Since Asus first launched their 7-inch EeePC, netbooks do seem to keep growing, with most being a whisker short of 9-inches not so long back, and now new most models arriving on the scene endowed with a 10-inch screen. Some, like the Dell Inspiron Mini 12 are larger still. Surely they cannot get any larger than this.

Eventually I suppose this will settle down, and a clear winning size for the best combination of portability and usability will doubtless emerge. Is the 10-inch netbook the optimum size? It seems so, at least for now, but maybe it’s too soon to say for sure.

Read reviews and find out more about the Acer Aspire One 531 here.

The D250, with its 1-inch thin and 1.33kg light chassis is expected to be in stock in just a few weeks time. The Acer slimline netbook, the latest the addition to its range has a 10.1-inch CrystalBrite screen and almost full size keyboard.

Powered by the low power consuming Intel Atom processor, the D250 is claimed to run for up to 8 hours at a time.

Acer Aspire One D250 Specification:

• Processor: Intel Atom N280
• RAM: 1GB DDR2
• Hard Drive: 160GB
• Operating System: Windows XP Home
• Screen: 10.1″ CrystalBrite screen
• Optical Drive: No
• Bluetooth: Yes
• Notebook Camera: 0.3 CrystalEye webcam
• Battery: 6 Cell (up to 8 hours between charging)

Announced just a few days ago and due to be released next month, the D250 from Acer is slim, (only 1-inch thin) and light weight.

With it’s 10.1-inch patented CrystalBrite screen offering a 1024×600 native resolution, this netbook will encourage a lot of people to stop carting a traditional (bigger) laptop around when they are on the move.

With Windows XP Home pre-installed, the Intel Atom N280 processor powered netbook with 1GB memory will run for up to an truly amazing 8 hours without mains power, meaning that you can work for the whole day without having to worry about plugging in.

With 160GB Hard Disk, you won’t be left short of storage space either, with plenty of space for all your documents that you need for working on the move, as well as for music and videos to watch when you take a break. Ideal for business trips when you stay overnight in a hotel.

With Wifi and Bluetooth enabled being connected anywhere free of charge is easy, and the built-in 0.3 megapixel CrystalEye webcam comes in handy for video calling back home to keep in touch with friends and family, no matter where you are.

The Acer Aspire One D250 is really ultra-portable. Small enough to fit in the smallest of bags, and at just 1.33 kilograms, you really won’t notice that you are carry it with you – so you really can take it anywhere.

Find the cheapest prices for the Acer Aspire One D250

Acer Aspire One D250 Specification:

• Processor: Intel Atom N280
• RAM: 1GB DDR2
• Hard Drive: 160GB
• Operating System: Windows XP Home
• Screen: 10.1″ CrystalBrite screen
• Optical Drive: No
• Bluetooth: Yes
• Notebook Camera: 0.3 CrystalEye webcam
• Battery: 6 Cell (up to 8 hours between charging)

Weighing even less, at just 1kg with a 3-cell battery, the 531 is measures 25.5cm  (l) x 18.3cm (w) with a height of between 1.9cm and 2.7cm.

The specification is no real surprise – a choice of either the Atom N270 or N280, memory sizes up to 2GB and a 160GB hard drive with XP Home pre-installed

Quite why the two machines that are almost identical have appeared so close together is a bit of a mystery. The Acer Aspire 531 will come in a choice of red, blue or black.

The D250 will be available either with the N270 Atom processor, or for slightly more, the slightly faster N280. It features a 10.1-inch screen with a native resolution of 1026×600. Up to 2GB of DDR2 Memory will be available.

When it comes to storage, it sounds like only a 160GB hard-drive will be available from launch, but of course other storage options may be added later on. No operating choice again here, it’s Windows XP Home Edition only.

Various other options will be offered, such as 3G and Bluetooth for those who want to remain connected while on the move.

One thing we found disappointing here is that the Aspire One D250 will come with a low-end 0.3-megapixel webcam, which we find strange, and if this were to be upgraded to a far superior 1.3-megapixel one, we’d be a lot happier with this model. There seems to be no obvious reason for this decision, although for anyone who doesn’t intend to use the webcam this is clearly not going to be a concern.

Three battery choices will be offered, starting with a 3-cell 2200mAh promising over 3-hours use, up to a 6-cell 5200mAh one, which Acer claim will last up to 7.5-hours. This adds a little onto the weight, but you’ll notice the longer battery life far more than a few grams extra in your bag.

The D250 will be available in Sapphire Blue, Seashell White, Diamond Black and Ruby Red. No date is yet known regarding availability.

The cause of this phenomena is not known, nor has any official comment from Acer been made. Does the Acer Aspire One simply not like U2, or is the problem caused by vibrations from the speakers killing the hard disk? Notable is that it does not seems to have been reported by anyone with one of the models with a solid state disk.

Either way, it would be worth all owner’s of the Aspire One avoiding playing loud music through the speakers until more is known about this.

Hopefully it is not a major flaw in the design, or Acer, who have sold quite a few of these, may be feeling it hard in the wallet.