The Acer Aspire One: The Perfect Travel Computer

Any Stealth Van Dweller worth his salt will tell your that their life wouldn't be very comfortable without a way to keep in touch with family, friends and the rest of the world. Many things are gleaned from the internet these days. The forming and continuation of friendships with people you may never actually meet.

Due to a common link, their mobile life style or at least an interest in the subject, people have come together as a way to feel part of a group, gain needed information, and just carry on in friendly conversation.

The tool that has made this all possible is the simple PC Computer, often equipped with a wireless interface allowing the intrepid traveler to take advantage of free wireless internet service as they travel across the land.

Space in your standard cargo van is admittedly at a premium. This makes the use of larger laptops and of course the old standard desk top computers cumbersome and in some instances almost impossible. You won't find many desks within the small space Van Dwellers call home.

Recently smaller laptops have come on the market, known as NetBook computers they are often the size of the average hard cover novel. Many are equipped with nonstandard operating systems, small data storage, and limited battery life. For anyone considering themselves a moderate PC user the usefulness of such a computer would be very limited.

The Acer Aspire One NetBook will quickly change your mind as to the viability of making such a computer your main link to the internet. With it's latest upgrades it will match most conventional laptops in speed, storage capacity and overall usefulness while being able to be stored in a small drawer, or even a purse in some instances.

This is no slouch in the world of computers. It comes equipped with a 160 GB hard drive,1 GB memory, Microsoft XP operating system and a battery pack that will operate this nifty little package for 6 hrs. Don't forget it's also set up with wireless so you can pull up to your favorite hot spot and get on line in an instant.

Software on board includes the MS Works suite of programs so your word processing, spreadsheet, and database needs are covered. Windows XP will let you run multiple programs at the same time, in fact I found the computer to be much faster when compared to MS Vista, with almost all the same capabilities.

Maneuvering through the internet is easiest using a mouse. The only complaint listed on a number of reviews is the on board touchpad clicker is rather loud. I found tapping the touchpad screen to click or select worked well and was easier. An inexpensive optical mouse made the process even better as the scroll down wheel allowed better mobility on screen.

The keyboard is a bit tight, but if you leave your palms resting on the computer and just move your fingers you can type almost as well as on a full sized keyboard. A simple solution is a $10 USB keyboard that you can plug into one of three USB ports.

Over all this in one heck of a nice little computer for the $399 price tag. Something that would meet all the needs of someone traveling, or living in small places. With a 6hr battery life staying in contact when your away from electrical power will come in real handy. Add a navigation software package and the small unit will keep you headed toward your destination. This computer will quickly become your best traveling partner yet.