Just an opening thought: This laptop was only $889.00 and it has Centrino, and is overall one of the best laptops I have ever used. This is the most cost effective laptop on the market today if you want Centrino, good battery life, integrated wireless, etc.
First I will start off with the system specs (thanks NewEgg, also where I bought it):
CPU: Intel Pentium M Processor 710, 1.40GHz, 2MB L2 cache, 400MHz FSB
Display: 15.4" WXGA TFT LCD (1280x800)
OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home
Memory: 256MB DDR SDRAM
Graphics: Intel Extreme Graphics 2
HD: 60GB
Optical Drive: CD-RW/DVD combo drive
Communication: 56K Modem, 10/100 LAN, Wireless LAN 802.11b/g
Average Battery Life: 5 hours
Dimensions: 14.3" x 11" x 1.5"(WxDxH)
Weight: 6.48 lbs
Manufacturer Warrant: 1 year
I will also state what comes in the box (pics will come later when I have time):
Laptop
Battery
Charger
Phone Cable
Windows XP Recovery CD
Norton Anti Virus 2004 CD
Driver Revocery CD (There are 2 driver recovery CDs)
Acer Laptop Manual
Limited Warranty Book
Modem Manual
Now onto the review:
Design:
I love the design of this laptop. Everything is placed perfectly and it the keyboard area is very uncluttered. There 4 hotkeys in the top right, that are actually quite useful. The first one opens up a program to map out the hotkeys. The second one opens Acer eManager which takes care of Boot settings, passwords, BIOS info, and Display information. It also takes care of battery settings and Acer presentation, which is for hooking up projectors and stuff. The next two hot keys open the internet and e-mail respectively. Right next to those buttons is the power key. Next to the hotkeys on the other side are the LEDs for hard drive activity, caps lock, etc. Toward the escape key, there is a microphone that is actually pretty powerful. The touchpad is also placed perfectly too. All of the other controls are conveniently placed around the outside, and I have no complaints. I like having the wireless LAN button on the front. There are also audio jacks on the front, and extra USB port, speakers, and an infared port. I also ove the stylish silver and black of the case. Overall the design is perfect.
Size:
The laptop is very thin, at least I think so. The overall size of it seems bigger thant I thought it would be, but that is because I have no size perception based on internet pictures. It is not overly big though, and I think it is a good size. Overall, the size is good too.
Screen:
The screen is really good. There are no dead pixels, and I love the 1280x800 widescreen resolution. The screen is very bright when plugged into the wall. When it is on battery, depending on the power scheme you set it to, it goes from 0% brightness up to 100% brightness. At 0% some backlight seems like it is still on, and it is ok to use. I personally set my own power scheme so that I have about 20% backlight on. The viewing angles are ok. If you are watching a DVD a person to the right or left of you could enjoy it too. The vertical viewing angles aren't that great. I am not worried about this too much, as I am really the only one who is ever going to be using this laptop.
Noise:
This laptop is very quiet. The only times it begins to get a little bit louder is when a CD is spinning up, or when the small fan turns on. On battery, the fan rarely turns on. Even when it is on AC power the fan only stays on for about 30 seconds, and it is not loud at all.
Keyboard & Touchpad:
This is a very nice keyboard and touchpad combination. I love the keyboard and the 5 degree curve. It is very ergonomic. At first, it took a couple of minutes of typing to get used to the curve, but now I am used to it, and I love it. The keys are very nice, and they never miss when I press them. The touchpad is really nice, and the software that comes with it is great too. I like really sensitive mice so I have it on full sensitivity and it is great. I also like the feature where tapping on the touchpad acts as a mouse click. You just use the pad to put the mouse over a short cut and then tap twice, and the program opens. Very nice.
Wireless:
The wireless is great. It is fast and has good connectivity. I just bought the D-Link DI524 wireless router. This laptop with that router is great combination. I get 'Very Good' to 'Excellent' service from about 4 rooms away. The router is even under a wooden desk. The connection is very good and very fast. Everything connects effortlessly.
On a sidenote, there are wireless and bluetooth buttons on the front of the computer. I like having the Wireless LAN on/off switch there, but the bluetooth is pointless, because I don't think this laptop came bluetooth ready. When I push that button it just says "No Device" on the screen.
Speakers:
The speakers are laptop speakers, nothing great but they get the job done. The headphone jack with headphones gives a much better sound.
Heat:
The right side of the laptop does get warm. You can knid of feel it through the right palm rest, but it is not really hot. It is very bearable. The bottom right is warmer than what you feel through the palm rest, but again, nothing to complain about.
Perfomance:
I was a little concerned at first with buying this laptop because of the slower processor speed (1.4Ghz, and the 256Mb of RAM). I always felt that 512Mb was the minimum for antything running Windows XP. I have to say, however, that I am extremely pleased with the performance. I don't really play games on it, so it only used 16Mb of video memory, and with a bunch of programs open right now (36 processes running) I still have about 25-40Mb of RAM left, but nothing is running slow at all. I am very happy with the performance of this laptop. I might try running a game or too on it in the future, but I will probably upgrade and get and extra stick of 256Mb. I am going to put this off though. Originally I was going to buy it with the laptop, but you really don't need it to run the internet and stuff.
Battery Life:
What can I say? The battery life is simply amazing. I have been using this laptop for 1:40 right now, using the internet and word processing, and I still have 64% battery life and 2:50 remaining. On battery doing word processing and internet type tasks, you get about 5 hours of battery life. This is amazing, and a great amount of battery life. The battery only takes about 3 hours to fully charge. I really like this battery life. I haven't test the battery life while watching a DVD or playing a game, but I suspect it is really good too.
Conclusion:
This is a very, very good laptop for office tasks. If this is what you are going to be doing, don't hesitate. At the price of $889 for a Centrino laptop with 5 hour battery life, it can't be beat. I recommend this laptop to anyone. My friend is even thinking about getting one now too! I am from America and another cool thing about this laptop is that is has a dedicated € key. It also has a a dedicated $ key, but I really like the € key for some reason. If someone asks me a price of something, I know say €4.99 instead of $4.99, just because I can!
Buy this laptop now!
Pictures will be coming soon, and if I play a game, I will let you know about performance and battery life for that too.
First I will start off with the system specs (thanks NewEgg, also where I bought it):
CPU: Intel Pentium M Processor 710, 1.40GHz, 2MB L2 cache, 400MHz FSB
Display: 15.4" WXGA TFT LCD (1280x800)
OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home
Memory: 256MB DDR SDRAM
Graphics: Intel Extreme Graphics 2
HD: 60GB
Optical Drive: CD-RW/DVD combo drive
Communication: 56K Modem, 10/100 LAN, Wireless LAN 802.11b/g
Average Battery Life: 5 hours
Dimensions: 14.3" x 11" x 1.5"(WxDxH)
Weight: 6.48 lbs
Manufacturer Warrant: 1 year
I will also state what comes in the box (pics will come later when I have time):
Laptop
Battery
Charger
Phone Cable
Windows XP Recovery CD
Norton Anti Virus 2004 CD
Driver Revocery CD (There are 2 driver recovery CDs)
Acer Laptop Manual
Limited Warranty Book
Modem Manual
Now onto the review:
Design:
I love the design of this laptop. Everything is placed perfectly and it the keyboard area is very uncluttered. There 4 hotkeys in the top right, that are actually quite useful. The first one opens up a program to map out the hotkeys. The second one opens Acer eManager which takes care of Boot settings, passwords, BIOS info, and Display information. It also takes care of battery settings and Acer presentation, which is for hooking up projectors and stuff. The next two hot keys open the internet and e-mail respectively. Right next to those buttons is the power key. Next to the hotkeys on the other side are the LEDs for hard drive activity, caps lock, etc. Toward the escape key, there is a microphone that is actually pretty powerful. The touchpad is also placed perfectly too. All of the other controls are conveniently placed around the outside, and I have no complaints. I like having the wireless LAN button on the front. There are also audio jacks on the front, and extra USB port, speakers, and an infared port. I also ove the stylish silver and black of the case. Overall the design is perfect.
Size:
The laptop is very thin, at least I think so. The overall size of it seems bigger thant I thought it would be, but that is because I have no size perception based on internet pictures. It is not overly big though, and I think it is a good size. Overall, the size is good too.
Screen:
The screen is really good. There are no dead pixels, and I love the 1280x800 widescreen resolution. The screen is very bright when plugged into the wall. When it is on battery, depending on the power scheme you set it to, it goes from 0% brightness up to 100% brightness. At 0% some backlight seems like it is still on, and it is ok to use. I personally set my own power scheme so that I have about 20% backlight on. The viewing angles are ok. If you are watching a DVD a person to the right or left of you could enjoy it too. The vertical viewing angles aren't that great. I am not worried about this too much, as I am really the only one who is ever going to be using this laptop.
Noise:
This laptop is very quiet. The only times it begins to get a little bit louder is when a CD is spinning up, or when the small fan turns on. On battery, the fan rarely turns on. Even when it is on AC power the fan only stays on for about 30 seconds, and it is not loud at all.
Keyboard & Touchpad:
This is a very nice keyboard and touchpad combination. I love the keyboard and the 5 degree curve. It is very ergonomic. At first, it took a couple of minutes of typing to get used to the curve, but now I am used to it, and I love it. The keys are very nice, and they never miss when I press them. The touchpad is really nice, and the software that comes with it is great too. I like really sensitive mice so I have it on full sensitivity and it is great. I also like the feature where tapping on the touchpad acts as a mouse click. You just use the pad to put the mouse over a short cut and then tap twice, and the program opens. Very nice.
Wireless:
The wireless is great. It is fast and has good connectivity. I just bought the D-Link DI524 wireless router. This laptop with that router is great combination. I get 'Very Good' to 'Excellent' service from about 4 rooms away. The router is even under a wooden desk. The connection is very good and very fast. Everything connects effortlessly.
On a sidenote, there are wireless and bluetooth buttons on the front of the computer. I like having the Wireless LAN on/off switch there, but the bluetooth is pointless, because I don't think this laptop came bluetooth ready. When I push that button it just says "No Device" on the screen.
Speakers:
The speakers are laptop speakers, nothing great but they get the job done. The headphone jack with headphones gives a much better sound.
Heat:
The right side of the laptop does get warm. You can knid of feel it through the right palm rest, but it is not really hot. It is very bearable. The bottom right is warmer than what you feel through the palm rest, but again, nothing to complain about.
Perfomance:
I was a little concerned at first with buying this laptop because of the slower processor speed (1.4Ghz, and the 256Mb of RAM). I always felt that 512Mb was the minimum for antything running Windows XP. I have to say, however, that I am extremely pleased with the performance. I don't really play games on it, so it only used 16Mb of video memory, and with a bunch of programs open right now (36 processes running) I still have about 25-40Mb of RAM left, but nothing is running slow at all. I am very happy with the performance of this laptop. I might try running a game or too on it in the future, but I will probably upgrade and get and extra stick of 256Mb. I am going to put this off though. Originally I was going to buy it with the laptop, but you really don't need it to run the internet and stuff.
Battery Life:
What can I say? The battery life is simply amazing. I have been using this laptop for 1:40 right now, using the internet and word processing, and I still have 64% battery life and 2:50 remaining. On battery doing word processing and internet type tasks, you get about 5 hours of battery life. This is amazing, and a great amount of battery life. The battery only takes about 3 hours to fully charge. I really like this battery life. I haven't test the battery life while watching a DVD or playing a game, but I suspect it is really good too.
Conclusion:
This is a very, very good laptop for office tasks. If this is what you are going to be doing, don't hesitate. At the price of $889 for a Centrino laptop with 5 hour battery life, it can't be beat. I recommend this laptop to anyone. My friend is even thinking about getting one now too! I am from America and another cool thing about this laptop is that is has a dedicated € key. It also has a a dedicated $ key, but I really like the € key for some reason. If someone asks me a price of something, I know say €4.99 instead of $4.99, just because I can!
Buy this laptop now!
Pictures will be coming soon, and if I play a game, I will let you know about performance and battery life for that too.
