Last week, Acer finally made their entry into ultra-portable market scene official by showcasing their new baby, the Aspire One.

A quick rundown of specs show that it runs on an Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor and comes with 1GB RAM, 8GB SSD, Wi-Fi (b/g), 1.3-megapixel webcam, and multi-card reader. Even though the international release states that an 80GB version running on Windows XP is available, the Linux variant was the only one unveiled locally. RAM is expandable, but Acer will only allow you to replace one module as the other standard 512MB RAM is soldered on the unit. A bit odd if you ask me, but I figure not many will notice this little drawback as most who eventually buy these ultra affordable units don’t bother to modify them. Nevertheless, the option to be able to do so would have been nice so you can beef it up to 2GB RAM considering that this one looks like a more affordable version of the HP Mini Note that runs on an Intel Atom albeit the smaller 8GB SSD capacity.

SRP is P18800.00. It’s priced just right with enough specs to compete head on with the Eee. However, with its more attractive dsign, Acer might just have what it takes to take the thunder away from Asus.