Gateway EC1803u 11.6-Inch Laptop (Black)

There are things that surprised me upon receiving this notebook:

1. This can play HD videos in Youtube and Hulu without a hiccup (if you have good bandwidth of course).

2. Upgrading HDD, RAM and even network card is a breeze as the access panels are well laid out in the bottom, and all said components are within reach upon opening. No need to open the top and take the keyboard out like with some other notebooks.

3. LCD quality is surprisingly good and easy on the eyes.

4. Overall build quality is above average for the price point.

This notebook looks and feels much better than the images provided here would make you think. By now everybody should know that this is extremely similar Acer's 1410, down to the quirks such as missing bluetooth despite presence of bluetooth button, etc. which is not surprising now that Acer owns Gateway.

However, there are subtle differences and I bought this over the Acer 1410 because of the following:

1. The keyboard layout is US version, whereas that of the 1410 is European. (At least if you check the 1410's images they are)

2. The touchpad is recessed, so less fumbling into that area. Most users complain about the 1410's touchpad being flush.

3. This is subjective, but I kind of liked the faux graphite look on the palmrest compared to the 1410's.

But you really couldn't go wrong with either product. These are just what tipped me to get this one over the other.

i was very anxious to use my new notebook... And then the most unplesant suprise... It wont power on... Well, it does but the display doesnt work.

The manufacturer's warranty will cover it, but the least they can do is to is to inspect the goods before shipping them.

Buy Gateway EC1803u 11.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Now

I picked up this laptop on a passing visit through the US, earlier this month. I purchased it based on some quick, but diligent research and felt satisfied with the cost vs value reviews previously posted on this site.

However, after successfully receiving this product and having some satisfactory use of it for a few days without any major problems, apart from the usual Windows Vista difficulties, I discovered that the laptop would not WAKE UP anymore from its sleep or hibernate mode. Permanent "COMA"!

Unfortuntaley, as I am no longer in the US, I am now left with the frustration and incredible inconvenience of not be able to use it or even exchange this product covered under warranty, without having to incurr extraordinary shipping expenses (that cost as much as the laptop) by returning it back to the retailer or manufacturer in the US, due to the lack of international support they provide.

Its a damn shame, as I thought that with the Gateway/Acer union, I would be guaranteed international support. A far distant truth.

A complete waste of time, energy and money!

Read Best Reviews of Gateway EC1803u 11.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Here

This laptop is light and excellent.

But two things I don't like :

1. Speaker is not loud enough ,a little disappointed.

2. Somehow I don't like the mouse pad it's designed. Perhaps I am not getting used to it....

Other than that .....it's a great laptop and great buy.

Want Gateway EC1803u 11.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Discount?

I received my Gateway 1803u laptop a few weeks ago. It had 32-bit Windows Vista Home Premium operating system installed. Since I already purchased a 64-bit Windows 7 Professional upgrade disc, I installed it on the Gateway after making back-up discs for the 32-bit Vista drivers. The 64-bit upgrade went smoothly. An external DVD drive is needed to install the Windows 7 Professional upgrade disc. Also, to get the hardware virtualization switched on for the Windows XP mode, a different BIOS has be used. The Acer website has a compatible BIOS for their Aspire 1410 laptop (I learned that from another customer review on this website). The Acer BIOS already has virtualization switched on. The touchpad works best with the original driver and the webcam works the original driver as well. A really good little package for the money. I'll have to get at least one 2GB memory chip, for a total of at least 3GB of RAM. That will allow more memory for the XP mode to run faster. The 64-bit Windows 7 Professional boots-up fast and runs great. The Intel Core 2 Solo processor SU3500 is reasonably fast, and screen display is sharp. The HDMI works great with big screen TV's.