The Dodge Retort

Seeing red is goal of HP's Vivienne Tam edition

Dell Mini 10v is awash in colors

You can have a netbook in any color you want as long as it’s black. While that timeworn notion thought to be coined by Henry Ford is changing, it would still seem to be the case (pun intended) from netbook leader Acer which dominates a third of market.

Acer’s most powerful model the Aspire One 11.6  says nothing about color choice and it’s black in the picture so I assume it’s, well, black. Or dark. It’s the same with Aspire One Pro 10.1, Ultra-thin 10.1 and regular 10.1 models. Only it’s 8.9 models comes in colors: sapphire blue, golden brown (like a perfectly-cooked McDonald’s fry), seashell white and rose pink. Near as I can tell, there is no black for the 8.9 inch model.

I’d like to think Acer is a reflection of the Taiwanese netbook maker’s greater focus on real features than cosmetics. Black is fine with me, but let’s face it, to teenage girls, color is a major feature. Dell and Asus by comparison are downright psychedelic.

In fact, number two maker Asus offers multiple colors for all its 24 netbooks. It’s new Eee PC 1008HA comes in white, black, pink, blue, sapphire blue and Ruby Red. Dell, too, is awash in color with the Mini 10v which can be had in jade green, ice blue, promise pink, passion purple, alpine white, red and not just black but obsidian black (Dell makes a $5 charitable contribution when the red and pink are purchased). All but the latter is $40 extra. What’s more, Dell offers the Mini 9 and 12 with sleeve covers in grey/famingo pink and jet/cabernet.

The wildest design is the Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam edition which probably comes closest to looking like a purse especially when it’s owner is wearing a similarly styled print dress. It plays off the notion of the art of accessories. It’s way too red for me – passionate red some politely might say and the $700 starting price is in the stratosphere.

Then again, it’s all in the eyes of the holder (of the netbook).

New Acer Aspire One AO751h1192

Netbooks just keep getting better.

Acer today announced two second generation netbooks — the $380 11.6-inch Acer Aspire One AO751h (TDR May 5) and the $298 10.1-inch Acer Aspire One AOD250. Both are thinner, lighter and more powerful than Acer’s first generation netbooks, according to the Acer press release.

The strategy seems to be bundle earlier models with mobile broadband and sell them dirt cheap like Acer does with its 8.9 inch model with Radio Shack and is rumored to be doing with Costco. Then they fill the vacated $300-$400 premium price band with beefier models such as the ones introduced today. Below are the specs from the Acer press release.

Acer Aspire One AO751h-1192

• Intel^® Atom™ Processor Z520 (1.22GHz, 490MHz FSB, 512KB L2 Cache)
• Genuine Microsoft Windows XP® Home (Service Pack 3)
• 11.6-inch WXGA 16:9 ratio Acer CrystalBrite™ High Definition LED back-lit TFT LCD (1364 x 768 resolution)
• Mobile Intel® US15W Express Chipset
• 1024MB DDR2 533 MHz SDRAM Single Channel Memory
• Integrated Intel^® Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• 160GB SATA 5400RPM Hard Drive
• Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader and Dedicated SD Card
• Acer InviLink™ 802.11b/g Wi-Fi CERTIFIED®
• Acer Crystal Eye Web Camera
• Two Built-in Stereo Speakers
• Three USB 2.0 Ports
• 6-cell Li-ion Battery (5200mAh)
• 11.18” (W) x 7.79” (D) x 1” (H)
• Sapphire Blue
• One-Year Standard Warranty
• Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: $379.99

Acer Aspire One AOD250-1042

• Intel^® Atom™ Processor N270 (1.60GHz, 533MHz FSB, 512KB L2 Cache)
• Genuine Microsoft Windows XP® Home (Service Pack 3)
• 10.1-inch WSVGA 16:9 ratio Acer CrystalBrite™ LED back-lit TFT LCD (1024×600 resolution)
• Mobile Intel® 945GSE Express Chipset
• 1024MB DDR2 533 MHz SDRAM Single Channel Memory
• Integrated Intel^® Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• 160GB SATA 5400RPM Hard Drive
• Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader
• Acer InviLink™ 802.11b/g Wi-Fi CERTIFIED®
• Acer Crystal Eye Web Camera
• Two Built-in Stereo Speakers
• Three USB 2.0 Ports
• 3-cell Li-ion Battery (2600 mAh)
• 10.17” (W) x 7.24” (D) x 1” (H)
• Ruby Red
• One-Year Standard Warranty
• Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: $298.00

Much improved keyboard starting with Asus' Eee PC1000HE

Maybe they are mini-notebooks after all. Asus and Acer, the two biggest netbook companies, are planning to release models this month with 12-inch displays.

For its part, Asus is planning product blitz that includes an Eee PC with an 11.6 inch display for release later this month, according to a Digitimes interview with Asus president Jerry Shen. However, 50 per cent of the 2009 shipments will remain units with 10-inch displays including lighter and thinner models coming this month, according to TDR sources.

At the CeBit show in Germany last month,  Asus introduced the Eee PC1008HA, a thinner 2.4 pound 10-inch netbook with a five-hour battery. Invariably that model will most likely end for sale here. Forthcoming Asus netbooks will include the improved Chicklet keyboard that first appeared in the Eee PC 1000HE introduced Feb 9. Keyboards in previous Asus netbooks were horribly cramped.

The company also has an 15.6 inch XS15 ultra-thin notebook in the pipeline for between $1,000 and $1,300 as well as 13 and 14 inch entry level models, according to the Digitimes story.  Asus also introduced a 12-inch S-121 (S for Stylish on the Go computing) with a whopping big 512 GB solid state drive at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. An Asus spokeswoman declined to confirm existence the unannounced models and said availability and pricing of the S-121 in the U.S. were still unclear.

She added that the 1000HEis presently Asus’ best-selling netbook.

The Acer Aspire One Model 751 with an 11.6 inch display was demoed by Acer UK general manager Bobby Watkins in a Youtube video posted in May 1. It’ll sport a “full keyboard,” Intel Atom CPU, one GB of RAM, Windows XP Home, an 160-GB hard drive and 5 hours of battery standard with a 6-cell battery option for “all day” computing or up to nine hours, Watkins said.  The unit will come in five colors and will be out this month, costing about $570 (379£).

A message was left for Acer public relations to verify the video and offer details when the 751 might appear on shelves in the U.S.

The companies now join Dell with its Inspiron Mini 12 in the 12-inch netbook club.

Netbooks equipped with 3G wireless broadband are about to hit en masse given that Costco will carry a 10.1 inch Acer Aspire One  that comes with with AT&T mobile broadband, according to Costco training materials circulating across gadget sites. What’s more, Acer’s similarly-equipped Aspire One with an 8.9 inch screen has finally hit the $50 price point, TDR has learned.

The Costco kiosk will probably resemble a Verizon cell phone kiosk where a staffer (not sure if the person is from Costco or Verizon) sells phones and writes up service agreements. Presently, Costco sells a variety of netbooks online from$350 to $680 and without wireless mobile broadband. At my Costco in Danvers, Mass., the first thing customers walking through the door see are electronics and it’s likely the new Acer netbook will take their place next to the iPods and digital cameras.

For Acer’s part, it already sells an Aspire One with an 8.9-inch display through Radio Shack stores that is equipped with AT&T mobile broadband.  Radio Shack just dropped the price for the unit to $49.99 after starting it at $99.99 in early December.

The Costco training materials says personnel must take two courses (one is 15-20 minutes in length) and complete them by May 8 for the May 11 launch. Pricing for the Costco’s first 3G netbook could slide ride into the $80-$100 price range vacated by Radio Shack. I have calls into Acer and Costco and awaiting word when the West Coast go to work this morning.

Rock bottom netbook prices are subsidized by two-year service agreements that typically cost the customer $60 a month.