Acer Aspire Timeline 3810T notebook PC

It has taken a while for PC manufacturers to catch up with a trend set by Apple. Steve Jobs first showed how thin the Macbook Air is (by removing it from an envelope) 18 months ago, but only recently have makers of Windows notebooks tried to emulate. Dell’s Adamo and HP’s DV2 have already appeared, and now Acer’s Aspire Timeline series.

Of those, the 3810T here is the 13.3in model, with a 1,366x768 widescreen display. It’s only 2cm thick with the lid shut, and very lightweight at 1.25kg (both its height and weight are the same as the smaller-screened HP DV2). The screen itself is fine, although the resolution was a bit low for our liking. Unlike most netbooks, there is a full-size keyboard, which enabled comfortable typing and, while the trackpad below is a little small, it worked well.

A low-power Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400 processor, clocked at 1.4GHz, powers the computer, backed up by 2GB of memory. The processor is an ultra-low-voltage model designed specifically for thin computers, which means low heat output and long battery life. Combined with software settings to minimise power use, the 5,600mAh six-cell battery lasts just over five hours. There’s a 320GB hard disk, which is plenty for storage, but no optical drive – instead you’ll need to install programs via USB or a network.

Though the Acer Timeline is considerably cheaper than the Macbook Air, it doesn’t share the Mac’s sense of style, looking essentially like Acer’s other notebooks, only thinner. It’s also more expensive than HP’s DV2, although that computer has a smaller screen and suffers from a noisy system fan.

The 3810T has a lot to commend it, but the price premium makes it less attractive.