Acer shows off its newest netbook with a double operating system

John Hillman reports on a new netbook from Acer that promises to change the way we think about our operating systems forever.

Acer has impressed audiences at the Taipei Computer Applications Show with a new netbook capable of booting up in either Windows XP or Android operating systems.

The new D255 netbook, which is not yet on sale in the UK, gives you the choice of running it in Android – which has a very fast boot up time so is perfect for quick access to the Internet or for playing a movie – or Windows for when you want to run Windows software.

The dual-OS system is a smart concept as it gives you the flexibility to work on Windows software such as MS Office, but let’s you get online fast when you need to without the tiresome wait that comes with booting up Windows.

The Acer D255 is reported to be going on sale at around the $375 mark and comes with a 10.1 inch screen, 1 Gb RAM, 160 Gb of storage and runs on an Intel Atom processor.

The release of this netbook gives us an idea of how personal computing is heading off much more towards Internet functionality and speed of access, as the Smartphone generation become accustomed to getting their Internet fix faster and faster. Similar trends can be seen elsewhere, such as the Sony Vaio E Series which already has a fast Internet button so you can go straight online without booting up first.