Dell Inspiron 15 Laptop I15N-2657OBK / Intel® CoreTM i3-2350M Processor / 15.6" Display / 4GB Memo

NO TEN KEY BOARD. THE TOUCH-PAD BROKE AFTER ONE MONTH. HOWEVER, THE CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS GREAT. THEY SENT A TECHNICIAN TO MY HOUSE!!!! TO FIX IT. SO I CAN'T WHINE TO MUCH ABOUT IT. I DON'T LIKE THE SCROLLING AND I AM NOW HAVING A NETWORK PROBLEM THAT THE DELL HELP DESK OFFERED TO FIX FOR $110.00 EVEN THOUGH MY COMPUTER IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY.

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HP 2000-299WM Notebook Computer

I've only had this for 24 hours but it seems like a really nice laptop. Was looking at buying a netbook to access internet while traveling but found this and it does that plus allow me to view dvds and download stuff. Not much on here in terms of programs only a basic word and excel. No powerpoint. Can buy the full Microsoft office for $110, no thanks. Has Windows 7, internet explorer, etc. Have been connected to wifi in rv park and I'm getting fairly fast speeds. With this large screen and keyboard and for only about $50 more than a netbook this is definately a good choice for me. Found this a Wallyworld for $298.

Needed a new laptop for school and so I went to Walmart and found this one for $298. It comes with the basic programs (Microsoft word )which you can later purchase the full program. It works really good, was very easy to set up, pretty fast with the wifi, no waiting around for the page to load, it's fairly light weight for a laptop, all in all if you need a computer and are on a budget this is a great one and you wont be disappointed.

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Put simply this laptop is excellent... The only thing that is not amazing is the Intel onboard video... which I would say is adequate... but all other aspects are surprisingly great for the price... It does play Netflix and they like perfectly fine... all components rate fairly high on the Windows User Experience rating system... except the video which is sort of in the middle of the rating... So unless you want serious games this computer is great... Long battery life with the 6-cell battery. I am blown away by the quality for the price, this laptop cannot be beat (got mine at walmart for 298!)

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My desk top died and went to Walmart to buy another desktop a friend suggested a lap top. This is the first laptop I have ever baught or used. I take it everywhere I go just about now. It was so easy to set up and use. I did not ever think I would get a lap top but I am so glad I got this one. I really really like this one. The price was under $300 I got a wireless mouse to go with it total out the door was $350 tax and all you can not beat this computer.

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This computer does a great job on basic functions. It is pretty good for multimedia and has a decent battery life. The word processing functions are great and the computer is sleek and attractive. It doesn't weigh very much and that makes in convenient to travel with. The keyboard is sturdy and well built and the touch pad for the mouse is not overly sensitive so you don't make too many mistakes by accidentally bumping it. The screen is clear and movies look great on it. The sound is loud and clear and it has just enough ports to make it convenient for all types of functions. I have enjoyed using this computer for the past year and would recommend it for anyone looking for a decent laptop at a reduced price.

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Dell Inspiron mini 10 Notebook

This little netbook computer meets almost all of my wife's computing needs: it is light, small, has almost a full-size keyboard, a decently sized hard drive, a readable screen, and performs as advertised. The Wi-Fi adapter connects easily with our Verizon mobile hot spot for good, reliable, and consistent wireless connections. The biggest negative is that it comes with only the bare minimum memory -1GB -needed to run the Windows 7 Starter edition pre-loaded on the computer. To make it more functionally usable, we upgraded the memory chip from 1GB to 2GB, which is the most memory the computer will take. To do that, we had to remove the keyboard -aaargh. We also upgraded, online, from the Windows 7 Starter edition to the Windows 7 Ultimate edition. With the upgrade to 2GB memory, and to the do-everything Windows 7 Ultimate edition -which includes multilingual capability -we can write, send and receive e-mails in Japanese, and run other programs simultaneously. It is still considerably slower than larger laptops, however. To partially offset that, we loaded a 2GB SD card to give it ReadyBoost capability; doing that lets the computer use the additional flash memory the same as an additional memory chip. So, with a relatively cheap upgrade in memory and with a reasonably cheap upgrade to the Ultimate edition, the machine performs quite well for Web browsing, e-mailing, and use of Excel. It does not have a DVD/CD player, however. That may be overcome by using an add-on, plug-in third party USB drive. We have not yet had to use that capability, as we have downloaded all needed upgrades. Thus, in summation, we can recommend this computer if your needs do not include steaming video or significant graphics use. And, the price is right: you should be able to find this computer online for about $260 or so. That's it for us.

I bought Dell Inspiron mini 10 netbook last year. Within 6 mths, motherboard started giving problems, power adapter stopped working and screen started flickering. Luckily it was still within the initial warranty.

Initially, I was very excited about buying mini because of it's weight and portability. It cost me around $350. Now I think iPhone beats it for its portability and weight if I am going to use it only for internet access. For other uses nothing like normal laptop or a desktop. Never use netbook as your primary computer.

Dell is very shady about prices of their warranty extension. They quoted me a warranty price that was almost equivalent to the price of netbook itself. They do not have fixed warranty prices on their website, but they give ridiculously high priced quotes when you call their support center. I was asking for an extension on the existing warranty and they were tricking me with ridiculous price for upgrade, without informing me. Luckily I spotted it. Never take them at a face value. Possibly this is the reason they can afford to offer mini at such a cheap rate.

When you cannot trust a company, how can you trust their product?

Dell Inspiron iM1012-687OBK Mini 1012 10.1-Inch Obsidian Black Netbook Up to 8 Hours 8 Minutes of Battery LifeDell Inspiron mini 10 NotebookDell Inspiron Mini iM1012-571OBK 10.1-Inch Netbook (Obsidian Black)Dell Inspiron iM1012-687OBK Mini 1012 10.1-Inch Obsidian Black Netbook Up to 8 Hours 8 Minutes of Battery LifeDell Inspiron iM1012-687OBK Mini 1012 10.1-Inch Obsidian Black Netbook Up to 8 Hours 8 Minutes of Battery LifeDell Inspiron iM1012-687OBK Mini 1012 10.1-Inch Obsidian Black Netbook Up to 8 Hours 8 Minutes of Battery Life

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This was a beautiful item. Loved the color. Item worked however battery wasn't compatible. So I returned for a full refund.

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Runs very well! I can keep it in my laptop forever and it won't burn you. I love watching netflix, and it's so light, plus the battery life is amazing! I went from Vegas to L.A. (A 6 hour drive) and it lasted all the way there and still had like %30 battery. I see the reviews here that the people probably didn't treat their laptop well, and therefore are experiencing problems. Even then, I haven't had a problem with mine EVER, and i've dropped it solid concrete a couple of times (I like to take it out with me a lot.)

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Extremely slow. Don't waste your time and money. It uses DDR2 ram_which is almost obsolete by now. I am even sure that you can upgrade its memory.

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Lenovo Thinkpad T420 14-Inch Laptop

I have had one TP Lz61 m before, it was a excellent computer.

I'm finding the same for this. at the date the machine seems accomplish it

weight 95%

screen 95%

performance 90%

keyboard 85%

battery performance 90%

besides terrific fulfillment.

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Sony VAIO(R) VPCYB14KX/S 11.6" Notebook PC - Silver

didn't buy it here, but thought i would chip in my 2 cents, in case someone comes across this...

pros: light, moderately good looking silver chassis, peppy enough for web and email and light movies chores, hdmi out for tv, battery life ok but not what it's rated....a little over 3 hours with moderate use, i LOVE the keyboard, and the mousepad is not stupidly touchy like some note/net books

cons: doesn't feel that sturdy really, on the other hand, like i said, it's light...no recovery discs ( yeah yeah blah blah i know, no optical drive, hidden partition for recovery blah blah yeah yeah, still PUT THE RECOVERY DISC in with the book, it would cost you chinese manufacturers about .03 cents en masse, good grief, c'mon )....it does run a little warm, NOT hot, but def warm...hd is a little busy at times....ac plug into the computer itself is HORRIBLE, very loose and shoddy....not much in decent software included, but that is to be expected...sound is a tad below where it really should be, again, not that unusual in these low end books...display is so-so, biggest downer is the 32 bit OS, and YES YES YES i know it's the spec on this, it's just disappointing really

other thoughts in case someone reads this...yeah yeah it's a hybrid kind of thing, between a net and a notebook...thing is, i would NOT NOT NOT pay anywhere near $500 for this, NO WAY....on the other hand, i got a demo model, a few days old, with a massive discount on top of the demo discount, out the door for $357 plus tax, so not too bad for a sony vaio branded low-end job...its a tad better than a notebook for sure, but the 500 buck price point is a no-go for me anyway...

so, to sum up, not a bad buy for $350, biggest downer is the AC plug in, and the 32 bit OS...

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Super Google Chromebook Pixel (4G LTE) Touch Screen 12.85" 2560x1700 3:2 LCD i5-3427U 4GB DDR3 64GB

OK, let's be clear. The Pixel is something special. It is a work of art, an engineering triumph, and a game changer. You really have to experience it to fully understand it. I have been using Chromebooks for a couple of years, the first Acer model, then the Samsung 5 550 model. Both decent for what they cost, but with limitations as far as quality and performance. Samsung performed better, Acer actually had the nicer display. So I use them and I understand ChromeOS and the experience it delivers. I also understand the virtues it brings and the trade-offs you make in exchange. I have some excellent Windows Notebooks accumulated over the years, a tablet and other similar devices. So I know the gear, the OS, and what to expect.

I read probably every review of the Google Pixel online and all the comments. Thankfully, there were some good reviews in all the chaff. But...you really have to see, touch, and use the Pixel to know. That said, I ordered mine sight unseen...a man of faith. ;)

I have always felt the physical limits of the low cost devices were a mixed blessing. Yes, cheap is good and has it's attractions. But if you spend untold hours online as I do, you begin to long for a nice keyboard and, especially, a nice display for tired eyes. Also, as someone who enjoys art, photography and videography as hobbies, a good display is something I require. I appreciate the value of having a good one and am willing to pay for it. Life is too short to endure the crappy displays so prevalent these last many years. Thankfully, that's now changing.

So...to me, the Google Pixel, while expensive, was something of which I could understand the value proposition on offer. The minute I got mine, I knew. This was what I had been looking for, not just in a Chromebook, but as my primary computing device. Yes, damn expensive (even though I got a very good deal on mine), but worth every penny to me.

Incredible display, gloriously clear text and beautiful colors and images. Excellent keyboard, one of the best I have used on a notebook. And absolutely the best trackpad/touchpad I have ever used in my life. What a joy! I feel no need for an external mouse at all and that's exceptional, because I feel that way about no other notebook. Perfect right out of the box. No false taps or errors. It simply works. (For those who have experienced the truly abysmal touchpads on many recent highend notebooks, this will catch your attention and I hear your sigh of relief!)

An "intelligent" back-lit keyboard...best I've used (in a thin ultra-portable size device). Fabulous tactile feel and response. And the perfect size and shape! The Pixel is exactly the right size. That is no small thing. And the screen is exactly the right size and the perfect ratio (3:2), same as my photographic images. At working distance, the width is correct for your eyes and the height as well. I can live with wide displays and even prefer them for certain things. But the 16:10 and 3:2 ratios have always seemed the best to me for general use.

The quality of the display and the appearance of text reminds me of the very expensive typesetting machines I used many years back when I worked in publishing. They had very expensive high resolution monitors for displaying fonts with precision...just as the Pixel. My eyes are loving this.

The build quality. The elegance of the design. If you have to work long hours online and then you are crazy enough to also want to play longs hours online...well, then you might rejoice at using such a finely crafted rig, one where you enjoy it every time you open the lid, or feel the solid mass and quality as you pick it up. I value good gear highly, so this is a natural pleasure for me.

The speakers are also outstanding. The stereo separation is excellent. The tonal qualities are very good for a small unit such as this. Music is very pleasant. Good clarity, plenty of volume. The tonal range seems very good, bass is meager, of course, but overall the sound is very good and you can get by without headphones or speakers (though, of course, either will improve the sound). Sound while watching videos/movies/Netflix/Amazon Instant Video and so on is also fine. Never did I feel I had to go looking for my bluetooth speakers. Perfectly acceptable sound for a portable device.

It is nice to use something where everything feels right, works well, and you never think...oh, I wish it had a better screen, or keyboard, or whatever. That is worth a little extra in my book. Watching movies is fantastic. Great contrast, black levels, detail, color...and it was weird at first. I am so used to having to adjust the screen for the best image...here the image quality is constant...no need to adjust the display angle...move left or right, stand up, sit down...the image still looks great. Amazing. Good image quality and a good video/movie experience are a hard requirement for me and the Pixel delivers.

The free terabyte of cloud storage is nothing to sneeze at, either. It's free for three years. At the end of three years, you get to keep everything you have stored there indefinitely, but must pay if you wish to add more. Google Drive as it's called is well integrated with the File Manager and is very easy to use and quite convenient. It's worth $1800 if you bought it outright, so a nice bonus. (If you are a small business, this is something to consider. A terabyte of Google managed storage at your disposal and an excellent high-end notebook...hmmmm.)

The Pixel comes in a nice box with a magnetic latch (mirroring that of the Pixel display). There is no manual, per se, but there are extensive 'getting started' items in an included app of that name and plenty of info online and on the unit itself. And, of course, if you've already used a Chromebook, as I have, then you're all set. There are a bunch of useful apps preloaded, such as the main offline apps you might want (Gmail offline is very nice), and it automatically syncs up with your apps, bookmarks, and other content as ChromeOS is designed to do. So, whichever of my chromebooks I use, I can access everything and it will always be up to date. Sweet!

At about 8.75 x 11.75 inches (slightly larger than a sheet of paper) it's very portable and easy to handle. And the solid feel and heft are a pleasure in use. This rig is about as close to perfect as you can get as far as design and build. It really is that good. Really.

The ChromeOS which elicits so much comment and sometimes scorn is, in my view, an equally great asset. I have been in IT nearly all my life and have been living and breathing computers and tech since I was a child. I have owned and used an incredible variety of units, from the Commodore, Apple, Amiga days til now, and worked with Linux in the late 80's and 90's, back when only a few hundred people had ever heard of it. I have spent countless hours installing and maintaining both hardware and software. I know the nitty, gritty details quite well. I have power-user rigs at hand. Maybe that's why I understand and value what Chromebooks are all about. First of all, the security. For daily use, nothing beats a Chromebook for security. Reliability. Synchronization across all of your chrome devices. Ability to easily wipe the unit clean and start fresh -without losing anything, without having to constantly backup and manage disk, without having endless updates, viruses, and other annoying problems popping up. The Chromebook is the most stable, reliable, secure computing environment I have ever used. The hardware and OS are designed for security from the ground up. Back in my UNIX Sys V days I championed thin clients and I still appreciate their virtues.

Chromebooks are the perfect notebook for 80% of the people who just want to do the common things like read email, surf the web, post their photos, watch streaming video, listen to music, and so on. Very few people actually edit video or photos at any level that requires Sony Vegas or Photoshop. Having spent many hours helping friends and colleagues with computer and software issues, I know how happy they'd be with a Chromebook if they made the switch. But, though it's popularity is growing fast, it's still a small part of the overall market. That may well change. The Pixel stands as a beacon as to what is possible.

I just use it. It works. I enjoy what I'm doing and can focus on what I am doing and not the tool I am using to do it. Though, as a techie, I do stop now and then to admire the elegance of the Pixel. For me, it is well worth the price I paid.

Pros:

Very fast web surfing, faster than any of my windows notebooks. Web pages look great, easy to scroll and zoom.

Gorgeous 2560x1700 Display has beautiful colors, contrast, and detail. Everything looks good.

Solid aluminum body looks great, feels great. Top quality build.

Keyboard is one the best I've seen. Intelligent back-lighting works very well. Use Alt-BackSpace for DELETE. ;)

Touchpad/Trackpad might be the best in existence. Works exceptionally well.

Elegant design means a pleasure to use, everything just works and well. Ultra-portable.

Chromebooks are very secure, data syncs automatically across devices, very stable and reliable.

Includes a Terabyte of Google managed online storage (an $1800 value) probably the best quality cloud storage on offer.

Has a touch screen that works well.

Cons:

Expensive. (But you get what you pay for.)

ChromeOS wifi connect can be flaky sometimes (a known software issue which hopefully will be fixed by an update).

Keyboard missing keys like Delete, Home, End, Page Up/Down, etc. (There are equivalents, like Alt-BackSpace for DELETE)

Display is glossy so some reflections now and then. But it's very bright, so a minor issue.

ChromeOS still maturing. An occasional minor quirk here and there.

Battery life is only 5 hours or so, could be better. Mitigated a bit by the nearly instant on/off cycle of the Pixel.

While I can't review the 4G LTE version of the Chromebook Pixel specifically, I can repeat what I said about the Super Google Chromebook Pixel (WIFI) Touch Screen 12.85" 2560x1700 3:2 LCD i5-3427U 4GB DDR3 32GB SSD 3.4lbs Ultraportable, which was...

"So good, I kept it!"

I bought my Chromebook Pixel direct from Google, fully expecting to return it within the 15-day return period once I had taken it for a spin. But, you know what? It was so good... I kept it! Despite the hefty price tag.

Having used other Chromebooks such as the "cheep and cheerful" Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch), and being more concerned with their function rather than their form, I surprised myself by falling in love with the potentially gimmicky and indulgent features that set the Chromebook Pixel apart from other Chromebooks:

1. The display really is awesome, even when simply browsing the web and noticing the sheer sharpness of the on-screen characters.

2. The sound is really awesome, nice and loud despite the fact that you can't see the speakers (which are hidden under the keyboard).

3. The touch screen is surprisingly useful for scrolling up and down through web pages and documents, and I seem to be able to hit the right buttons on screen with less hit-and-miss than I have experienced (for example) when operating the Microsoft Surface (32GB) web browser in desktop mode.

4. I love the solid feel and square simplicity of the aluminium casing on the Chromebook Pixel.

As explained in The Chrome Book (Third Edition): The Essential Guide to Cloud Computing with Google Chrome and the Chromebook, all Chromebooks are born equal in the sense that you should be able to do pretty much the same things on all of them. But it's so much more pleasurable to do those things on this beautiful machine. And I didn't expect to say this!

Why four stars rather than five? Only the price. But I guess that if you want quality... you have to pay for it.

Buy Super Google Chromebook Pixel (4G LTE) Touch Screen 12.85" 2560x1700 3:2 LCD i5-3427U 4GB DDR3 64GB Now

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Alienware M17x 17.3" Laptop Computer

I bought this product for Christmas.I wanted an upgrade from my old gaming computer. And WOW!!! what an upgrade! Fallout 3 Crysis 2 Skyrim all fly on the Alienware MX-17. Crysis was really bogging down my old computer and it would not even play Skyrim. You could not ask for a better picture true HD.I am VERY happy with my new gaming computer. Thanks Alienware YOU ROCK! (and now I do too!!!)

Great machine, although it's a high price product. Nice Sound, Great performance, silent fan, amazing looks, i didn't expected for it to be this size but it's great. Great keyoard. You may hear alienware is trash since dell bought it, well MY LAPTOP has not been infected, it's simply a great laptop, and for me it's worth the dough.

I'm in love with it, if you have the money...BUY IT NOW! .....seriously NOW!

Buy Alienware M17x 17.3" Laptop Computer Now

Great computer, fast, and easily up-gradable. Looks great with the lighted keyboard. I work in the dark alot and specifically wanted a computer with lighted keyboard, being able to change the colors is just lagniappe. I have had no problems with this computer, been able to play several games and FPS with specs maxed out and had no problems, drag, or freezing. Movies and games look great on the screen and plenty of USB ports for all gaming accessories. This is not a lightweight computer by any stretch, the battery alone weighs about 2 lbs, If you are looking for a desktop replacement that has the capability of being easily portable this is perfect. Very happy.

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BE WARNED! "ALIENWARE" computers today ARE NOT true Alienwares. The major computer manufacturer you see regarding these latest computers sporting the Alienware name (see Dell); purchased Alienware, and apparently began using inferior products and workmanship on what had become known as the pinnacle of gaming and/or high end computing Alienware. I paid just over $3,000 for what I thought was a top-of-the-line Alienware; and while it rocked for the first month, it steadily went downhill from there. Today, when fully charged, I turn it on and have to plug it in within about 30 seconds or it will power down from critically low battery. This thing weighs over 11 pounds and the guys at work joke that the heat it puts off is enough to heat the whole 4,000sqft building we work in! I will never ever EVER buy another Alienware until and unless Alienware is returned to truly being Alienware, and not some subsidiary of Dell or any other major computer manufacturer, that only seeks to use the name coupled with their inferior products to maximize their bottom line.

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I've had the Alienware M17x for almost three years. I'm trying to get a few more months of use out of it before I take a hammer to it and then set it on fire.

I'm not very tech savvy and I'm not a gamer but I spend a lot of time online. I wanted the fastest laptop available for that simple task so I ordered the Cadillac version of the M17x which set me back nearly $4,000. For that much money, the thing should perform flawlessly even if you drop it off a cliff.

Since I've owned this POS, I've gone through three power cords, spent approximately 30 hours on the phone with Dell "support", had three different service visits to replace the motherboard and other components.

Despite all that, the M17x overheats causing random shutdowns every hour or two. Two or three times a day the screen will just go blank and I'll have to do a forced shutdown and restart. It's ridiculous.

You would be wise to not chalk my experience up to getting a random lemon. Too many others here and elsewhere have had the same or similar experiences.

The bottom line is that Dell/Alienware are putting out outrageously overpriced pieces of junk. If you buy one, there is an excellent chance you'll hate yourself for it.

My actual rating is negative 5 stars.

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Dell XPS XPS13-1000sLV 13-Inch Ultrabook

Even a little bad screen and missing sd card slot, I love its beauty so much. It's a outstanding industrial design.

I am returning the laptop and getting a replacement in hopes of receiving a non defective one. I received a Windows 8 error from the first time I logged on and put all my information in. After I finally got through that, the computer (software) was acting up. Programs not working, occasional freezing, wireless connection going in and out. I downloaded a bunch of Windows Updates which seemed to help a lot but the Internet was still just awful.

I do have to say though, with my limited experience with Windows 8 so far, I did enjoy using it. That is why I'm hoping the replacement is free of defects.

As for the physical computer, I've never seen anything like it. The design is awesome. It's much smaller than I imagined. The screen is very clear. Once I got through the updates, the computer moved very fast. The trackpad is really not that bad. If people have a problem with it, use a wireless mouse. The keyboard is great. My prior computer (Dell Latitude Z) had the best keyboard I've ever used and this XPS13 is up there with it.

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Very impressive design in person....pictures provide limited justice... My first experience using a ssd drive...neither a hiccup or stall at all and is upgradable. Great ultrabook for my needs....burden less travel great size slightly under 3lbs. Screen is beautiful at front angle views. Wireless connection is reliable and strong. Windows 8 however is a work in progress as I like what was done 'under hood' over Win 7 but the new start mode but requires practice.

Read Best Reviews of Dell XPS XPS13-1000sLV 13-Inch Ultrabook Here

dell is good quality!!! I have not words for explain it, but I have good experience worn with dell product...

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Can not believe that this does not have a SD card slot.

USB drive is to inconvenient. Limited memory on 128 GB SSD drive after system software is installed.

At this price...this was a major factor that prevented me from keeping this otherwise decent ultrabook.

Will reconsider the XPS if dell makes a change.

Save 22% Off

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Acer Aspire S7-191-6640 11.6-Inch Touchscreen Ultrabook

I've been waiting for a thin, light windows subnotebook that was powerful enough to run modern software. My needs were: small footprint, light weight, >WXGA+ screen, intel core processor, backlit keyboard, USB 3.0. I've owned Vaio Ps, Vaio Us, Viliv N5, Vaio X (this machine sort of replaces that model for me), Toshiba Libretto, Fujitsu U820, Thinkpad 240x, Thinkpad X61. After looking at the various crop of 2nd-gen ultrabooks (Asus UX21a would have been a contender but cannot find it anywhere) I was excited when the 11.6" S7-191 finally showed up on Amazon. This machine is almost perfect. First things first:

LIKES

1. It's gorgeous. 12mm thick. Under 2.3 lb. 1080p touchscreen. Two USB 3.0 ports and microSD slot. First laptop that doesn't completely ape the offerings from the fruit company. I'd say aesthetically it is one of the most original and stunning designs of any PC laptop in the last few years. Fairly restrained, clean design with minimal branding. It feels solid and doesn't flex. Hinge has nice resistance. Build quality is very good. Kudos to Acer.

2. Screen is incredible. I've waited a long time for a high-res screen on an ultraportable and this screen does not disappoint. Fantastic viewing angles. Sharp and bright. Almost too bright (I keep it around 50% most of the time). Photos and videos look amazing. I'd venture to say this is the best screen on any laptop that i've owned. My only nit is I wish it were matte instead of glossy...I'll have to see if there is a screen protector that can solve this. Touch and swipe are accurate and snappy.

3. Keyboard is great for what it is. I'm typing this review on the S7 and although the key travel is a little shallow it's reasonable considering the 12mm thickness of the laptop. There is just enough travel to register the keystroke. It takes a little getting used to but the keyboard has gotten very comfortable to type on i'd say it's as comfortable to type on as my macbook pro. The electroluminescent backlighting is a really nice, soft light blue. Keystrokes register pretty accurately (thankfully, I haven't had any issues with super sensitive keystrokes as reported by some users although i'm sure it affects some keyboards) and the keys themselves are relatively quiet.

4. Performance has been surprisingly good. Cold bootup and shutdown takes seconds. I've run Photoshop CS6, Illustrator CS6, Acrobat 11, Outlook, Sketchup, all perform without a hitch so far. Windows 8 requires a learning curve but it's not bad, coming from Win7. I've also noticed that it seems like the fan barely runs and when it does it's barely audible and the laptop stays cool...barely even gets warm (I can't hear it running as I type this review).

5. Accessories...It's barely mentioned but this configuration includes the following in the beautifully packaged box:

a vinyl/pleather carrying sleeve. It works and i'm glad it's included. Doubles as a nice mousepad.

an extra battery! I'm not sure why it's barely mentioned. It's a little cumbersome to attach and remove, but i'm glad it's an option. The battery can be recharged on it's own, and it seems that when it is attached to the laptop, the laptop will draw the power from the external battery first and then from the internal battery second. There is a battery indicator light that can be pressed on the external battery to indicate the amount of charge left

USB 3.0 to VGA cable

USB 3.0 to ethernet

screen wipe/keyboard cloth

Bluetooth mouse with batteries. I haven't used it yet but i'm glad it's included

DISLIKES

I wish there were more than 4GB of ram. It's been adequate so far but I would have paid extra for 8GB. Also the 128GB SSD seems a little small capacity nowadays. Again, I would have paid extra for at least 256GB. Like the other reviewer, I too bought a 64GB class 10 microSD SanDisk Ultra 64 GB microSDXC Class 10 UHS-1 Memory Card 30MB/s with Adapter SDSDQUA-064G-U46A and it lives permanently in the microSD slot. I also would have liked the i7 option as I know it exists (i've seen it in many videos and i'm pretty sure it's available in other regions, just not in the US). Acer's website is lacking of any information. Keyboard has some odd placements (delete key, tilde, missing function key row so F1-F12 must be accessed using the Fn+ key) but this wasn't a dealbreaker.

What WAS nearly a dealbreaker was the flaky wifi issue that showed up early on. Wifi would disconnect from sleep and would indicate it was connected but websites wouldn't load. After reboots would temporarily fix the problem it'd show up again upon wakeup from sleep or have erratic connections after a few minutes (wifi would show as connected but "limited"). After scouring the internet for solutions, I read about a setting for the Atheros wireless (always on, don't allow computer to disconnect from sleep) and a power setting for wireless (placed on maximum while on battery and while plugged) and I haven't had the flaky wireless issues since (crossing my fingers). Battery life doesn't seem to have taken that much of a hit in this new setting.

So the S7 has met all of my expectations, It's currently the best combination of portability, power and usability for my needs (all specs being equal to most ultrabooks, that 1080p IPS touchscreen plus microSD slot really is what sets it apart from most comparable 11.6" ultrabooks).

Just a minor update to the review below from a few months back....

I've now been using this machine for a while now and my opinions havent changed all that much except with respect to the battery life. It's really pretty horrible. The secondary external battery is included and doubles the time but are you really going to carry that thing around everywhere? And its somewhat hokey plugging it in. So while I still am impressed with this machine, I really am dissappointed that they would release it with a battery life this short.

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So I've been waiting for an ultrabook like this to come to market. My requirements were size (wanted something smaller than standard 13.3), weight (under 2.5 lbs), touchscreen, and higher res than typical 1368x768

This is a tiny and super lightweight (2.2 lbs) laptop. Very impressive craftmanship and packaging. Almost apple-like. Also included is an external extended battery and a nice faux leather portfolio that perfectly fits the laptop (although not the charger).

Here's what I really like about this machine.

1. Amazing screen resolution 1080p which you would think is almost pointless on an 11.6 inch screen. It's actually pretty awesome. Video looks great. Text is CRYSTAL clear albeit super small. I opted to leave res at 1080p but increased font to 125% (under display settings). That's the perfect setting for me.

2. Touch screen is responsive and pretty accurate not as perfect as an ipad but very respectable. Unfortunately i dont yet find myself taking full advantage of the touch screen since I'm pretty picky about fingerprints. And you def see them after a session of touching the screen. The touch screen has come in handy so far for swiping to diff screens and for scrolling. It's almost like a hybrid experience at this point, like using the best of touch and the best of keyboard/mouse. I hope that moving forward I'll find myself using the touch screen more often since thats what Windows 8 was designed for. Call me an old school PC'er for now but i'm progressing.

3. Screen hinge is very cool. Easy to open to a certain point and then gets rigid after that. Useful since you dont want the screen to push backward while touching it. I will say though that initially opening the screen is a bit difficult since there's very little to get your finger under to lift it up (due to super thin top and botton and how they are flush to each other when closed).

4. The performance is impressive for such a small and lightweight machine. Super fast bootup (obviously due to i5 and SSD drive) and resumes from hibernation (not sleep) in just a few seconds. (Sleep is almost instantaneous)

5. The keyboard is small but actually very usable. Much more so than any other undersized laptop that I've ever owned or used. Its responsive, the keys are solid with great feedback, and they light up automatically when its dark. Literally a bright spot I wasnt expecting.

6. Battery life seems pretty good, but honestly I cant make any judgements about it since I havent really put it through its paces yet. From what I've seen so far, it's on par with what you would expect from today's ultrabooks. Likely somewhere in the middle of the road. The nice thing though is that if I'm in a situation where my battery is running low, I can plug in the little external battery for more juice. I have no idea how long that additional battery is supposed to last but I assume you can get those specs from Acer if you're interested.

Here's what I dont like.

1. SSD is only 128GB. I can live with that but only because I'm forced to. I picked up a 64GB micro SD and that will now permanantly stay in the machine to raise the storage up. I'll be looking forward to higher capacity micro SD's but they dont exist yet as far as I know. I'm told in the spring some time they'll be available. I would have really liked for this machine to include 256GB but it is what it is.

2. There are 2 usb 3.0 ports which is fine but there is a mini hdmi, a micro SD (instead of standard SD), and no ethernet port. They include an adapter for ethernet however. I suppose on a machine this small, thin, and light, you have to sacrifice some ports. Would be nice if I didnt have to though.

3. Edge of the palm rest is a bit sharp. Once in a while I find myself having to adjust my hands so the edge isnt digging into my palm. They prob could have slightly rounded off the edges although understandably that would take away from aesthetics. Still an oversight on Acer's part.

4. The trackpad is great (big, smooth, and responsive) although every once in a while it fails to respond for about a second or so. Hasnt really bothered me yet but that could change over time. Hopefully a driver update will address this.

In summary, there arent a lot of options (in fact I actually dont know of any other than this machine) that meet the criteria for the laptop I was looking for. I assume though that more will be popping up in the coming months (i.e. Surface Pro). This might be the first laptop of its kind but it certainly doesnt disappoint. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say that it will be tough for any competitor to top it. It's an amazing technological achievement and I'm very happy with my purchase. Hope this is helpful to anyone considering to pull the trigger but couldnt yet make a decision.

Buy Acer Aspire S7-191-6640 11.6-Inch Touchscreen Ultrabook Now

I've been waiting for a 1080p LCD in a 11-12" form factor and the Acer Aspire S7 does not disappoint. The IPS screen is bright and the colors and angles are excellent. Yes the font is very tiny but I have perfect vision and the fonts can be adjusted in any case. It's the best LCD screen I've ever owned in a laptop. As the other reviews have noted I'm disappointed in the max amount of memory (4 GB). I would've liked to have seen 8 GB but the difference in everyday use for me is negligible. The laptop is plenty fast with the SSD and Windows 8 boots up very quickly although I would have preferred Windows 7. The built-in battery lasts about 3 hours but I haven't tried the add-on battery. The keyboard is ok. Keys are a little flat but the backlight is nice.The touchpad could be better but I'm sure future drivers will take care of that. Nonetheless it is very usable as is the supplied Bluetooth mouse which included 2 x AAA batteries and connected right away. Lastly, the audio sounds awesome for a machine this small. You'll get a nice velvety sleeve to protect your computer. Overall a well worth it machine that I highly recommend.

Read Best Reviews of Acer Aspire S7-191-6640 11.6-Inch Touchscreen Ultrabook Here

This is a revised review of the acer s7 191 11.3 inch model.

Have had this laptop for over a month now. Can definitely say it is the most asked about laptop I have ever had. While take it out of it's provided acer suede grey envelope sleeve, many people do a double take and many have come right up to me and ask where did I get it from. Many asked if it was a new MacBook pro or MacBook Air. After I tell them about it they are amazed at the brilliance in the screen and the thinnest and solid build and pure simplicity of the design.

The ultrabook is light, very light. The design is much more stunning then the MacBook air, im not just saying this, many of my friends that have a MacBook air admire the design and are envious of the touch capabilities, micro hdmi on the rear (missing on the MacBook air 11 inch), 2 USB 3.0 ports and a provided micro SD card slot (also missing on the MacBook air 11 inch). With the provided VGA adapter and usb Network Adapter (not included with a macbook air) it is an all in one design that just works. Amazing design. Throw in the touch screen and full HD 1080p display and I could not say no. The 128GB storage space may sound small but If you grab a 64GB Micro SD card and have it live inside the MicroSD slot, it is a huge help, also another add-in solution (although it does take up a usb slot) is a nano micro sd adapter that () can help add more storage.

These solutions above do require the purchase of extra cards but save the write loads to the HD and will save it some life over time. A 64GB micro SD card was on sale for 49$ on sale and is very reasonable for use as a download hard drive and file storage. The micro sd usb adapter only accepts 32GB cards but 32 GB cards are extremely cheap now and can be purchased for not more than 15$ on eBay. Again both solutions save the SSD from extra writes and give it more life over time.

Some things I would like to mention, the fan on this laptop will turn on, although it is in no way loud, its something to note, the fan exhausts and intakes from the back so make sure it is not blocked.

It also has a flaky Bluetooth Mouse that has a problem connecting.

There were reports that the wireless adapter drops signals, this was true until they released a newer wifi adapter driver that fixed the issue. Make sure you get it, as long as you have the latest one you should be good.

Secure Boot cannot be disabled on this system, it uses EFI system and uses two 64GB LG SSDs setup in raid 0. The reason why I mentioned that secure boot cannot be disabled is for those who are looking to install Windows 7 and dual boot. Unfortunately, until Acer releases a new bios update that allows the secure boot feature to be disabled, you will not be able to install Linux or Windows 7. This is also true about the 13 inch (391) model.

The brightness, as pointed out earlier uses intel's adaptive brightness feature which is glitchy and will reduce your true brightness, and prevent you from getting to true 100% brightness until you turn off the feature in Control Panel>Power Options>Click on any power option and select "change plan settings" then click "change advanced power settings" from here expand the "Display" category and you should see "Enable adaptive brightness" Turn both settings to "OFF". Do this for all three power profiles, High Performance, Balanced, and Power Saver.

Also something else to mention, the screen, because it is a touch screen, and a beautiful and useful one at that, is prone to attracting dust. Make sure you keep one handy as it collects lint and dust very easily. The screen is made from Gorilla Glass and does not scratch easily but I wouldn't want to test it either.

The keyboard on this ultrabook is very nice. Very simple and clean. As mentioned by others, the F keys are accessible only while pushing the Fn key and the corresponding key. You can turn off the touch pad, mute, put the computer to sleep, rotate the screen, turn off wifi, increase or decrease and also turn off the backlit keyboard as well. One nice feature. Delete key is placed between the space bar and arrow keys, beside the option key.

The sound is amazing on this laptop, the down fire-ring design really immerses you in the sound. You can really tell that it is stereo and with the provided dolby digital home theater software enable, it is not just more immersive, it is noticeably louder and music sounds much more high quality. It is literally amazing and not gimmicky like the older Sound Blaster software found on older PCs. One tip I will add is to disable "volume leveler" and "dialogue enhancer" and enable and "intelligent equalizer" and "surround virtualizer". The sound is amazing and you can adjust three different profiles for quick switching.

Other than that, the battery is not the greatest, I get about 2.5 hours on high performance and 3.5 on power saver and somewhere in between on balanced. The extra battery is kind of cumbersome to use first time, but make sure you take the time to look at how it attaches as doing it wrong could be painful and break or snap the battery if your not careful, it is not flimsy but just a bit cumbersome. It can be charged independently of the laptop which is very nice and also has a visual meter to tell you how much life is left in it. It does pretty good adding an extra 3-4 hours on modest use.

The speed of the ultrabook is also fast and snappy with the provided ssd and is much quicker then my 2009 MacBook air T9800 Dual core 2.6 Ghz Intel Processor. 1080p playback is flawless, looks amazing and clarity and color is great.

The touchpad is multi gesture capable as well and comes with the elan software to configure it.

Other than that, like others have stated, it is a great true laptop, perfect for on the go use. I can carry it one handed without fear of fatigue and is very portable. I thought the 1080p screen would be hard on my eyes but it has really worked out beautifully. Make sure you pick up a nice HD wallpaper from interfacelift.com to really show it off.

I think this laptop, if secure boot could be turned off would get 5 stars no problem, but because it does not allow me to install any other OS's, I will with hold it, but considering not too many people will care it truly is an ultimate portable laptop, the size of the iPad but with much more full capabilities.

Amazingly light, beautifully designed, wonderfully full featured and 100% worth it. Nothing on the market at the moment compares at this form factor and all of its features. Extremely happy with the purchase and have been recommending it to everyone that asks.

I am work for a large technology company at a corporate office and everyone here has been looking to get one as well upon my recommendation.

Thank you amazon and acer! Great Job.

Want Acer Aspire S7-191-6640 11.6-Inch Touchscreen Ultrabook Discount?

I've had this laptop 4 days now. First off, I knew the battery life wasn't going to be great, but it's awful! Max of 2.5 hours when web surfing and word processing. It also takes a full 2-2.5 hours to charge it. The advertised life is grossly exaggerated.

The external battery back is not very seamless and looks ugly. I'll add some photos of it. The battery pack doesn't show up as an extra battery in Windows so you can't see the life on it without pressing a little button on the side of the battery. It's also cumbersome to attach. It was definitely an afterthought.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/permalink/mo3UQFB8H829JIG/B009H2CL8Q/ref=cm_ciu_images_pl_link

http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/permalink/mo39OIVHVVWYO4W/B009H2CL8Q/ref=cm_ciu_images_pl_link

http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/permalink/moBOGEJ4KDTHBG/B009H2CL8Q/ref=cm_ciu_images_pl_link

The wireless issue that others have talked about is certainly a problem. I randomly have my wireless connection stop working about once every 2 hours of use requiring me to turn airplane mode on and off.

The keyboard has extremely low travel. My Microsoft Surface Type keyboard has more movement in the key press. I'm willing to sacrifice that for size, but some may not. I'm a fast touch typist and it hasn't really bothered me. Warning, if you buy this laptop in Canada, you will end up with the french keyboard which has split up the shift and enter keys (not recommended).

The touchscreen is amazing. It works better than I could have hoped for and using a combination of mouse and touch is very efficient on this device. Text can be a little small at times especially for those web browsers (Chrome) and applications that don't scale fonts. This is my first glossy screen laptop and I haven't found it to be annoying yet. In certain light you can see your fingerprints though.

The touchpad is one of the best ones I've used. It's roomy and I like it just as much as the one on my Macbook Air. It responds great, the gestures work, and it clicks nicely. There is no separate right click button, but clicking in the bottom right area will result in a right click.

There are plenty of accessories with this too. A bluetooth mouse, a high quality sleeve, micro(?)-hdmi to VGA and a USB ethernet adapter come with it. The bluetooth mouse it comes with works great for me. It has a notched wheel which I prefer and the wheel is also great as a middle mouse button. See the url below for a photo of the accessories. The slip case also exposes the AC input while stored and will accommodate the external battery too.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/permalink/mo3HVK8EZD8KOI4/B009H2CL8Q/ref=cm_ciu_images_pl_link

The aluminum finish is awesome

The system is very quick, even with only 4gb RAM. My main workstation has an i5 @4.5ghz, 32gb RAM and a high end SSD, but this isn't much slower.

I can't think of any alternative notebooks to this if you want something of similar weight and size with a high res touch-screen display. The Zenbook prime would be a good candidate if they ever come out with the touch-screen version they promised. However, this thing will probably go back to the store for its awful battery life.

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Toshiba Portege Z835-P360 13.3-Inch Ultrabook (Silver)

[Impressions after 2 days of use]

I bought my Portege Z835-360 unit (Core i3, 4GB Ram, 128Gb SSD) on May 26, 2012 for $749.99 which is a very good price (2 weeks later and it's $699.99 already... oh well, technology). I decided not to go more upscale with the specs 'cause there are important compromises made by this and all other Ultrabook models as they all belong to the first round of Ultrabooks ever (Toshiba Portege, HP Folio, Asus Zenbook, Acer Aspire, Dell XPS13,etc.). So more money for better specs (Core i5, 6GB Ram) would not make up for the weaknesses of this model. As reviewers have all stated, Toshiba's is the one that offers the most for connectivity and ports. So that plus a very good experience I've had with my current (or should I say "old") Satellite A505 made my decision not-as-hard as it could have been.

Overall, it is a terrific value.

Nicely priced. I think it is the cheapest Ultrabook around (and I don't mean it the bad way).

Good Built Quality.

Insanely thin and light. I think lightest of all 13-inchers.

Good screen size. I don't perceive it as little or cramped (and I'm coming from a 16" screen)

Full array of ports (1 USB 3.0, 2 USB 2.0, full-sized HDMI, Ethernet, VGA, mic and headphone jacks, SD)

Decent sound. C'mon. It's a thin & light 13". Don't expect that much.

Excellent battery life. I haven't drained it yet but it should be over 6 hrs of light use (no watching movies nor playing games).

Aspects that hamper user experience:

Keyboard. This is my biggest complaint. Shallow keys and lack of feedback. I really have to type hard (meaning effort and noise) to have a confident and fast typing. It tires me after a long e-mail. Light years behind the experience when typing in a Sony Vaio.

Fan. It kicks in without me having to do heavy tasks. It just runs every now and then, and has a high-pitch sound. Not that big deal for me, though.

Touchpad. In theory, I like the regular touchpad with the 2 click buttons (at least in other laptops). But in practice, I find the buttons very hard (I mean, very hard) to click on. To left-click, at least I can double tap, but damn it with the the right click... Now, I think a clickpad would have provided a better user experience. Nitpicking, the 2 buttons are very shiny and attract a lot of fingerprints. Plus, they don't go with the design and style. So, why??

Design. Nitpicking again. It is boring (especially compared to the A500, A660, P750 series) and it does look like an 80's laptop.

Hard Drive Size. 128 GB is just not enough. I installed MS Office, Skype and Avast Anti-virus. Only 70 GB left.

About screen. The lid is indeed very thin, flexible and flimsy. I haven't experienced any issues yet. But also, I haven't carried the laptop around or out of the house to really test it. I will soon.

I would highly recommend this Portege Z835 for anyone looking for power on-the-go. At this price point, it is the most attractive offer available.

I hope this review will become useful for anyone looking for an Ultrabook and seriously considering to buy the Portege. Should my impressions change in the following weeks and months after longer-term use, I will update!

So I have been searching for a nice mid-grade ultrabook for a while, and I happened to see this exact model at my local Fry's Electronics store (price was $899). Amazon's price was $799, and strangely Wal-Mart had it for $766, but after adding nearly 10% Arizona sales tax at Wal-Mart, it turned out that Amazon was cheapest since Amazon doesn't charge tax. Even better, all of the local stores were out of stock and I would have needed to wait several days to order a new one (or I could take the display model....yeah, right). Amazon charged me like $9 for SAME DAY delivery.

Anyway, I loved the ultra-thin look of this machine but I think it's possible the unit might be TOO thin (i.e. flimsy). I was very concerned about the other user reviews saying that the screen cracked during normal use and that Toshiba was refusing to honor their warranty. This was ALMOST enough to deter me from making the purchase...but then I did a little research that made me feel a lot better for two reasons.

First, if you're worried about breaking the screen, Amazon sells a 2-year protection package for $99 that will cover physical damage like this. Of course the screen should never break during normal use, but if you're paranoid about it then $99 seems like a small price for that extra peace of mind.

Second, I did some searching and found that you can buy a replacement screen for this laptop for MUCH less than you might think -currently around $75. As it happens my wife broke the screen on her Acer netbook a few years ago, and I was shocked to find that a new screen was only about $45 and replacing it was actually very easy...just remove a few screws and plug the new unit in. People shouldn't be intimidated by this kind of thing...it's not brain surgery!

So, armed with this information I decided that it was worth the risk to buy this ultra-thin ultrabook even though there's a chance the screen might not last that long. If it breaks, then I know I can fix it for about $75, and if it doesn't break, then that's even better.

Having said all this -if the screen cracks during normal use my first call will be to Toshiba. Because I'm an attorney, they are going to have to push back extremely hard for me to accept that the warranty doesn't apply.

Buy Toshiba Portege Z835-P360 13.3-Inch Ultrabook (Silver) Now

I got this laptop because bestbuy didn't have the HP Envy 15 or Folio 13, so I was a little disappointed at first. Now...really happy. Great screen, decent keyboard and touchpad, and really thin(thinner than a pencil even when it is closed). I thought the core i3 would be slow but nothing noticeable. I love the facial recognition too(scans your face and logs you in). The three cosmetic issues I have are 1) the screen bezel is a little thick at the top(around an inch), 2) the camera is pretty large and noticeable, and 3) the mouse buttons pick up finger prints pretty bad. Really those issues are nothing when you use this thing. It boots in less than 12 secs, resumes from sleep in around 2 to 3 secs, has intel WiDi so you can wirelessly display your screen on an HDTV, and the battery life is rated at 9 hours, but I'm averaging 7 1/2 to 8 hours with moderately heavy use(still amazing).

I highly recommend this laptop.

Oh one last thing, if you don't have another computer and you don't use cloud storage for music and other media you might want an external HDD because the SSD is 128GB but only about 88GB after OS is installed and fills up fast.

Read Best Reviews of Toshiba Portege Z835-P360 13.3-Inch Ultrabook (Silver) Here

I purchased this Ultrabook to replace an old Lenovo net book and have not regreted my choice. Not only is this computer fast, it is really fast. It loads in just seconds and is ready to go. I have no trouble connecting to my Wi-Fi, my Mi-Fi, or any other wireless internet service available. While the hard drive, which is solid state, is small by comparison with big note books, I have increased it just by adding a high capacity SDHC card and load my programs such as photo editing and even games on that leaving the hard drive for running the computer. While others say that the screen cracks I have had no problem with that. While I do not want to say other people are hard on their computers, any laptop that is handled rough can be damaged. I have taken this on trips with no problem. I love the battery life, the speed, and the ease of use of this computer and highly recommend it.

Want Toshiba Portege Z835-P360 13.3-Inch Ultrabook (Silver) Discount?

My screen cracked after 2 days. Unfortunately Toshiba customer service says the repair is not covered under the warranty. It sits unfixed for over a month now.

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Lenovo ThinkPad T410s 2901-A3U

I was looking for a cheap laptop replacement since my hard drive crashed on my other laptop. It happend out of no where and I needed a product to arrive quickly. Because of my location, there were no laptops for purchase at the store. I searched amazon for laptops under $400 bucks. This laptop came up on amazon and was marked as opened box. For the discounted price I was amazed when it arrived still scrink wrap and never opened. A similary laptop was at Walmart for over $500 bucks and only have a step up processor upgrade and 8GB of ram. If you know how to read you can easily install an Ram upgrade, which I did. I saved over half the price it cost at Walmart and received it super fast to my location. Thank you amazon.

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Dell XPS 15z X15z-1461ELS 15.6" Laptop (2.30 GHz Intel Core i5-2410M, 6 GB RAM, 500 GB Hard Drive,

I wanted 1920x1080 resolution in a thin and light with Sata III, USB 3.0 and HDMI 1.4. The choices were this, this and this. It's a very good system all in all. I highly recommend using an SSD such as an OCZ Vertex 3. The computer boots 3x faster with an SSD. I deducted a star because of the difficulty of upgrading parts (memory, hard drive, etc). It is not as simple as removing a few screws. You can easily damage the unit in doing so.

I purchased a Dell laptop for my son from Amazon and this seller filled the order. A few weeks later the laptop died, either a bad power supply or motherboard. I called Dell to initiate a warranty claim, and they told me this machine was registered to someone else. The seller claims that was impossible and send it back to them. I did, and they replaced it with another unit. (Which was a long drawn out process with a lot of broken english involved)

So I receive the replacement and a few weeks later it dies as well, Dell accepts the registration but says it will not warranty because it is a USED LAPTOP. At this point I've paid for the item plus shipping it for repair twice and the seller will not cover anything.

SUMMARY: They sell used faulty equipment and represent it as new. Amazon's "A-Z" claim has done the Z part on this one ZERO, They have not even so much as given me a status update. Save yourself the aggravation and buy locally. These guys are scamming people.

Buy Dell XPS 15z X15z-1461ELS 15.6" Laptop (2.30 GHz Intel Core i5-2410M, 6 GB RAM, 500 GB Hard Drive, Now

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HP Pavilion g6-2260us 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)

We were in the market for a new Kitchen/Kids Laptop and wanted to get the best Laptop we could in the $500 price range. We plan to use this Laptop primarily for basic web browsing, home network access, some Excel and Word use and the kids will be using it to play on the web on various kid web sites. We don't need any super memory or processing power for Photoshop or anything like that. We have had a lot of luck over the years with HP PCs and Laptops. I have owned an HP Elite Desktop for a few years and this will be our third HP Laptop, all of which are still running great. We did a preliminary look and found that HP offered the features we were looking for in this price range so we settled on that brand and started researching.

I did a lot of research comparing all of the HP Laptops in the $400-$600 price range available at the time on Amazon and this one had the fastest processor. I found that all of the HP Envy Laptops and some of the Pavilions had AMD chips in them. I compared this i3-3110M to those specific processors on some benchmark sites on the web, and this chip came in faster in every instance. The price was around $508 when I first started watching it. I put a camelcamelcamel dot com price tracker alert on it and snatched it up when it dropped to the all time low price for this model of $449. A great deal in this price range for the fastest processor and other included features.

First Impression It is a nice looking Laptop. The trackpad has a rough texture which is different, but fine. The screen looks really nice. It has a full keyboard with a number pad which is great. It is only a couple of inches wider than our old 14" Laptop. The dimensions in the Amazon Technical Details section are misleading because they are way too big. I am guessing those are the dimensions of the shipping box. The Laptop is only about 15" wide.

Initial Setup Setup took a little while. Mostly basic questions that you would expect from any Windows installation. It easily connected to my Wireless N Router the first try. It did ask you to set up a Microsoft account so that you can download apps from the store which I did. Once in, I had no problem connecting to the shared drives on my Network. One of the easiest initial setups you could ask for.

Software Installation I immediately loaded a bunch of software on the machine. I installed Google Chrome, Dropbox App, Dropbox Software (yes, two different things), LogMeIn (for remote access), Microsoft Office 2007, tried to install Windows Security Essentials, but it comes with Windows Defender which does the same thing in Windows 8. Everything installed with no problems at all.

Performance and Web Browsing All of the software that I tried worked very well and very fast. No slowdowns to speak of. Web browsing with Chrome was great. No complaints at all about performance during my initial use.

Windows 8 I'm not going to comment much about this. I love Windows 7 and have never used Windows 8, so the first time out, it takes a bit to figure things out. I'm not sure if it is good or bad so far, but I was able to find the Desktop just fine and started getting used to the Metro UI pretty quickly. For what this machine will be used for (Kitchen and Kids access), the Metro tiles may actually work out better. It will just take some time to get used to.

In conclusion, this Laptop is great for the price. You get the fastest Intel processor in this price range, a good amount of RAM, a large hard drive, upgraded Intel HD Graphics 4000 (most in this range have the 3000 version), fast networking and overall nice performance. If you are looking for a lower priced Laptop and don't need the highest performance, you really can't go wrong with this Laptop in the $500 range. Highly Recommended!

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ONE WEEK UPDATE (05/09/2013):

The Laptop is working really nicely so far. The screen looks really nice and the performance has been great.

After using Windows 8 for a little while, I did decide to install Classic Shell, which is a free program that basically brings back the Start Menu to the Windows 8 Desktop. I have used Classic Shell for years on my Windows 7 PC and it has always been great. Now that I put it on the new Windows 8 Laptop, you can barely tell it is a Windows 8 machine. It functions almost exactly like Windows 7, but you can still access the Metro UI and all the other Windows 8 functions. A much more comfortable experience in my opinion. Really a "best of both worlds" situation. Still Highly Recommended!

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ONE MONTH UPDATE (06/06/2013):

Everything has been great with this Laptop so far. We have been using it daily for Web Surfing, Excel Work, Kids Games and Skype with the out-of-town Grandparents. We were told the Webcam through Skype looked really good from the other end. One complaint that I had was that it was driving me nuts that the F2 Key in Excel kept adjusting the brightness instead of editing the cell so I found a trick on the web that would switch the default on the combined Function/Action Keys by adjusting a BIOS setting [Disable Action Key Mode under the System Configuration]. Also since switching to Classic Shell, the Windows 7 like interface has been perfect and I am very happy having my Start Menu back. Overall, the performance has been great and everything is working as expected. We are very happy with this purchase.

I received this laptop yesterday after having to return the ASUS A55A-AH51 (unfortunately got a lemon). This laptop has been great so far. The set up was a no-brainer; fast and easy. I added 4GB of RAM (Kingston Value RAM KVR16S11S8/4) and I think this helped with the speed. All programs and apps are running perfectly...no problems. The internet connection was also perfect. This laptop comes with Windows 8. I'm not sure yet how I feel about it...it's different but I like the apps options. It is slightly hard to navigate but I'm sure I'll get used to it soon enough. If anything changes down the road, I'll add to the review.

Buy HP Pavilion g6-2260us 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Now

I got this so I could do some internet surfing, school work and some light Photoshop. So far so good. It runs Photoshop no problem and for under $500, that is hard to beat. I will probably add 4 GB of RAM in the future but for now the 4 it comes with will do fine. The screen is crisp and the keyboard is nice. I don't really like touchpads too much so will be getting a wireless mouse soon but it works fine just I don't like any of them. I would probably consider this one of the minimal specs for a laptop you would want if you would like to do Photoshop comfortably. Sure a lesser computer could probably do it, but would be pretty rough and of course a $1,000 laptop would handle it better but so far I have had no problems with it. I would recommend this laptop for sure for anyone who just wants it for the basics and even for someone who wants to do some lite gaming, for example, I have played the Sims Medieval on this with no problem at all. (probably games from before 2012 would run nice with this overall) or Photoshop or the like.

Read Best Reviews of HP Pavilion g6-2260us 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Here

Lots of apps and plenty of GB at 670. 4 GB of memory. seem to work very good for me. Not sold on windows 8 just yet. I liked visita and XP they were more easy to use.

Want HP Pavilion g6-2260us 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Discount?

I love the size of this screen and the graphics are great and unlike a previous review I can say that it is very good for lots of gaming as well as movies. I have even grown to like the new system but what I cannot tolerate is the cost of Office 2013. I didn't expect at this price point to get it included for free but to charge $100 a year for a subscription is really pushing the limit. I would give this 5 stars if not for that.

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