Acer Aspire One ‘Pro’ 531 now official

Asus is not the only netbook manufacturer that frustrates me with its hard-to-follow model numbering. Acer‘s recent announcements has left me scratching my head trying to work out the difference between models. If you look at the Aspire One D250, for example, and compare it to the Aspire One 531, they are almost identical models apart from a thinner form factor for the 531. To add to the mix, Acer has now announced the Aspire One Pro 531.

Now we had first heard rumours of the ‘Pro’ series just under a month ago. The Aspire One Pro models were to be targeted towards business users and ‘prosumers’. So how does the ‘Pro 531’ differ from the ‘531’ you may ask? From what we can tell, the ‘Pro 531’ seems to be almost identical to the 531 apart from its storage options and choice of OS. Read more

Acer Aspire One 751 netbook previewed

Whilst we are still waiting for official confirmation of the 11-6 inch Acer Aspire One 751, the elder sibling of the 10.1-inch 531 announced yesterday, PC World Norway has already previewed a pre-production model. Overall they were impressed with the stylish slim design, good-sized keyboard and great display. The main niggle they had was the fan noise, although this may be rectified from retail models. Read more

Slimline Acer Aspire One 531 netbook gets official

Following on from Acer’s 10.1-inch Aspire One D250 netbook announced yesterday, another 10-inch from its stable has also been unveiled, the Aspire One 531. The Aspire One D250 appeared on both the Acer UK and Germany sites yesterday but was then removed later in the day. However, the Aspire One 531 is still listed on the Germany site for all to see. Looking through the specifications we are struggling to tell the difference between the two, it looks almost identical to the D250. Read more

First pictures of the elegant Acer Aspire One Pro surface

As we revealed last week, Acer is to launch a new series of netbooks under the ‘Aspire One Pro’ name. As the name suggests, these netbooks will be targeted towards business users and ‘prosumers’. At that point we didn’t have any images as to what the new series would look like. We now do, thanks to Macles, and we have to say that it has some very elegant design cues. This includes chrome hinges as well as a carbon fibre bar all wrapped in a slimline form-factor. The ‘Aspire One Pro’ logo can also clearly be seen on the top-right of the screen display.

The pictures also seem to suggest that ‘Pro’ series will have a choice between Windows and Linux operating systems. The keyboard shows that instead of a Windows key towards the bottom left, there instead sits a ‘Home’ icon. These are normally found on units that run Linux. This seems strange to us, given the predominance of Windows systems that are normally targeted to business users.

The first netbooks to be launched under the new name are an 11.6-inch and 10-inch model. It is believed that the 11.6-inch netbook will be powered by a low-power 1.6GHz Z530 Intel Atom CPU and 1GB RAM and come with a 160GB hard-disk drive. It will weigh only 1.25kg (2.8lbs) and be just 1-inch thick. We don’t have any firm details on the specifications of the 10.2-inch Acer Aspire One Pro. Apparently both versions will be available in HDD and SDD configurations. Click through for more photos of the Aspire One Pro. Read more

Acer’s new netbook series named Aspire One Pro

Acer is to name some of its upcoming netbooks under the Aspire One ‘Pro’ umbrella according to macles. As we revealed a few days ago, Acer is rumoured to have a 11.6-inch netbook on the cards along with a 10.1-inch model that was revealed earlier in the month. These two netbooks are expected to be known by the model numbers 731 and 531 respectively.

Acer has chosen the ‘Pro’ tag as it is thought that these netbooks will be targeted towards business users and ‘prosumers’, which is also likely to mean a higher price tag. No word on release date for either machine.

The Aspire One Pro 731 will have a 11.6-inch netbook powered by a low-power 1.6GHz Z530 Intel Atom CPU and 1GB RAM and come with a 160GB hard-disk drive. The new model will use the Intel Poulsbo chipset with GMA500 graphics core. Battery life of four hours is expected with the standard battery. It’s believed to weigh 1.25kg and measure 284 x 198 x 26 mm. The smaller 10.2-inch Acer Aspire One Pro 531 is apparently the same netbook that was pictured in recent FCC filings.