It’s as if Acer has been reading my mind (or my blog). We just reviewed the new Acer Aspire Timeline 1810T, a netbook-sized laptop with a CULV processor inside. It’s not quite my dream machine — I’d prefer 10-inches to 11.6 — but still closer to the performance I want in a smaller form factor.

The $700 price tag doesn’t excite me. Nothing over $500 ever does. If we ever get a 10-inch CULV notebook I would hope that the price would drop to that, at least. And then my poor Sammy netbook would be in a bit of danger.

Now that Acer has taken this step, I hope other computer manufacturers follow. If\Samsung updated their N line with CULV netbooks there would be no keeping me from the store.

So, two bits of news you might find interesting if you spend all of your time looking at tiny laptops and loving them.  First, I updated our faceoff of 10-inch netbooks so I could add the newest Eee PC (1000HE) and the new MSI Wind and the Acer Aspire One, which now comes in a 10-inch version.  Back in November the Samsung NC10 was the best.  Now… well, go read.  However, despite everything the Samsung is still my favorite netbook and I’ll be buying one in March.

Also, about that Acer Aspire One…

When we first tested the battery it lasted almost 8 hours.  Like 3 minutes shy of 8 hours.  And all across the land there was rejoicing.  Then we found out that Acer didn’t plan to put that battery on all the Aspire Ones, just the first batch.  Subsequent batches have a lower capacity battery (why?  I don’t know. ) and thus less life.  We actually got that “normal” battery in yesterday and the test results are in today:  4:24.  Ugh.

Yeah, 4:24 isn’t horrendous, but it’s not 8 hours!  It’s not even 5!  Meanwhile, the Eee PC got over 7.

ASUS really stepped up their game with the 1000HE (even if it could use a better name).  I’m pleasently surprised.

But I’m still buying a Samsung.