We don’t expect too many new netbook models this year. But there will be enough of them for netbook fans to choose from. The Acer Aspire One D270 is a 10.1 inch netbook with 1.6GHz Atom N2600 processor and 1GB of RA. A 320 GB of hard drive storage is included. The device has a dual core processor and a 400MHz embedded graphics core. The device will launch in mid-January 2012.

Although netbooks only contribute limited profits, since emerging markets that wish to strengthen their IT education will normally place large amount of orders, the strong volume could still help boosting the overall sales of the product line, Lin (Acer’s China operations) noted

Things are not going to get easier for Acer and other players in the thin-laptop business. Apple is expected to bring a 15 inch MacBook Air to the market in the first quarter of 2012. With netbooks falling, Ultrabooks are getting a lot of attention. But the jury is still out on whether those can be highly popular.

While many netbook makers are reassessing their strategies in the market, Acer has decided to stick by netbooks for now. Tablets are already very popular. Ultrabooks are on the rise. Samsung is already abandoning the ship. But Acer plans to stick around and bring netbooks to emerging markets such as China, India, and Indonesia. Netbooks are not very profitable but Acer hopes to make up the difference with volume.

A swift exit for Acer was never in the works. The company is the #1 netbook maker around. It remains to be seen how long Acer will stay committed to this market.

Some people find netbooks to be a bit boring. The standard models anyway. Acer plans to change that with Aspire One Happy 2 netbooks. These netbooks have a 10.1 display each and a N570 processor inside. They do come in multiple colors and offer 8 hours of battery life.

We’ve made our industry-leading netbook line more personal by giving consumers a wider variety of colors and style treatments … The new Aspire One Happy 2 offers users fresh and bright color options, while maintaining the Aspire One’s legacy of offering PC productivity for mobile consumers.

The prices start from $269.99 but higher priced models are available as well. This netbook line may not offer an out of this world performance but it is still very colorful.

Credit: Acer

As tablet makers drop their prices to compete against Apple and top Android tablet makers, netbook manufacturers are expected to drop their prices too. We already know that Acer does not expect to sell as many netbook units as it expected initially. It seems to move its netbooks faster, the company is dropping its prices too. Acer Aspire One AOD257 is a fairly decent netbook that will be priced at $250. Here is what this netbook will have to offer:

• Dual-Core N570
• 10.1” WSVGA Display
• Windows® 7 Starter
• Microsoft® Office Starter 2010
• 1GB DDR3 Memory
• 250GB SATA Hard Drive
• Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 3150
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™
• 10/100 Fast Ethernet
• Multi-in-One Digital Media Card Reader
• Built-in 0.3 Megapixel Webcam
• Two Built-in Speakers
• Multi-Gesture Touchpad
• 3- USB 2.0 Ports
• 4 hours of battery life

Not a bad tablet for $250. Netbooks could potentially get cheaper though.

There have been talks about some major netbook makers getting out of the business to focus more on tablets. The market is just too crowded for everyone to stay profitable considering that consumers have some alternatives in tablets. Apparently, Acer won’t be one of those companies:

Mobility, which has always been part of Acer’s DNA, finds a new form of expression in the range of tablets on offer, which feature various display sizes and models designed to fit different kinds of usage scenarios. Acer recognizes that the computer market is changing. As PCs are no longer only used to create content but are more and more becoming consumption tools, new devices and new form factors are appearing. This means the range of devices available to users is getting wider and tablets are just another piece of the mosaic. Therefore, they will find their space next to Netbooks and notebooks.

The above press release by Acer may not sound too reassuring, but it does show the company remains interested in the netbook market for now. Of course, things can change quickly if the netbook business continues to lose steam by failing to remain competitive against tablets.

Dual core netbooks are on their way. ATOM N550 is a processor that is expected to feature in many new machines in the next few months. Asus and Acer both seem interested in taking advantage of this processor, which could explain why they have frozen their new netbook models till mid-August 2010. In essence, netbook makers to see what Intel does with its Celeron processors. Intel has sent mixed messages to manufacturers in the past. If Celeron goes, ATOM processors will have much more room to grow.

Although Intel reportedly plans to phase out Celeron processors and let Atom CPUs taking over the entry-level notebook segment, since Intel still has not yet officially confirmed the rumor, most of the notebook brands are taking a wait-and-observe attitude.

If you are planning to buy a netbook, you may be better off waiting a bit to get your hands on more powerful machines. The prices of the existing models will come down, so it is not a bad time to pick up a netbook as long as you do not have any issues with the current crop of netbooks on the market. Let’s hope netbook makers keep prices though (even though N550 costs a bit more than its older siblings).

The wait for Acer Aspire AO721 product line is over. Amazon has started selling Acer Aspire AO721-3574 netbook, which features an Athlon processor and packs a tad bit more power than other top netbooks on the market. The device has a 11.6 inch HD screen, which is much more convenient than those smaller screens. It also takes advantage of 1.7 GHz AMD Athlon II Neo Processor K125 and features 2 GB of RAM.

This netbook is as close as netbook gets to a regular laptop. Not only it has plenty of RAM, it takes advantage of Windows 7 Home Premium and ATI Radeon HD 4225 Graphics. So it’s more than capable of handling those complex tasks on the go. A 1.3 MP web cam and 5.5. hours of battery life do not hurt either.

Here is a quick summary of what this devices comes with:

• 11.6-inch HD Widescreen CineCrystal LED-backlit Display
• 2048 MB DDR3 RAM
• ATI Radeon HD 4225
• 250 GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
• 802.11b/g/n Networking
• Windows 7 Home Premium
• Built-In Webcam 1.3MP (1280 x 1024)
• Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader
• High-Definition Audio Support
• 3  USB 2.0 Ports, 1 HDMI Port

The device is up for grabs for $429.99 and available for order on Amazon. It does seem it takes a few weeks for the device to ship, though won’t be the case soon.

Acer has finally released its latest series of netbooks in its latest attempt to improve its position in the netbook market. Acer has finally introduced a 11.6″ netbook for folks who find regular-sized netbooks too small. These new netbooks are also thinner as well. Here are the new models that you can expect to get your hands on:

• Acer Aspire One AO751h
• Acer Aspire One AOD250

The AO751h line comes with Z250 CPU as opposed to N270 or N280 that is used on other popular netbooks. There is still no information on when it will be available for sale on Amazon and other online stores, but that will be happening soon. The AOD250 line is a refreshing addition to Acer’s netbook lines. It’s well-designed and thinner than its predecessors. And the good news is you can buy one right away online. Acer already owns a big portion of the netbook market, but will these new models allow Acer to protect itself against the up and comers in the netbook market? That remains to be seen.