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Acer's Aspire One Happy series of netbooks were an affordable, basic and attractive option for consumer's who didn't want to spend on a powerhorse of a laptop. The Happy 2 is the latest addition to the series, which features a few minor upgrades.
Overview
I won't go into the details of this laptop, because it's not very different to its predecessor. You can read the entire review of the Acer Happy on Smartbuy's website. So what does the Happy 2 have on offer?
First up, the design. Although Acer has continued to go with the fruit inspired tropical shades for the netbook, the one prominent difference is the droplet design on the cover. Another visible change is that the palm rest area, which was earlier a uniform strip of the same colour as the cover, has now been modified so that only the trackpad is coloured and the sides are white, extending down from the keyboard.
The other new feature in the Happy 2 is the processor. The Happy's Intel Atom N450 processor that I found quite slow on the netbook has been upgraded to an Intel Atom N570. Although I still wouldn't call the Happy 2 a ‘fast' netbook, performance has visibly improved – startup took about 30 seconds, and opening and switching between applications was also snappier.
The Happy 2 comes with the same Windows Starter operating system, but there's also an Android boot-up option, which has been upgraded from version 1.6 to 2.1. It's not a great operating system option for laptops, but it's convenient if you're in a hurry and need to access the web on the go.
The Happy 2's LED backlit LCD screen was quite impressive for watching videos, and I found it quite comfortable to watch a few episodes of Archer. The speakers haven't improved at all though, audio was barely audible in our open office. I needed to plug in headphones if I wanted to use the netbook for any media.
Battery life was above average for a netbook, giving me about 6 hours of video playback.
Our verdict
The Acer Happy 2 isn't upgrade material, but it's a decent option as a secondary or travelling computer. That said, there's not much you can do on the Happy 2 that you can't do, and do better on a good tablet. So the choice comes down to what you prefer, and of course, what your budget is.
Love - Good screen and colourful looks, affordable
Hate - Bad speakers, not great at multitasking
Rs 15,728
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