14 DAY TRIAL // Back in late September, Packard Bell, a PC maker that is now owned by Acer, was announcing its first netbook system, designed to compete with all the other similar devices on the market built on the same Intel Atom platform. The interesting thing about the Packard Bell's netbook, which has been dubbed "dot," was the fact that, given its specifications sheet, it was actually competing with Acer's own Aspire One netbook, one of the most successful netbook systems on the market.
Although almost two months passed since the company first announced the small-sized, ultra-portable netbook system, so far, it has obstinately refused to make itself known. However, all this changes now, as the the netbook has finally been spotted at a launch event in the UK.
Pocket-lint had a hands-on experience with the netbook and, as it turns out, Packard Bell's dot was clearly inspired by Acer's highly successful Aspire One netbook. Starting with the 8.9-inch display and ending with the Acer-ish keyboard, the Packard Bell dot will certainly make for a familiar experience for former Aspire One netbook owners.
There are other areas as well where the small-sized ultra portable system can relate to the Aspire One, but these are, in the end, features that are also available across the majority of Atom-powered netbook systems available on the market. The Packard Bell dot has been featured with an Intel Atom N270 processor, running at 1.6GHz, which, combined with the 1GB RAM memory and 160GB hard drive, should provide an adequate netbook experience. The system can support an optional internal 3GB modem, and can be equipped with a 6-cell battery option, for increased battery life all throughout the working day.
The netbook should become available for a price tag that is close to €399, or approximately US$500, but, as of now, we are still waiting for official listings.
