As long as it something not crazy like over your head or something...kids will adapt.

I usually check the sticks at the beginning of the year, so the kid/parents have a rough idea of where to cut the stick.

I have some people us sticks that are out of the norm, and have no problem using them....Martin St.Louis, Kris Versteeg come to mind.

Dual boot is not a new feature, and many PC manufacturers are offering this feature on their products. Acer, one of the largest computer manufacturers, has upgraded its product, the Acer Aspire One with features like dual boot capability, Google Android, and Microsoft Windows XP. The aim of this upgrade is to provide the best netbook for people who like to use both Google Android and Microsoft Windows XP.

The Acer Aspire AS5742-6814 Notebook Intel Core i3 380M(2.53GHz) is replacing the previous model, the AOD250, with many upgrades especially on its processor. This new model is using the latest Intel Atom N450 at 1.66GHz, and it is providing enough processing power for regular office applications while using low power consumption for better mobility. The processor is backed up with 1GB DDR2 memory and a 160GB hard drive for the storage. The components that this netbook use are good enough, and affordable enough to keep the netbook’s price competitive.

Like most of other netbooks in the market, the Acer Aspire AS5742-6413 Notebook Intel Core i5 480M(2.66GHz) is using a 10.1 inch screen with 3 cell Li-Ion battery pack. This battery pack can be upgraded to a 6 cell battery for better mobility. The most impressive thing about this netbook is its ability to boot using dual operating systems. The Android is being used for fast boot and instant network connectivity, while the Windows XP is being used as the main operating system.

This Acer Aspire One AOD255E-13444 Diamond Black Intel Atom N455(1.66GHz) 10.1" WSVGA 1GB DDR is currently available for preview at Taipei Computer Application Show and people who are attending the event can get a special price of only $300. There is no official public availability for this netbook yet, but it is estimated to be priced at around $375 so that the $300 pricing at the Taipei Computer Application Show for this great netbook is really a good deal.

TheAcer Aspire TimelineX AS1830T-6651 Notebook Intel Core i5 470UM(1.33GHz) 11.6 may well be the ultraportable that kills the netbook—or at least forces netbook prices even lower. The AS1410 sells for the same $399 as many Intel Atom/Windows XP–equipped 10-inch netbooks, but the Acer entry delivers a roomier 11.6-inch screen, a faster Celeron CPU, and the newer Windows 7 Home Premium OS. The AS1410 isn’t perfect, but if you need a basic ultraportable for connecting on the road that can handle more than just Web surfing, it’s the most affordable option available.

The Acer TravelMate TM5542-3590 Notebook AMD Athlon is similar to $549 Gateway EC1430u we recently tested—not surprising, since Acer owns and manufactures both brands. That Gateway model has more RAM, a faster processor, and a larger hard drive, but it also costs $150 more. The Acer machine’s glossy, dark-red lid and matching keyboard surround are stylish, and they reinforce the netbook-like design.The 11.6-inch screen gives this portable a larger footprint than a typical netbook, but at just 1 inch thick and 3.1 pounds, it’s still very easy to slip into a backpack or large purse. As with most other ultraportables, there’s no room in the chassis for an optical drive. Port selection is also fairly standard: three USB, plus HDMI, VGA, and LAN ports, a mic and headphone jack, and a five-format memory-card reader.

Acer claims that the keyboard's flat-top letter keys are full-size, but to our hands the keyboard as a whole felt a bit undersized—though still noticeably bigger than most netbook keyboards. Unfortunately, the keys have a somewhat spongy feel, and we detected a bit of flex near the center keys. And as is par for the budget-portable course, the system has no dedicated multimedia-control keys; every action requires a Function-key combo.

While the keyboard makes good use of the available space, the touch pad seems like an afterthought. Barely distinguishable from the surrounding palm rest, the pad measures a cramped Acer Aspire TimelineX AS1830T-68U118 Notebook Intel Core i7 680UM(1.46GHz). That’s hardly enough room for regular mousing, let alone the multi-finger gestures for scrolling, zooming, and rotating that the pad supports. The mouse buttons, too, are narrow. We also weren’t impressed with the integrated Webcam. Once you pry off the nearly invisible spot of plastic protecting the lens, you still wind up with a grainy image plagued by digital noise. Acer says the camera is optimized for low-light use, and we did see a usable image with the subject lit only by a desk lamp. But that came at the expense of image quality in bright lighting, under which highlights were overexposed.