Convert PDF Document to Word

Very Cool on-line tool to convert a PDF document into a word document.


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Acer "Aspire One" Netbook

I finally couldn't resist any longer when I held one of the Acer "Aspire One" notebook computers in my hands at a display in Costco. For $349 (same price as MicroCenter's store in Cambridge) you get a 2-lb. metallic-blue color hard plastic cased machine running Windows XP on a 1.6GHz Intel "Atom" CPU, a 120GB internal hard disk, 1GB of memory, built-in WiFi, RJ-45 jack for 10base100 ethernet, three USB ports, a mini-SD card reader slot, built-in web cam and microphone, 3.5mm jacks for headset and for external audio input, a 15-pin jack for an external monitor or projector, a 3-cell LIoN battery and a 120/240vac charger/power supply. Also included is a faux-leather fitted carrying pouch.

MicroCenter (not Costco) also has the slightly more expensive ($399) model which has a larger 160GB drive, a 6-cell LIoN battery, and black color case. It's likely that both versions can be found online for slightly less (and slightly more), but the small savings were insufficient to offset the instant gratification of carrying it home from the store and of knowing there would be no DOA return risk and no shipping charges.

The Aspire One has a keyboard which is slightly smaller than a standard keyboard but still large enough to type on conventionally. The 8.9-inch diagonal screen is comfortable for personal use and the machine is small enough to hand to someone if you have to show someone something on the screen.

The machine is only about 9.25 inches in width and could be covered easily by a standard sheet of 8-1/2 x 11 paper. This means that it's ideal to fit into a briefcase and leave enough room for other items and printed documents. It's also small enough to leave behind on a restaurant table -- something I learned on the second day I owned it when a honest and diligent waiter came chasing me into the parking lot of a Thai restaurant in Chelmsford.

The Aspire One has no optical disk drive, so you need to use an external drive connected through one of the USB ports. Not really a big issue unless you like to watch DVDs while traveling on airplanes. And, I suppose, you could copy your DVD to a mini-SD or mini-SDHC card and put it in the built-in card reader.

Like the 3.5-inch floppy drive, the RS-232 COM1 serial port and PCMCIA card slot which are no longer found on laptops, the v.34 modem and RJ-11 telephone jack are nowhere to be found on this machine. So if you plan to stay at ultra-budget motels where there is no WiFi, you'll have to find an outboard modem that connects to a USB port. (Is there such a thing?)

A note on the battery configuration: the 3-cell LIoN battery appears to power the machine for about two to two-and-a-half hours, depending upon the amount of disk I/O and screen use. The 6-cell LIoN battery should double that run time but is physically larger and projects an inch or so beyond the rear edge of the case.

I have not yet researched a 12-volt DC automobile power cord but I would assume that either Acer or an after-market vendor makes such a thing.

Finally, the printed user manual makes reference to a built-in restore utility that restores the machine to its factory defaults without the use of a CD. I don't know if this reloads the XP operating system or exactly what it does. (The printed manual runs a total of 12 pages -- a far cry from the Encyclopedia Britainica documentation which used to ship with personal computers.)

I've had this machine now for about a week and I am very impressed. It's size, weight and features should make it my regular machine for travel and a good companion for the kitchen table and to take to BNUG meetings. Ah, the wonders of technology!