The Acer Aspire Timeline 1810T is now shipping in Europe, and you can find a detailed, multi-part review at Acer1810 Review. The 11.6 inch laptop is available for pre-order in the US under a different name, the Acer Aspire 1410.
It looks almost exactly like the Acer Aspire 751, an 11.6 inch laptop with an Intel Atom Z520 CPU. But the 1810T/1410 has a more powerful 1.4GHz Intel SU3500 Core 2 Solo processor with integrated GMA 4500MHD graphics. The reviewer says the build quality is decent, and that the battery sits flush with the base, which isn’t true with the Aspire One 751.
So what’s the verdict on the laptop so far? Apparently the system can handle basic tasks with ease, including surfing the web with 20 browser tabs open. Video playback was another story. The reviewer says a 1080p WMV video played smoothly, but CPU usage was at 100%. HD video from YouTube, on the other hand, was less successful, resulting in skipped frames. I’d still like to know how the computer handles standard definition video from Hulu in full-screen, but since Hulu isn’t available outside of the US, and the laptop isn’t available in the US yet, I think we may have to wait a little longer for an answer to that question.
via Netbooked
If this thing doesn’t get released in the US soon, I may end up breaking down and popping for that 13 inch Timeline.
I’m not dying to move to a larger machine, but Atom speeds are really starting to get to me.
I understand this is basically the same as the AO751 except for the faster processor. Is that true? And if so, is it substantially faster than the AO751? Is it worth the waiting a couple more months for the release and the extra cost?
It also has a different chipset. The chipset can address more RAM (at least 4GB), and the GPU is zippier as well.
For $100 and two months, it may be worth waiting on the 1410. The benchmarks on the CULV chip put it considerably ahead of even the N280, i.e. faster than the fastest current netbooks. The 751 is one of the slowest.
I love my 751 so far, but making a system work with the Z520 requires significant compromises. Don’t keep too many apps or browser tabs open, hunt down the most efficient apps you can, etc. The 1410 will still require compromises (like any system a anything like a netbook), but not as many as the 751.
I bought my wife the 14″ version with the SU3500. HD Hulu was a little stuttery but watchable. SD Hulu had no problems. On a 14″ screen, HD and SD hulu pretty much looked the same anyway.