ACi Asia has launched a low cost laptop ACi Icon 1100 for Rs. 4,999 and no doubt it claims to be the lowest cost laptop in India, for now. The 1100 laptop are windows compatible, but I don’t think it can run the latest windows OS version.
We have been seeing a rise in tablet PC’s, a decent one is available for around Rs. 5,000. Laptops price are pretty much over 8,000. In fact it would not be right to call the Icon 1100 a laptop or a matter of fact even a netbook, have a look at the specification and you will know why.
The display screen is 10.2 inches with resolution of 1024 x768 – the resolution is very low as compared with today’s standards but this is what you get when you buy a low end netbook. The 1100 comes with 512MB RAM which can be upgraded to 1GB. Netbooks come with at least 1 GB RAM and running windows OS, XP in this case, on a mere 512MB will be extremely slow.
This laptop comes with 4 GB internal storage which can be expanded to 32GB using microSD card. It is possible to load windows OS using the microSD card or external USB pen drive, but at the most you can run lower version of windows like Windows XP.
Other features are Wi-Fi, 3G connectivity (optional), front camera, USB port and built in sound system. Specification wise this looks like a tablet in a form of a Laptop – however do note that 1100 does not come with a touchscreen display.
ACi Icon 1100 Key features
- Single core VIA CPU (MHz / GHz. Unknown)
- 512MB RAM / 1GB (upgradable).
- 4GB internal storage, MMC / SD card slot, microSD support up to 32GB.
- Wi-Fi, Ethernet Adaptor, 3G ready – optional, 3xUSB 2.0 port, Front camera (Web Cam) and push card reader (SD card).
- This laptop weighs around 700 grams with Battery.
- Battery mAh and Battery life unknown.
For a price of under Rs. 5000 this is not bad. It looks like a promising device for users who cannot afford a laptop, until now. For such users speed is not an issue. Advance users can probably try other OS which may work better than Windows.
ACi Icon 110 can be ordered online via ACI Asia Website.