Acer's new Netbook quietly pops up in online stores
If you dug the pictures of the upcoming 9-inch Acer Aspire One Netbook that have been flying around online, you'll be pleased to know that with no official notice from Acer, the Intel-Atom-powered system has been spotted for sale at a handful of U.S. retailers, including CDW.
We've seen two models offered online. Both have the 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor and 1,024x600-pixel resolution 8.9-inch displays. The $399 version (model number A110-1295) has 512MB of RAM, Linux, and an 8GB solid-state hard drive, while another version (A150-1006), for $422 (from CDW, at least), has 1GB of RAM, a 120GB hard drive, and Windows XP. Both are cheaper than the 9-inch Eee PCs from Asus, which run $550-$599. Of course, being able to place on order for something online and actually receiving it are two different things, and we haven't heard of anyone getting their hands on one of these yet.
Besides the Atom-powered version of the popular Asus Eee PC, there's even more competition on the horizon, from MSI's long-delayed Wind, which is just hitting store shelves, and Dell's upcoming E series.
New York native Dan Ackerman, a former radio DJ turned journalist, has written about technology and music for publications including Spin, Blender, The Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. He hosts the weekly Digital City podcast and the New York edition of Editors' Office Hours. Dan's new album, Tales Out of Night School, is available now. E-mail Dan. 
