Acer has announced that it will include dual boot options between Microsoft Windows 7 and Google Android operating systems in its new netbook.
The new Acer netbook, dubbed the Aspire One D260, will provide options for the user to load either Windows 7 or Android at startup. It will be able to boot Android in just 15 seconds, with customers seeking faster boot times compared to the notebooks available today. The ability to boot and have a program running in less than 20 seconds is a major advantage that a growing number of netbooks and tablets now feature.
The Aspire One D260 has a 10.1-inch screen (1024 x 600 resolution) and an onboard Intel GMA 3150 GPU. Customers will be able to choose between an Intel Atom N450 with a 1.66GHz processor and 2GB DDR2 RAM or an Atom N455 1.66GHz with 2GB DDR3 RAM. The netbook is just 0.94 inches thick and weighs only 2.76 pounds. It uses a six-cell battery for up to eight hours of battery life. A three-cell battery also is available, but provides just four hours of battery life.
Seeing as though Android includes numerous features designed for a touchscreen, it's a shame the D260 doesn't include touch functionality.
The new netbook will be available on July 1, but Acer hasn't released pricing information.
The idea of a dual boot OS between Windows and Android is extremely appealing, even though I'd like to see Acer and other companies work with Ubuntu, or a regular version of a Linux OS.
It also was disclosed the Acer Liquid E Ferrari Special Edition smartphone, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, will run Android 2.1. The device will use the 768MHz Snapdragon, 256MB RAM, 512MB onboard flash, microSD, Wi-Fi-, and Bluetooth 2.0.
Acer hasn't offered details regarding the Android dual boot, but it's expected to be the Google Android 1.5 mobile OS.
