Acer Aspire AO721-3574 netbook review

The Acer Aspire AO721-3574 11.6 inches notebook from Acer is a cool netbook from Acer and it has been introduced to address some of the shortcomings inherent in most netbooks, namely: weak processing power, weak grahics, inadequate RAM, uncomfortable screen sizes and uncomfortable screen resolutions. This Aspire seeks to redress these niggling issues with a blend of powerful laptop-like components, the likes of which are not readily available in other netbooks.

So what’s the big deal with this Acer Aspire? Look at some of its specifications below:

· An AMD Athlon II Neo Processor K125 running at 1.7Ghz
· 2GB DDR3 RAM and a 250GB SATA Hard disk
· An LED backlit 11.6” screen with a resolution of 1366x768 pixels
· An ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics video card with 384MB of dedicated video memory
· Windows 7 Home Premium (64bit)
· WIFI certified wireless N and Gigabit Ethernet
· Multi-gesture touchpad
· Inbuilt 1.3MP webcam and microphone
· Multi-card reader, HDMI-out port

First off, you are drawn to the glorious 11.6” LED backlit screen with its 1366x768 pixels resolution, this screen size and resolution are just what the doctor ordered; you can finally ditch those horrible 1024x600 pixels screens and move up to HD resolution. This 11.6” screen would be useless without the right graphics video card and Acer have done a good job by including a powerful ATI Radeon HD 4225 GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) with 384MB of dedicated video memory. ATI’s HD 4225 GPU gives this Acer Aspire netbook the muscle to stream HD videos seamlessly (even 1080p HD videos) and this GPU even has native DirectX 10.1 and shader model 4.0 support enabling it to easily handle games like Half-life 2, it even plays some games faster than older Pentium 4 desktops.

In the memory department this Aspire One is no slouch, it packs a mean 2GB of DDR3 RAM, double the RAM available in most netbooks. This RAM should be enough for anything you throw at this netbook (just don’t think Photoshop or video editing) and it frees you from the frustrations of upgrading immediately you buy, although there is still room for an extra 2GB of RAM if you are up to it. Storage is handled by a 250GB SATA hard disk spinning at 5400rpm, not fantastic but adequate.

Most netbooks are usually powered by the underwhelming Intel Atom processor but this Acer netbook has a different processor at its core; an AMD Athlon II Neo processor K125 clocked at 1.7GHz with a 1MB L2 cache. This AMD processor blows all the Intel Atom processors out of the water, it is even closer in comparison with the Celeron M and Pentium M family of mobile processors.

On the networking front this netbook has a WIFI certified wireless N radio with a throughput of 108Mbps (a step-up from the common WIFI wireless G standard which has a throughput of 54Mbps). Wired networking is covered with a Gigabit Ethernet port, also another good addition. The only downside is the omission of a Bluetooth radio which would have been nice for mobile connectivity.

A very sweet spot in this netbook is the inclusion of Windows 7 Home Premium. Previously, netbooks usually came preloaded with either Windows 7 starter or Windows XP with both of these OSes coming in for some sharp criticisms (Users have been less than impressed with the limitations of Windows 7 starter while no one wants an old Windows XP on a new device) so including Windows 7 Home Premium on this system is a very good move. Notable software pre-installed on this netbook includes Adobe Acrobat Reader, Adobe Flash Player, CyberLink PowerDVD (OEM version), McAfee Internet Security Suite (trial version), Microsoft Office (60-day trial), Microsoft Silverlight, Microsoft Works and Skype.

Input and Output on the AO721-3574 is another highlight. There are three USB 2.0 ports, a multi-card reader (compatible with Secure Digital, MMC, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, xD Picture card and several others via appropriate adapters), an HDMI-out port (perfect for connecting HD displays), a built-in microphone, a 1.3MP (1280x1024 pixels) webcam (perfect for skype use), a VGA-out port, a full-sized keyboard and a multi-gesture touchpad (which comes in handy for two finger scrolling, pinching, rotating images and some other cool stuff).

The Aspire One 721 has a plastic body while the top has a mesh matte finish which might not be to everyone’s taste also the hinges are made of plastic (a funny decision if you ask me). The unit has the following dimensions; 11.2” x 8.0” x 1.1” (W x D x H) and weighs in at a sprightly 3.1lbs. The power cord plugs in at the side of the unit for frustration free AC outlet use, this arrangement also prevents the power pack cord from easily coming to harm. The internal fans are not too loud and the netbook also does not get too hot (if you plan to use the netbook on your lap, please get a cooling pad before you fry yourself and your netbook).

Battery life is where this netbook does not shine, unfortunately the powerful
components have conspired to reduce this netbook’s battery life, the battery lasts a
paltry 5hours with minimal use while it lasts only 2.5hours when watching movies.
You can look at it like this; you’re getting 5hours of quality computing compared to
10hours of mediocre computing, besides you might not spend up to 5hours away from a
power outlet. Another shortcoming is with the inbuilt speakers, they are not the
greatest sounding speakers (this is an unfortunate feature of most netbooks).

Is this netbook right for you? It depends. If you need more than 5hours of battery life or if you need a desktop replacement, please don't buy this netbook. If on the other hand, you need a netbook with: serious processing might, one that plays serious games and easily streams HD videos, 2GB of RAM already installed, seamless wireless connectivity and a beautiful screen, then you can not go wrong with this netbook.