"Product of the year runners-up: There are many nifty netbook
choices around, with more coming soon -- an array of 8.9-, 10-, and
12-inch screens; hard drives and solid-state drives; Linux and
Windows; and near-desktop or near-impossible typing experiences,
depending on keyboard size. Most radical of all, in 2009, there may
even be some that use an AMD or VIA or Freescale instead of Intel's
Atom processor.
"Our August writeup wasn't the only rave review of the Acer
Aspire One. The colorfully cased 8.9-inch compact made Acer the #1
netbook seller, edging Asus despite the latter's spreading its
pioneering Eee brand across a slew of models. And while not a few
netbook contenders missed the whole point of being under three
pounds and under $500, Acer stayed on track, even slipping a
last-minute $300 configuration under Christmas trees."
