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ACER AL10B31 Battery Life
The increased AC-consumption that we measured does reflect in the maximum AL10A31 battery run time. As a result of the higher minimal consumption we achieved about 100 min less than with the Aspire One 722-C52kk (C-50 CPU). In the Battery Eater Readers Test (maximum running time, minimum brightness, all wireless modules turned off) the net book managed 549 min running time.
The revised Acer One fared slightly better in all other tests. Surfing with W-LAN it clocks at 407 min, (display level 5, at about 150 cd/m², balanced profile), Films are played for 342 min (Display level 7, wireless modules off, played from hard disc) and the Battery Eater Classic Test (minimum running time, high power profile, maximum brightness, all wireless modules turned on) runs for 201 min. As the results of the Battery Eater Readers Test are of a more theoretical value in reality there shouldn't be any loss of running time.
Case
The Taiwanese company now also has an updated version of its largest 11.6 inch netbook representative available as the Acer Aspire One 722. Alike the previously reviewed Acer Aspire One 522, the test device comes along with a 1 GHz weak AMD C-50 Dual-Core APU (accelerated processing unit) together with incorporated AMD Radeon HD 6250 graphics unit. Other key data, such as a 2 GB DDR3 main memory, a 250 GB hard disk capacity and the usual interfaces, have been maintained.
The netbook shows modernizations in the area of case and display. The latter now has a resolution of 1280x720 pixels (HD Ready) and a glare type surface at a typical size. The prior model still had the finer resolution of 1366x768 pixels in a 16:9 format. (ACER AL10G31 batteries)
The glossy display cover with it's wave pattern is a real eye-catcher, but quickly becomes annoying because of visable fingerprints, micro-scratches and dust particles. the materials used around the keyboard are better and less flashy. The display frame and base are stable and aren't easily flexed. The keyboard area isn't as resistant against pressure, especially the keypad and palmrest area left of the touchpad which bent under little pressure. The display hinges are tight and allow a very large opening angle without any wobbling.
The case isn't absolutely convincing in terms of stability. Slight pressure is already enough to induce visible yielding in the center. This gives the keyboard a very spongy impression. The display lid, on the other hand, is fairly rigid and only allows a marginal distortion. Stronger pressure from the outside produces slight pressure marks on the picture in a turned on state. However, this should hardly be the case during routine use. Two fragile-looking, tightly pulled display hinges provide a good hold. In addition to the pleasant opening angle of 150 degrees, the evident teetering remains to be a small minus point.
Connectivity
Sameways we couldn't find any differences concerning the interfaces. The three USB-ports have a maximum speed of 27,1 MB/s and the SD-HC cardreader 14,2 MB/s. You can connect an external monitor (or TV) with a HDMI or VGA port. Both are able to display a good picture quality at a resolution of 1680x1050 pixels, although the HDMI delivers a slightly sharper picture (ASUS N46V batteries). The arrangement of the ports has it's pros and cons. Both USB-ports on the right side are rather far to the back and connected items won't disturb, but the space between them is too small as to permit the simultaeneous usage of two larger USB-sticks. The ports are better spaced on the left side, but are more to the front and attached cables limit your freedom of movement.
Keyboard
The Keyboard has normal-sized keys in a 19mm grid with a hi-contrast layout and all important extra funcions are realized as FN-combinations. The keys themselves have a short key drop and a soft and indefinate pressure point.The keyboard as such bounces and bends more or less obviously across the whole area. The keys make an inobtrusive mechanical sound and the big keys such as space and return rattle a little.
Touchpad
The touchpad is rather big, with a structured, well gliding surface. Usual multi-finger gestures are supported and the touchpad can be turned off or on via FN combination keys.I didn't like the one-button design of the touchpad. It is thin and the key drop is too small and ease of use leaves room for improvements. To the middle of the button the already long reaction time worsens and makes it difficult to hold using combined key inputs.
Display
The glossy LED-screen has a resolution of 1366x768 pixels (TOSHIBA PA5024U-1BRS batteries), and thus has the same desktop-size like standard 15 notebooks. The image apperars much smaller and reflects the higer pixel density od 135dpi.
The mean maximum luminosity is 245 cd/m² and offers a very even brightness distribution. The brightness can be suficcenty varied in 9 steps. Step 5 delivers about 150 cd/m², which would suffice for inside use with matte screens. Users are liable to select a higher setting to eliminate mirroring, as this screen is glossy.
The measured contrast ratio of 186:1 results from a black level of 1.4 at maximum brightness. The low contrast is noticeable with rather weak colors and dark grey as black and light grey as white. This effect is not quite as visible as on matte screens thanks to the shiny screen surface and appears subjectively better. Another advantage of a shiny screen is a somewhat sharper display as opposed to a matte screen. The sRGB color space is about 59% and is comparable to other standard displays
The Aspire One 722 makes a surprisingly good impression for outdoor use, as the small screen size makes it easier to avoid having reflections on it and thanks to the rather high brightness (245 cd/m²) which is also available when using the battery. It is possible to view screen content in a sufficient way and you can work with it in a relaxed fashion most of the time. Of course this assumes that you place the screen in a good position and avoid direct sunlight.
The viewing angle stability is that of a typical TN and changes quickly vertically from a faded image viewing from above to inverted colors from the bottom. The optimal viewing angle is rather small and situates itself between 75-115°. The horizontal viewing angle has much more range and the image is well recognizable, if you take some color and brightness variations in account.
Verdict
Acer has upgraded the performance and improved the display quality of the Acer One 722. The computing power is sufficient for a wide spectrum of applications and should satisfy many home users. Otherwise much has stayed the same. The low weight, mitigated chassis quality and the frugal but adequate connectivity are unchanged and usually are sufficient for the key audience.
Still apparent are the wobbly keyboard, the mirroring poor-contrast screen and the higher chassis temperature. These disadvantages may not be felt the same by every user, but they might tip the balance. Great: the battery life hasn't diminished despite the higher performance and has even increased in some real-life areas.
More info: laptop-batteries.com.au , laptop-battery.org.uk , battery-store.eu
