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New sub-$500 mini-notebooks hit the scene — and thanks to Intel’s Atom processor, they all run Windows XP reasonably well.

Acer Aspire One Mini-Notebook

Considering its bargain price of $349, the Acer Aspire One is a steal — until you realize that you want the $100 six-cell battery. The included three-cell battery lasted only two hours, 16 minutes in our tests.

Acer’s well-constructed, elegant entry is roughly the same size as the Lenovo IdeaPad S10. It weighs 2 pounds, about the same as the tiny Dell Mini 9.

The Windows XP version has a 120GB hard drive and an excellent keyboard. Our WorldBench 6 test results placed the Aspire One toward the back of the Atom-based pack with a score of 34. The Windows-based Aspire One did easily outpace HP’s 2133, whose Via C-7M CPU led it to an anemic mark of 26; but it fell well short of the Lenovo S10’s surprising score of 41.

A couple other issues with the Aspire One are a letdown. The mouse buttons flank the touchpad, a design that can make navigating documents difficult. A more minor issue is software bloat: Our test system came pre-installed with a 60-day trial of Microsoft Office, McAfee Security Center and InterVideo’s WinDVD. But overall, it’s a great bargain despite its few flaws…(read more)