Acer unveils dual Android and Windows 7 netbook

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Posted on 14 Oct 2009 at 11:48

Acer has unveiled an Aspire netbook that dual boots Google Android and Windows 7.

“Why are we introducing a dual OS?” asked Jim Wong, senior corporate vice president of Acer at the launch event in London. “The ‘net’ [in netbook] means the mobile internet, and [introducing] Android into the netbook category is one of the ways we want to explain this to the users, what mobile internet means.

“You want to enjoy fast boot and fast power off, almost instant on. Real mobile internet should be at your fingertips – [the new Aspire] takes 30 seconds to power on from cold boot, three seconds to switch off.”

Explaining the company's decision to go with Android, Wong explained, "user demand is not there for [other versions of] Linux [... but] we never give up. We adjust. We introduce Android with the Windows OS, and why Android? Because it has the best connectivity built into the OS. We believe Android will solve [Linux's] problems with connectivity."

The Android browser offers most of the things people need. But I think today IE is still dominating the online world, a lot of websites are still optimised for IE

So why Windows? “A lot of the time people are using netbook for their productivity too,” explained Wong, “and under Windows they have better productivity and also a better browsing experience with IE [Internet Explorer].”

He went on to explain, “The [Android] browser offers most of the things people need. But I think today IE is still dominating the [online world], a lot of websites are still optimised for IE.”

Wong went on to predict a bright future for laptop and desktop users alike. “Battery life is not satisfactory yet – that still evolves as the time goes. And multi-touch and 3D are very new.

“If you remember the mouse had a rolling ball and now we have a sensor, the same thing will happen with multi-touch. Not only in entertainment, beyond that in productivity. On the commercial side there are a lot of functions to come in the next few years.”

This ties in with Acer’s new multi-touch displays, which will allow people who upgrade their PCs to Windows 7 to take advantage of the operating system’s touchscreen features.