Don't buy acer! Go for ASUS. Don't get a net book either, you get what you pay for. Those things aren't made to last.
http://smidgenpc.com/2010/05/07/laptop-reliability-ratings-which-laptop-is-really-most-reliable/
here is a reliability chart thing I googled.
If you need cheap, shop at dell outlet. Sometimes they have 20% off. And all of their outlet laptops also come with a 1 year warranty. Which is like buying a brand new laptop.
Except the fact that Dell laptops are notorious for physicially exploding.
In reply to your question, OP, I don't find Acer to be bad but then again most companies that specialise in only making computers/laptops aren't going to be bad to begin with.
I think my top brand pick would be an HP, but that definitely wouldn't fit your budget.
When making your choice, look at the specs, track record, and what the company is good at: Do they make good printers and shit laptops? Do they make netbooks with good battery life, but sub par performance?
Overall, the 2 Acer's that you were linked to earlier seem like a pretty good place to start your research. Out of those 2, I would spend the extra $100 to get the laptop with a triple core processor.
I'd probably even consider buying it for botting, etc. myself, but electronics companies tend to not give international warranties, and a laptop like that is probably about $800 AUD here (which is hilarious, since the AUD is on top of the USD exchange rate atm).
