line Aspire One.
Check out the rest of the photos here.
The 6-cell battery also adds some more tilt/slope to the Aspire One so that it’s more inclined towards you; supposedly this results at a better angle for typing but I didn’t perceive things to be better or worse after this. The 6-cell also prevents the screen from fully extending backwards, though as you’ll see from the photos, the screen can still swing back plenty.
Overall, getting 5+ hours of run time will make you confident that your Aspire One will make it through most movies and still leave you time for a game of solitaire.
As a final note, I’m still working on my full review of the Aspire One; expect it soon, depending on my schedule and free time.
do you happen to know when the 6 cell version is going to be available?
Hi Sean,
Here in Canada, the 6-cell version of the Aspire One has been widely available for about the past 2 weeks. Not sure about other countries though.
If you’re referring to the new version of the Aspire One, with the 160 GB HDD, I’m not sure when that will be available. Likely it’ll be a month or so before wide availability.
Hi, how much weight does the 6 cell battery add? Is there a noticeable difference between the 3 cell and
6 cell battery in weight? The official specs list the aspire one with the 120 GB HD and 6 cell battery at 1.27 kg. Does that sound about right.
Cheers.
Hi John,
To me, there is not a huge difference. Specs I’ve seen said that the 3-cell/8 GB SSD version weighs 0.995 kg/2.19 lbs and the 6-cell/120 GB HDD version weighs 1.26 kg/2.78 lbs.
Typically a human can perceive a weight difference of 10%. So the difference here is definitely perceivable by those standards, however we are talking about a difference of only 265 g, which to me, is well worth the huge increase in battery life. If you consider the case and other stuff that you will carry the Aspire One with, the extra weight is negligible in my opinion.
biggest problem with 6 cell is that there is no longer a gap between the body and the screen when the screen is open. I walk around the house with my 3 cell with my finger hooked in that gap. very handy.
Peter,
I found you while looking for a 6cell battery for my Aspire One and realized you were also based in Ontario. (I’m in Caledon north of Toronto)
Definitely like the machine which I bought at Tiger Direct but they don’t have batteries for sale.
Some of the “links” around show the battery back-ordered.
Any suggestions where I should look?
By the way, nice looking site you have.
Thanks,
JF
[...] Unistep.net have a done size comparision of the 3-cell vs. the 6-cell version with some pictures, check it out! [...]
Hi JF,
I ordered my 6-cell AAO from DirectCanada.com (which is basically NCIX.com) but I now notice that both of these retailers are out of stock for 6-cell batteries and the 6-cell Aspire One versions.
Unfortunately it seems as if the initial stock has sold out in Canada. However, it shouldn’t be too long before new units start arriving, especially since Acer is ramping up production of the 160 GB/6-cell version.
Disable the power management auto-hibernate and you’ll get an extra half hour easily. Windows is woefully inaccurate when it comes to computing remaining battery life. My Aspire One ran for a good 8 minutes after the battery showed 0% in the task tray!! At 3% you’ve got another 30 minutes of browsing left.
Also, no problems with watching movies. I use MacicDisc to mount ISO images of DVDs as a virtual drive, and I watched an entire movie with the brightness about halfway up, and still had plenty of juice left.
That being said, I’m lamenting my $349 Aspire One Best Buy purchase… I didn’t realize the 6-cell battery bundle was on the horizon.
I wonder if there’s any chance Acer will offer a discount for that 6-cell battery to people who purchased the 3-cell version…
Charles.
<>
That would be quite odd, since I assume the only people who would buy the 6-cell battery are people who purchased the 3-cell version? Who else are they selling them to?
Was the manufacturer number of the 6 cell version you tested?
I have an Aspire with the 6 cell battery on order with Amazon. After seeing it tough, I am worried. I usually just use my laptop at home, so the bigger battery isn’t that critical to me. It kind of looks like an ugly appendage in the photos. Is extra battery life worth making anice looking laptop look like a Frankenstein netbook?
mike, I’d be willing to trade my 3 cell battery + cash for your 6 cell battery, if you are interested drop me a line saltpepperbay at aol com, TIA.
How long does it usually take to get a full charge?
@sloth
It’s been a while since I had to do a full recharge, so I can’t remember exactly how long it took to fully recharge the 6-cell battery. Certainly not more than 2-3 hours.
[...] review in other blog http://unitstep.net/blog/2008/08/26/acer-aspire-one-6-cell-vs-3-cell-battery-comparison/ Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Lenovo Shows Off X200 Touchscreen Tablet Leaked [...]
Just received my 6-cell last week; doesn’t look as bad as in photos (I got the Onyx black; not sure if that helped). Does feel pretty hefty, though. But after one weekend trip, I’m sure I made the right decision - the battery life is so good I don’t think I’ll need to bring my power adapter for a weekend trip with normal, evening browsing/emailing. Haven’t tested the full-drain yet, but was able to browse using Sprint Mobile Broadband (USB version) for cumulatively 4 hours with quite a bit of battery remaining.
There is a 6 Cell 160 GB version on newegg for 399 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115515 and they say ETA is 10.27.08. Going to pick one up, wish it had solid state but i can’t justify spending extra $100 for SSD.
Hello..
I would prefer buying a 3-Cell battery version. But everyone is selling the 6-cell battery Aspire One.
Is it possible for me to buy a 6- Cell one but buy the 3-cell separately. Where would I get it and would it work with the 6-Cell version of Acer Aspire One?
Please advise.
My email address: bizprofessor@gmail.com
Thanks!
@Charlie
Great to hear you’re enjoying the 6-cell version. I’m happy with mine as well.
@Espy
Most places are carrying the 3-cell version, at least in Canada. You can probably find 3-cell/6-cell batteries as well, they are available in Canada.
You mentioned watching movies with the 6 cell version. Is it possible to do so legally without the DVD. I know it is possible to rip a DVD with certain programs, but most now honor copy protection.
Thanks,
Clark
@Clark
It depends on what country you live in. IANAL, but from what I understand making a copy of a DVD in Canada is okay so as long as it is only for personal use and you still possess the original. Again, I’m not a lawyer, so don’t take this as professional advice or endorsement.
In the US, while the act of making a personal copy of a DVD may not be prohibited by itself, the act of ripping the DVD (i.e. decrypting it) is most likely against the DMCA.
That’s where I figured I would end up. So much for watching movies on it. If I have to attach it to an external drive, I might as well use my big computer with a big screen. The lack of a DVD is a problem regardless of the OS - at least in the US. Perhaps, some studios will start releasing movies on SDs or they will eventually pass a fair use law allowing us to copy movies (backup) as long as we retain both the original and the copy.
In anycase, appreciate the reply and information.
Thanks, Clark
Can you use a 3 cell battery on a 6 cell acer aspire one? If so, where do I get the 3 cell battery for it?
Acer website doesn’t have any 3-cell battery.
Thanks for you response.
BTW:
I have ordered 6 cell system from Amazon but I think it looks rather ugly.
@Clark
Don’t forget the recent popularity of digital download services like iTunes.
@Espy
The 3-cell and 6-cell batteries are compatible with one another, in that they both fit in the Aspire One since they use the same connector. I’m not sure where you can buy just the 3-cell battery, though.
With young grandkids coming in November, can you legally buy and download popular movies such as Disney to be played and replayed later. Perhaps save them on an SD card? I am looking to let them watch in the car. (My son has a DVD player so they are used to doing this, especially if we go to the beach - a 3 hr drive. But I don’t have one.)
Thanks,
Clark
I just brought a 6-cell aspire one and find it heaveir comparing to ASUS mini note. I am interested in getting a 3-cell battery. Any suggestion on where can I buy one?
@Clark
I think it depends on the service. Different services have different DRM that may only allow you to play back the movie on the PC that you downloaded it to, and not allow for even legitimate copying as you described.
@Richard
Depends where you are located. In Canada, they are available at some retailers but are quite expensive. NCIX.com might have some.
What’s the difference between the acer aspire 150-1006 and 150-1786?
Saw the 1786 on walmart website and was wondering if they were the same thing:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10575195#Specifications
Clark, you can legally (or semi-legally, it’s a grey area) rip your own DVD’s to create digital copies of them that you can then place on the AAO… Handbrake’s a good program for re-encoding or compressing that video to transfer it to the AAO, and so is SUPER.
Although first you will need something like DVD Decrypter to decrypt the contents of the DVD and copy it to your HD. That’s where the grey area is, technically it’s legal to make backup copies of DVDs you own, but circumventing copy protection isn’t. See the Wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD_Decrypter
It’s not like the DMCA is enforced at this level though, unless you actually go ahead and put your compressed rips online for others to download… Then the MPAA may go RIAA on you. :p (MPAA hasn’t been as active at policing it’s content online as the RIAA has AFAIK, or as active at suing the ever living daylights out of everyone)
I cancelled my order for 6-cell Aspire One with Amazon and ordered a 3-Cell system.
The reason/s being:
1.I am buying this for pure portability. No point in making it heavier (unless I have to).
2. For most part, my computers are plugged in.
3. On airline, most of my flights do not exceed 2 hours.
4. You can always buy a 6 cell battery separately. No such luck with 3 cell battery.
I am writing this as I see several posts deliberating between 3-cell and 6-cell systems.
Regards
Wondering if the SSD makes a significant improvement to the battery life? Anyone see a comparison on that somewhere?
Thanks,
Hello!
What a great review, I was looking to buy the 6 cell batter off the internet, but I didn’t know it sticks out from the netbook like that. Maybe it is worth to compensate that for the battery life it adds, but I was just wondering how are you going to put your acer aspire one in your case? Will it fit?
I bought the 6 cell version for $399
I’m debating whether to exchange it for the 3 cell version and 40gig less ahrd drive to enjoy more portability.
I htink the 3 cells’ 2 hour life might suffice to me and even though i have not opened the package yet, pictures of the batter ysticking out might be uncomfortable for me in a car with it on my lap
J
Thanks to all of you. I tonight bought a 3 cell Aspire One at Radio Shack and had the same questions.
Guess I will be happy with this, and buy a separate 6 cell if needed. Thanks again to all of you!
i think the acer aspire one is a excellen laptop for business. but the 3 cell and 6 cell battery isnot perfect for it.
now in the market, we can find the 9 cell acer aspire one battery.
i find a website the price is $78.6 for the 9 cell acer aspire one battery.
we are can get buy one for your laptop. they have black, blue , white three color.
http://www.global-laptop-batteries.com/acer-laptop-battery/acer-aspire-one-h-battery.html
@Jeff
The 6-cell vs. 3-cell is really a aesthetics choice. The 6-cell is not uncomfortable to use, even if its on your lap.
@ndplume
I haven’t tested it myself, but I doubt the SSD makes a huge difference in battery life for everyday usage. See this thread for more details.
Need more RAM? look what i found… http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=609546&highlight=bb320
Hi,
I don’t know where i can buy the 6-cell battery Acer Aspire laptop. I live in Ottawa. I’ve checked the website of Future Shop, best Buy, Walmart.ca and Circuit City and they all don’t carry it according to their websites. Where did u guys get it from.
Please let me know.
* is the fan really loud?
Thanks,
Amy
@Amy
I bought mine at DirectCanada. However you should check local smaller computer stores, they may carry it as well. (Canada Computers comes to mind, if there is one in Ottawa)
Also, the fan can be a little annoying if you are in a really quiet environment. I use AA1 Fan Control software to lower the noise/control the fan.
Costco (USA) has Acer Aspire One for $349 this week…
Jake L
I got a 9 cell battery for my aspire one through amazon. It is huge!!! But if you’re going to get a bigger battery, you might as well go with the 9 cell and get around 8 hours of battery life. Now I can use the compact 3 cell battery for light use and can plug in the ac adapter if needed. But I also can go all day with the 9 cell and leave the ac adapter at home. The 9 cell is very useful if you’re not going to be near any ac outlets. With my 9 cell battery on the aspire one with my verizon 3g internet modem… I can surf the web ALL DAY without any external power. When I do have access to AC, I generally use a more powerful workstation or full size laptop… the aspire one is built for portability and a 9 cell makes it go all day.
hi is the 6 cell battery available for purchase if i bought a 3 cell acer one?
will it work with it?
@Oliver
Thanks for the tips, I may pick up a 9-cell if needed!
@Stevo
Yes, the 6-cell is compatible with the 3-cell, so if you bought a AAO with a 3-cell you can easily swap in a 6-cell.
Well, grr, I bought a Aspire One at Costco because the seller told me it was a 6 Cell battery. There is no way for me to tell if it is 6 cell but it looks like a 3 Cell. Is it possible that a 6 Cell look like a 3 Cell? My modele is not anywhere on the web:
AOA150 1520 (LU.S050B.232)
The battery says:
UM08A52
It says 32Wh
2900mAh
10.8 V
2.7 Ah
It’s the only info it has on it…There is a
CE logo with a 5 in a circle.
I can’t even figure out the battery manufacturor.
What is the model in Canada with Windows XP, 160 GB, 1 GB ram, 1.6 ghz (or better) AND 6 Cell battery? I don’t want this mistake to happen again (and it’s half my fault, I have no idea what a 6 Cell battery looks like, but was told it was 6 Cell).
Cheers
@Mark
Look at the photos at the top of this page and ignore the color. The six cell sticks out the back as on the blue PC. The 3-cell tucks in nicely under the hinge, but the battery only lasts 2 hours tops.
Costco was selling the 3-cell version when I last saw it on display in the stores for $349
349. You mean in US or canadian money? I’m asking this because you say you are in Canada. Mine was
more like 449 canadian. Which sounded like the normal price with a 6 cell battery. I think Future Shop had the 3 Cell for less, so I am ripped off. Actually Costco will refund surely, but it’s just such a waste of time. I cannot fit the battery on the netbook because I don’t wish to open any plastic wrap. I would need a photo of only the batteries in close-up and profile (no angle), but mine really look like the smaller 3 cell. Round on one side and squarish on the other. It looks like the 6 Cell takes a deep angle down and look like a triangle from the side.
This is a very serious reason for return as I specifically asked the 6 Cell and was told (with great enthousiasm) “this is it!”. How very annoying. If anyone knows whee they have the 6 Cell (blue, XP, 160GB) in stock in Canada, please tell.
Cheers!
Duh, memobug is not Peter Chng I presume, sorry.
Thus the price must be US. Maybe it makes sense, 449 for the 3 Cell in canadian. The 6 Cell must be 550 Canadian..
I’m getting the Acer for Christmas. We’ll probably pick one up in Oregon sans sales tax.
FWIT, on a couple of previous computers, I bought OEM batteries on eBay, etc and I seem to remember that none of them held the charge that the original batteries that came with the computers held. Or if the battery “meter” said they did, they certainly ran down in a lot less time than the meter forecast.
I’ll probably get the 3 cell edition because I’m looking for ultra light weight for traveling. I’m wondering what kind of time users here are getting from the 6 cell OEM batteries?
I just saw that Costco.com has the 6 cell 120GB XP unit for $379 +$9.99 for shipping/handling.
I’m going to check their in-store pricing tomorrow. However, I was in the store a few days ago and the only price I saw was $349 which almost has to be for the 3 cell model.
Hi
I have just read all the comments, very interesting,the pictures make the what was once a nice looking netbook into an eyesoar.But I will have to wait and see the real thing when it comes to Ireland.In the meantime I will have to think about the 160gb6cell Asus, at least this does not have any ugly protusion.
sean
Buy.com has the 6-cell/160GB/XP version in black for $379.
I just got my Acer Aspire from HSN delivered today and I have to say I’m disgusted with the tech service so far.
I have never used a laptop or notebook in my life and no where in the user guide does it explain the most basic stuff. Like the model number was in Chinese so I called because I can’t read Chinese and I needed it to register. The tech told me it was a AOA150-1505 and there is no where on the web that refers to that model number.
And, he told me to run it until the battery was almost out and then simply plug it in and it would recharge on it’s own. It’s not doing that and I can’t find anything on how to do it on their website since I can’t find the damn model number he gave me.
Can anyone enlighten me as to if there is something I’m missing?
meanwhile, I’m thinking I might just have to send it back and hope they refund me specifically because the support was so terrible.
Hey Kay,
If you got the model below at HSN, you have the top of the Acer Aspire line with the 160GB hard drive. I’m surprised that the model number is in Chinese. I would have to generally agree with the advise you were given about running the battery down and then plugging it in to charge. IF you have the charger plugged in correctly and its NOT charging, I would definitely recommend returning it IF you can.
One definite reason if money means anything to you is the price of this model on HSN which at the site below says $500. You can get the same computer from Costco.com for $380 and with slightly less charge for shipping. If your price was actually closer to Costco’s, then it’s not as clear cut of a decision.
As far as operating it, just like any other computer, turn it on. I’m not sure if this is a good laptop for you IF it’s going to be your primary computer. Too many give-ups for serious computing. I’m getting mine primarily for travel. I expect 95% of my usage will be surfing the internet and email. For serious laptop computing I will use my Apple MB or my PC desktop.
Keeps us up to date as to how the Acer works out for you. I won’t be getting my computer until Christmas (according to Ms Santa Claus). I can’t figure out where she’s hidden it!
Chuck
http://electronics.hsn.com/acer-aspire-one-8-9-lcd-160gb-hdd-1gb-ram-laptop-computer_m-10040995_xp.aspx?web_id=4710231&sf=ec&dept=ec0027&ocm=sekw&prev=hp!sf!dept&ccm=ec|ec0027
Hey Kay,
Just watched most of the video at the HSN site. I guess its not a bad deal although as I said in my posting above, Costco.com has the same computer for $380. The only difference is that you don’t get a mouse or the memory stick with all the programs.
However, re the programs, if you don’t need them, they become a “rip”. A lot of this type software also is basic editions that may not be very good or useful to most people. While I don’t remember if HSH is talking about it, every Aspire I’ve seen advertised comes with a 30 day try-out of MS Office and of course, after 30 days it turns into smoke.
Since the Acer does not come with a CD/DVD drive, IF you have any programs that are on a CD/DVD, you will either have to buy an external drive or borrow one to install the programs.
hey Chuck,
That is the one I got. I have no use for any of the programs on the USB drive except for Morpheus and it won’t let me load it because I didn’t get a code with it. I called the number on the drive’s package and that turned out to be another headache because he told me that it was a problem I would have to take up with Acer. They were closed by the time I found out. So, now I’m going to be back with Acer support, again. I thought they said on HSN that once you take the programs out of the USB drive it would act as extra storage? Can I empty a USB drive? It came with no instructions at all.
My battery recharged but all the time it was recharging the light was red instead of amber.
I have a desktop my son just built me that is great. I wanted the Acer to fit into my purses.
And I only want to use it for taking minutes at meetings, surfing, shopping, blogging, and e-mails. I have a large ergo keyboard so typing on the tiny one was quite a challenge for me.
Thank you for alerting me to the price difference. I did pay the 499 and I do think I’ll call HSN and ask about that. Now they have really good customer service generally, so maybe they will give me credit or just let me send all of it back.
It’s these little things that are irritating. But, the damn thing has a really nice clean picture and it is cute as hell. We have no 3G service where I live so I thought this would be the next best thing to a blackberry and even more useful for someone with poor vision.
I’ve bookmarked this page so I can check out the discussions on here about this product. And, as things turn out I’ll post back.
Thank you for your response.
Hey Kay,
I sure you can use the 4GB memory stick that came with the unit. If you are going to keep the system, after installing whatever programs you want, just put the stick in the computer and reformat it. I assume that the stick comes up as drive D. If that is the case (and you can check that by clicking on “My computer”), just type on the first line above the “Start” button, “Format D:”. Just make sure the letter you reference for format is the correct on. In NO case will it be C!!!
Generally, your proposed usage is going to be the same as mine. Re the keyboard and calling a spade a spade, it sucks for any kind of fast accurate typing (especially with the size of the screen.) There is a way around that though that I’m pretty sure will work (at least at home). And that is to get a USB external keyboard. If you have a desktop, that keyboard may serve double duty if its a USB type and most of them are these days.
I guess I didn’t hurt your feelings about the software on the memory stick. Mine won’t come with that option, but I still will have to clean out the garbage software that computer manufacturers cram on their computers these days.
Good luck getting HSN to give you a break on the price as they will justify the extra $120 for the mouse and the $400 dollars worth of crapo software.
If you click on the “mange your subscriptions” at the bottom of this page, they will send you an email anytime there is a post here.
Adios
PS Can’t wait to get mine. I’m strongly considering taking it on a trip down to Costa Rica in January.
Hey, I have the acer netbook AOA150-1283, with 3 cell battery purchased from futureshop.ca for 379 CAD. The battery specs are UM08A51 and 10.8v. All the batteries online are either for the UMO8A7_ series or 3_ series and say they are 11.1v. Will these replacements work on my canadian bilingual model? I dont want to risk it. The battery says use only 51 model, but that might be a money making warning more than a personal safety issue. Does anyone have the same model who has ordered a battery? The 9 cell is around 80usd on ebay, and about the same plus shipping on the global laptop battery website mentioned above. What should I do?
email me at andy_joanisse at hotmail.com
Andy
Another interesting option for the Acer Aspire. A car charger to keep the battery “topped” up while in a car or perhaps an airplane with a charger port.
http://www.laptoptraveller.com/auto-air-adapter-aa-c13.html
Does anyone know the exact weight of the 6 cell battery or better yet, how much more the 6 cell weighs than the 3 cell?
I’ve been leaning toward getting the 3 cell model, but am starting to think I should consider the 6 cell model.
Never mind about the weight question. I answered it myself with the online Acer specs.
The 3 cell unit weighs 2.19 pounds
The 6 cell unit weighs 2.78 pounds
The 6 cell unit above includes a hard drive while the 3 cell unit has a solid state drive.
I would think the ssd is slight less weigh than the hd.
The short answer here is about .6 pounds more in weight.
@Mark
US and Canadian prices for items are not so different any more with the appreciation of the Canadian dollar in recent years… the 3-cell AAO usually runs for $300-$350 CAD and the 6-cell can be had for $400-$430 depending on where you buy..
@Chuck
I can get > 5 hours on a full charge, but this depends of course on your usage patterns. And also thanks for your kind responses here to other questions!
@Sean
The pictures really overemphasize the extent to which the battery is an “ugly protrusion”, as I mentioned in my review. It’s really not that bad and I have no problem. If possibly, try to see one in real life for yourself before making a decision..
@Andy
Generally, manufacturers don’t like you using third-party batteries, but in most cases it shouldn’t be a problem, but as always, buyer beware.
Re Peter Chag comments above…
I assume you are talking about the 6 cell battery lasting 5 hours. That’s the one I’ve decided to ask Ms. Santa Claus for.
Re the “ugly” protrusion, while I haven’t seen it, I assume it’s like my previous IBM Thinkpad and I never thought it was ugly, but it did stick out about an inch or so. I think there is also a 9 cell option out there (not a Acer option). Assuming it stuck out twice as much, that would be UGLY.
Once again, as I mention early, I don’t think there’s any free lunch in regards to OEM battery manufacturers. EVERY time I bought one of these turkeys (either on eBay or from some battery website), none of them held a charge like the batteries that came with the laptops I’ve owned. If anyone has a different take on this issue, I would like to hear what site the batteries were purchased from.
Hi Peter
Thank you for the advise,I will wait to see the unit,hopefully it will come to Ireland soon.So it now the 160gb Asus or 6 cell Acer.I prefer the Acer as I like the glossy screen as to the matte finish of the Asus.
sean
@Chuck
Yes, my run times were based on the 6-cell. As I mentioned I think the photos I’ve taken tend to exaggerate the degree to which the battery sticks out (may have been the angle) and I have no problem with it. With regards to third-party battery manufacturers, the quality is definitely something of concern.
@Sean
I’m surprised that they’re not available in Ireland yet - they have been out in UK for some time so I just assumed that they’d be available there as well.
Hi Peter
I have tried laptopsdirect.co.uk and they do not have the 6 cell 160gb Acer Aspire One.They told me that it will not be available in the UK until after xmas.Do you know of anywhere in the uk I can get one?? thanks sean
Hey Peter…
I’m just about ready to pull the trigger on the Acer Mini. I just read somewhere else on the web that will the 6 cell battery, the screen does NOT tilt back as far as the 3 cell unit.
If this is true, does it impact viewing. On almost every laptop I’ve had or tried, there is an optimum viewing angle. With the laptop I’m writing this on (Apple MB), the screen is probably 30 degrees down from vertical for the best view. I’m wondering if the 6 cell battery prevents the screen from tilting that far down.
I don’t know if I’m making myself clear here, but from my experience, a laptop screen should tilt far enough back that the eyes of a viewer are look at the screen almost straight on. Any angle off the optimum viewing angle “washes” out the screen.
Any thoughts on the above would be appreciated.
@Sean
Last I checked, Amazon UK had them in stock, you may want to check them out.
@Chuck
I covered the screen tilt issue in my article (this actual one - check the photos at the bottom) and yes it does prevent the screen from going horizontal, but in my opinion it still can tilt far further back than is necessary so there should not be a problem.
Hi Peter
I just checked Amazon.co.uk but they have no 160gb 6 cell Acer Aspire One.They have the extended batteries.Can you give me the direct link to the 6cell Acer that you found.thanks sean
@Sean
Ah okay, I think you’re right, I didn’t consider the 6-cell version, sorry about that.
Hi Peter Thanks anyway,it seems that the 160gb 6cell AA0 will not arrive in Europe until some time in jan 2009 so I will just have to wait.
To all:
Looks like Costco.com is out of the 6 cell Acer netbooks. Just found basically the same deal at JR Music World that is really even better (free shipping). Six cell, 160GB HD, etc for $380. Considering that the 3 cell, 120Gb HD is priced at $350, it’s a no-brainer.
At the site below. They also ship to Canada and a couple other “American Territories”, but ground shipping is NOT available to most which I assume means no free shipping.
http://www.jr.com/product/productListing.jsp?Ntt=acer+aspire
Sorry Peter, I forgot about your pictures at the start of this thread. The tilt angle of the 6 cell looks great to me. I don’t care a hoot about going horizontal, but a great feature would be the so-called “expanding” keyboard that IBM put on some of their smaller laptops a few years ago. Yes, I know. Its not going to happen.
This computer is going to be for me just what its called. A netbook. The keyboard is the only thing I don’t like about the computer. However, disregarding the performance, I can see how this computer could serve as an everyday computer with a USB keyboard and a bigger monitor.
OS X on Acer Aspire One…
Saw several thread and a couple of youtube videos showing OS X on the Acer. Just wondering if anyone here is considering installing the Apple system on their Acer?
Looks tad complicated for my taste. Maybe when my warranty is up, I’ll reconsider it.
Aspire One 6 cell 160GB available now at Broadway Photo broadwayphoto.com for $344.00 and free delivery. Just purchased mine. Not refurbished in case you ask.
Just thought you would be interested–The Acer aspire one 6 cell for $344 at Broadway photo is all in Japanese with no American warranty!–the American version is about $100 more money!–Ron
Re Ron and Pam above…
I was just on the broadwayphoto.com site and did NOT see any Acer Aspire 160GB/6 cell unit listed. I DID see several models at $344, but they all appeared to be the 120GB model and I ASSUME, the 3 cell flavor.
to \Chuck!–Look at the features–List a 160 hard drive which has 6 cell battery!–I called and was ready to buy until they told me the language was in Japanese at the $344 price!!==If I wanted English and American warranty it was about $100 more!
Re Ron…
I guess I’m going to have to say I was wrong. However, broadwayphoto.com copy leaves a little to be desired. I’m only interested in the 6 cell battery unit and as far as I can tell from a second reading of their webpage, none of the units listed say ANYTHING directly about the 6 cell battery. A couple of the units listed do mention the 160GB HD which as far as I can tell, is also supposed to be teamed up with the 6 cell.
I googled the units by number and the AOA150-1049 comes up elsewhere as the 6 cell unit.
Regardless of the above, my Ms Santa Claus ordered the J&R Music world deal (6 cell) at $380 and I feel more comfortable with J&R verses Broadway Photo (who I never heard of before).
Thanks for the warning about the Japanese language on the cheaper unit.
Well, I’ve been trying to play with my 6 cell Acer but I have a close friend in the hospital and I’ve been there more than I’ve been using my Acer. Sooo, just tonight I decided to watch a youtube video on my own blog to see how it would look on the Acer. It didn’t play well at all.
It kept stopping every few seconds to download more data.
Is this a common problem with these things? Or am I doing something wrong?
Thank all of you for being so helpful to me. I really appreciate it, especially right now!
BTW, I don’t find that the 6 cell thingie is in anyway obnoxious or ugly. Maybe because I never had anything else? But, I can say I showed it to a friend of mine who normally uses her larger laptop and she loved it.
to Chuck!–I think you made the right choice with J and R!–That sounds like a good price!–I have been trying to find a 6 cell at $350 but no luck so far!–If I find that I will buy a blue one!–My xmas present to myself!–I will let you know if I find a deal!–thanks for the info!–Ron
To Kay…
While I haven’t see the Acer surf the net yet as I’m not getting mine until Christmas, I would say that IF you’re getting “stop and go” playback on youtube on every video you try, then there may be a problem with the Acer handling video playback.
Try a few other youtube videos or a cnn video. Occasionally I have that same problem on ALL computers that I’ve had. I assume it’s either a server problem or a broadband throughput problem caused by too many people on the system.
About Broadway Photo Aspire One order. DONT. I’ve had nothing but trouble with this company for the last 2 days. Obnoxious people on the phone. Won’t fill the order anyway. I canceled the order and will pay more somewhere else as it is very worth it not to deal with Broadway Photo.
Good thing to know about Japanese version. Site didn’t refer to this. Went to Tiger Direct, hopefully no hassle here. Will see.
Great job on your review. One of my pet peeves when shopping for a laptop is the failure to state the maximum amount of RAM that can be installed on a laptop. Hopefully you can address this. In the future it really would be great to see companies state the RAM something like 512MB/2GB, or whatever they are selling. Wouldn’t that be great?
@Sean
The wait should be worth it!
@Chuck
Thanks for all your comments and help. Like you, I am thoroughly enjoying the AAO as a netbook, great for Internet and other low-power things.
@Kay
I haven’t had any problems watching YouTube videos, but admittedly, I’ve only watched the “normal” quality videos, not the HD ones. A few things to consider:
1) If you are trying to watch a YouTube video in HD format (something like 720p) then the AAO might have trouble playing this back. But I’m not sure.
2) If it kept stopping every few seconds to download more data, it may be a problem with your (wireless) connection. As Chuck recommended, try it on another computer to see if you get the same results. If every network access seems slow on the AAO (file transfers, etc) then it may be a problem with the wireless connection.
@Pam
Sorry to hear about your experiences with Broadway Photo, but thanks for the heads up to everyone else.
@User1
Yeah, this was a bit confusing since the AAO has a maximum RAM capacity of 1.5 GB I believe. This was because there is 512MB onboard (soldered) and the only available SODIMM slot only takes up to a 1GB module.
HI Peter Thanks for your reply,I see the 6cell AAO on Amazon USA and the spec says it has a 1.3mp webcam,is this correct?
thanks
sean
Its after xmass and I am still waiting for the 6cell to arrive in Europe.
@Sean
The webcam on my AAO is only 640×480, making it only a 0.3 MP webcam, not 1.3 MP. However, it appears that the newer AAO units are now coming with a 1.3 MP webcam. See here for details.
Thanks a mil Peter,will do more searching.