Medion Akoya E1222

Medion’s Akoya E1222 is a netbook computer – it’s laptop-shaped but smaller than conventional laptops.

It’s also cheaper, at £280. It’s available exclusively from Aldi shops across the country, starting on Thursday July 15.

These Aldi deals can go quickly, so if you are planning to travel a long distance to try and pick up one of these, it may be worth calling to see if there are any in stock first.

Like most modern netbooks the computer runs the Starter edition of the Windows 7 operating system. This is slightly cut-down from the version that appears on larger computers, and it lacks a few features, but the basics are all there and it can run most programs that other versions can – the only limitation is the computer’s processing power.

It uses an Intel Atom N455 processor and has 1GB of memory. The latter is a little disappointing – netbooks have had 1GB of memory for two years now and we expected to see that starting to rise.

It’s enough for most office and web uses, but it will be slower than an equivalent computer with 2GB of memory. The memory can be expanded though and we would consider that an excellent investment.

The screen is a 10in widescreen model and it’s bright and clear. The keyboard is also good: the keys were a little too shallow, but they were widely spaced out, making it easier to type. A touchpad below the keyboard is used to control the mouse and a webcam is mounted at the top of the screen.

Connections were good. The computer can connect to all modern wireless networks, as well as wired ones and Bluetooth devices. It has three USB ports, a memory card reader, VGA socket for connecting a monitor, and headphone and microphone sockets.

As is the case for all netbooks, it has no CD or DVD drive, and nor is there a separate graphics card. This means it will struggle for games and video editing. Again, though, that’s normal for netbooks. A 250GB hard disk offers plenty of storage space.

The Medion Akoya E1222 looks good as netbooks go, with a glossy plastic top and slimline case. Unfortunately its looks are slightly spoiled by the large battery which sticks out at the bottom, but that does give the keyboard a good angle when the computer is flat on a desk.

Apart from the memory it’s hard to find fault with it. At this price the E1222 is a bargain.