Acer planning a 10" netbook

Posted by Al Warmington on Wed 26 Nov 2008

Landing early next year

Eee PC rival Acer is planning a new Aspire One netbook, according to the company’s president. A 10” version is expected to go on sale sometime early next year, although there’s no definite indication of when it will hit the UK.

Unlike Asus, the company that sparked the netbook craze, Acer has been very restrained with its selection of mini sub-notebooks. There’s currently just one model available, although it can be customised a little in terms of colour, RAM, disc space and operating system.

The launch of a 10” model would be the first major upgrade to the successful Aspire One range, and is likely to have most of the same spec. Acer hasn’t made the exact specifications clear, but we’d reckon on at least 1GB of RAM, larger SSD options, and 3G connectivity throughout (early Aspire One models missed out on mobile broadband connectivity).

The main hope is that Acer will do something to address the gadget's appalling battery life. However, that could be difficult without significantly increasing the weight.

The message here is that if you’re thinking of picking up an Aspire One for Xmas, or nabbing one in the new year sales, hold fire until Acer makes its 10” prices known.

Aspire One (via CNET)