Aldi Low Cost Netbook with Multitouch Screen

The Aldi Medion Akoya E1222 Netbook is being offered this week for $AU389 with a 10 inch LED backlit touch screen. The touch screen offers "multi-touch" allowing for the use of gestures similar to those popularised by the Apple iPhone and iPad. However, it is not clear how the touchscreen is intended to be used, as the unit does not appear to have a screen which can be swivelled around and folded back over the keyboard to make a tablet computer (as with the ASUS Eee PC T101MT). As a result the user would have to lean over the keyboard to use the touchscreen, which would be clumsy.

The unit has reasonable hardware, with an Intel Atom N455 1.66 GHz processor and a 6 cell battery. However, there is only 1GB of RAM (2GB would be better). Apart from the non-swivel screen, the major limitation with the unit is the software, being provided with with Microsoft Windows® 7 Starter edition and Microsoft Works.

hardware performance:

• Intel® Atom™ processor N455 (1.66 GHz)
• 6-cell Li-Ion high performance battery for a longer running time
• 10" widescreen LED-backlit display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. Brilliant display thanks to extremely sharp pictures and a rich colour reproduction.
• 1GB DDR2 SDRAM Memory
• Large 250 GB S-ATA hard drive for more than 50,000 music tracks or photos (approx. 4 MB per track/photo)
• High definition sound system with two loudspeakers
• Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 based on PCI-Express technology
• MEDION® Solid keyboard. Separately mounted keys for improved stability and enhanced typing comfort
• Latest wireless LAN IEEE 802.11n-standard technology with up to 300 Mbit/s, 802.11 b/g compatible¹
• Integrated 1.3 MP webcam with microphone, the optimum set-up for internet telephone and video conferences
• Network controller Ethernet LAN (10/100 Mbit/s)
• 4-in-1 multi-card reader for SD, MMC, MS & MS Pro memory cards²

connections:

• 3 x USB 2.0
• 1 x VGA

software included:

• Original Windows® 7 Starter
• Microsoft® Works
• Microsoft® Office Home & Student 2007 Trial Version
• Corel® Draw Essentials
• Cyberlink® PowerDVD™
• BullGuard Internet Security

From: "Aldi Medion Akoya E1222 Netbook", Aldi, 2010