14 DAY TRIAL // With AMD releasing its Fusion processors even before CES, it came as no surprise when companies, like Acer, demonstrated laptops powered by the APUs, like the Aspire One 522 netbook. The main asset of the Fusion processors from Advanced Micro Devices is that, while having full CPU capabilities, they also feature powerful on-die graphics form the Radeon HD 6000 series.
As end-users know, said graphics solutions are not just superior to previous generations, but they even support DirectX 11.
Eager to build upon these capabilities, Acer created the Aspire One 522 mobile entry-level personal computer.
Otherwise known as a netbook, the product was actually revealed during the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show.
The APU (accelerated processing unit) here used is the C-50, a dual-core model whose clock speed is of 1 GHz and which features the Radeon HD 6250 integrated graphics.
The processor is backed up by the obligatory 1 GB of RAM and paired with a hard disk drive whose internal storage capacity is of 250 GB.
The online listings also point out the existence of LAN, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, a 1.3 megapixel webcam and an HDMI output.
Finally, the 10.1-inch display chosen by Acer for this particular netbook uses LED backlights and boasts a native resolution of 1,280 x 800 pixels.
As for power, all the hardware is kept operational by a 6-cell battery that can last for up to 6 hours on a single charge.
Now available for pre-order through Amazon, the Acer Aspire One 522 costs $330 and can be colored either black or green.
Windows 7 Starter is, of course, the Operating system pre-loaded onto both versions, as is Office Starter 2010.
What remains to be seen is just how well this and other Fusion-based computers fare while competing against new Intel-based systems and, for that matter, each other.