Acer Aspire One D150 unboxing and first impressions

I’ve long waited for a chance to handle the 10-inch Acer Aspire D150. Today, I just had my chance, and for the course of the next few weeks I’m going to be all about it, this post being the first in a series that showcases the device in terms of both hardware and software. I’ve been a satisfied owner of the original Acer Aspire One, the 9-inch model, so I have somewhat high hopes for this one. Hit the jump to see our little gallery of unboxing photos and read my first impressions on the hardware.


The box contained nothing unusual. Just about everything a user would need–a power brick, cord, 6-cell battery and the 10-inch netbook itself. ‘Course, it wouldn’t have hurt if Acer included a leather pouch with this model just like they did with the 9-inch Acer Aspire One.

I felt that the Acer Aspire D150 was a great deal heavier than its predecessor. This shouldn’t be a surprise since it has a larger screen and theoretically more components (including a higher capacity hard drive and Bluetooth module, among others), but it was quite heavier than I expected it to be.

As for the outer appearance, I’d say I can describe it in just one word: beautiful. the color (red), the brushed metal casing (which is also part of the reason why there’s added weight), the rounded edges all compliment each other. To be honest, the design of the 9-inch Acer Aspire One was what first attracted me when I first saw it last year sitting next to stale-looking, generic white-colored Asus Eee PCs. This next-gen model takes the cake yet again. Based on design, I would still get this over the new Eee PC models. I don’t know, just personal preference.

All the other usual ports and connectors found on the 9-inch Aspire One, as well as other netbooks, are present. On the left side, there is one USB port, 1 VGA-out port, memory card reader (with a filler), audio in/out jacks, and an Ethernet jack. On the right side, there are two USB ports, the charger port and lock slot.

The Acer Aspire One D150′s 6-cell battery evidently bulges out round the back. This is yet another reason why the netbook is heavier overall, since it lugs on a weight of its own, but the benefit of a few extra hours of battery life far outweigh this little inconvenience. I’ll see how long exactly the battery lasts on a single full charge and include my findings in my full review.

The next two things I’m going to discuss about the Acer Aspire One D150 are among the biggest improvements. The keyboard is larger, and the trackpad is now done in a standard way where the left and right click buttons are positioned below the actual trackpad. I haven’t been able to do any long haul typing on the Aspire One D150′s keyboard yet, but from what I’ve experienced so far, it doesn’t differ much from the keyboard of the 9-inch model in terms of tactile feedback and travel.

It’s keys are somewhat larger, which makes for better typing, but graduating from the 9-inch model’s keyboard to this one won’t feel like you’ve just escaped from prison. As for the improved trackpad, while I like the fact that Acer moved the clickers below the touch panel, it would have been nice if they made it larger overall too. The more space to move my fingers on, the better. Anyway, it’s always easier to just use a USB mouse for on-screen navigation, so that’s not a problem at all (at least for me).

All Acer Aspire One D150 units come pre-installed with Windows XP Home Edition, and as I booted the device on I noticed that it took a bit longer than my old Aspire One to boot. The fact that it was also pre-installed with a fair amount of bloatware might have something to do with it. I’ll discuss more of this in my upcoming full review and comparison with the 9-inch Acer Aspire One.

Well, it doesn’t look like the Acer Aspire One D150 will disappoint. Right now, there’s no way to know for sure if it satisfies in every aspect or not, but I’d say it’s promising so far. Check out the rest of the photos I took while unboxing the unit below.