Tooo many questions before buying...

Hi all, first time poster - after a bit of internet searching I have happily come to the conclusion I want to buy a Acer Aspire One 10.1 ...
(Dispite a salesperson in a well known national store trying to put me off buying one to primary use to view photos and access internet while travelling).
Having decided to purchase, I've now stuppidly confused myself with research & am hoping I can get some help w answers to the following questions:

:?: A. Should I be looking out for something I don't know about when buying one (eg. older or newer versions?)... In 'window' shopping yesterday 2 almost side-by-side stores are selling the 10.1" at A$772- and $A619- (698 +79 cashback) at such a difference I'm wondering if there are old and new models out there that run differently?
At first look they both appear the same - 1GB | 160GB | 10.1" 802.11b/g | XP Home... so I'm not sure why the big difference in prices?

:?: B. Should I be concerned about (N487 | N414 | N472) Codes? The forum threads on this site seem to refer to /N270, etc.codes and to ignore these... is this what I should do - ignore these codes?

:?: C. Through net research it seems that $698 / $650 retail seems a good price... I know I've seen lower prices via the net, but feel like I would rather purchase from a shop close by and support the local ecconomy if the difference is only a A$10-40 difference. Is this considered a good price?

:?: D. Finally, is it hard for a luddit to get the 1GB change to a 2GB as I've had suggested to increase speed? eg. A easy/cheap place ot take it too (I reside in Victoria).

Many thanks in advance for any help.
Hannah (Dive_Urchin)

 

Hi Hannah
I don't have the answer to your technical questions but I just wanted to mention that Harvey Norman (don't know if that's the "well known national store" you mean) offers an extra 4 Years warranty for a little extra cash, or they did in December 08 when I bought my PiP the Acer Aspire One 8.9", Windows XP, 1GB RAM, 160 GB Memory.
This means 1 year Acer warranty and at the end of that, 4 years Harvey Norman warranty (total of 5 years) but you must take the NetBook back to a Harvey Norman store in those 4 years, if they can't fix it easily they will send it out to be repaired, no cost to you.
If you were to change RAM etc this would void your warranty.

I have been more than happy with my PiP and don't see the need to make any major changes, it is also my first ever computer (I'm not young) so I don't want to have to get too technical about it all.
I bought mine for traveling and use WiFi for hours every day, view photos, videos, keep records and a diary etc and the 1GB is plenty for me. I just keep it lean and clean (Advanced System Care Free)
As to speed, "one blink or two, fast is fast" but then, of course, it's up to you to define fast.
If like me you would rather have more security than more power, you may want to have a look at the Harvey Norman option

Congratulations and good luck with your new purchase

All the best, woz of oz