overall a good laptop, light and portable. comes with Win7 along with a copy of Win7. I would definately but another if i needed it. I am thinking about replacing the HDD though, since it is really small at only 80gb
Showing posts with label field notebooks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label field notebooks. Show all posts
HP 6910p INTEL Core 2 Duo 2000 MHz 80Gig Serial ATA HDD 4096mb DDR2 DVD/CDRW Wireless WI-FI 14 Wide
overall a good laptop, light and portable. comes with Win7 along with a copy of Win7. I would definately but another if i needed it. I am thinking about replacing the HDD though, since it is really small at only 80gb
Lenovo ThinkPad T520 423946U 15.6-Inch Laptop
Top of the line, state of the art product. High quality. Sturdy hinges. Nice keyboard feel and touch. I've used Lenovo Thinkpad T60 for years, with minimal problems. My niece needed a computer upgrade. Researched many products. Bottom line, purchased Thinkpad T520 for her. Increased RAM from 4 to 6 for now, I believe 8 is max. ie5 processor 64 bit Windows 7 Pro. Nice keyboard. Solid, quality product inside and out. Business class. 320 GB hard drive. Room to grow...Easy to set up. Built-in web-cam, nice speakers, sound. This not a super-technical review, just a satisfied user with years of experience with Lenovo Thinkpad products. Thought I'd stick with a good thing.Only problem I had with my older Thinkpad T60 was internal speaker blew. I just purchased a cheap Jlabs speaker I could plug into usb. Works, no problem. I have a usb-hub to attach more peripherals if I need. NO problems at all. I had the docking station for a while, really didn't need/use it, got rid of it.
For backups I use eGo BlackBelt Portable Hard Drive from iomega compatible with usb 3.0/2.0 500 GB for PC/Mac. Works great, fast, no problems. Small, sleek. Purchased from Best Buy.
I purchased my Lenovo Products from a local reseller where I can just walk in/walk out/upgrade the product. I understand purchasing from Lenovo directly is slow. I think prices are better on Amazon.com, also have option of purchasing an additional warranty. Else, have to get on Lenovo's website to purchase warranty. My reseller did not provide. They claimed to be more knowledgeable than Geek Squad.
This Thinkpad T520 appears to be the next best thing to a Mac for those of us who grew up with PC's. Perfect desktop replacement.
Purchased my previous Thinkpad T60 in January, 08 from reseller, used, off-lease from a larger business. Now July, 2011, still using it. Upgraded RAM, DVD, Jlabs speaker, Windows XP to Windows 7 32 bit Home Premium, that's it. Writing this review on it. Like it just as much now as then. I was tempted to give my niece my used T60 and keep the T520 for myself. Alas, gave her the new one...
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Laptop needed for road, and this one fits the bill. Very sturdy, easy to configure, with plenty of power and hard drive space. Perfect sweet spot of price/performance.Read Best Reviews of Lenovo ThinkPad T520 423946U 15.6-Inch Laptop Here
Since I received this machine on August 2011, it was sent to repair to a Lenovo authorized dealer 3 times already, on Nov 28th. 2011 they replaced the mother board; on Dec 29th. 2011 they replaced the hard disk; on June 6th 2012 they replaced the motherboard again. The Lenovo warranty expired on Aug. 22th 2012. On Aug. 28th, it had a problem with the hard disk again and I paid to replace it because Lenovo refuses to extend the warranty. Now it is broken again and the problem is with the mother board that needs to be replaced again.I spend more time fixing this unit than effectively using it. I am very unhappy with this purchase. I never had or heard some saying it was needed to replace a computer motherboard 3 times and hard disk twice in less than 12 months period.
I contacted Lenovo and asked them replace the machine; they claim they cannot because it was bought from a third party dealer and there is not they can do about.
I found other users complaining about the same problem and someone informed that model has a design problem. It has to do with a batch of faulty EEPROM chip used in the Edge series produced at the end of the 2011.
I would like to return this notebook and have the money back or exchange by another one that has the same features, but I have to accept the loss because Lenovo warranty cover only for 12 months period.
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I did a ton of research and finally decided to purchase the Lenovo T520. For the first month all was well, then suddenly the computer crashed and blue screened. Lenovo support sent recovery disks which did not work. Then sent a new hard drive that did not work. Two weeks without a computer and I sent it into the depot for repair. The depot had the machine for another week and returned it "repaired". I turned on the machine the first time and it crashed at start up exactly as it had when I sent it in.Called support and told them I wanted a refund and was told that wasn't an option because I had the machine for 21 days. They said to send it back to the depot for a "level 2" repair. I asked why the machine had ever been returned to me when all someone at the depot had to do was turn it on and watch it crash at start up. Was told they couldn't answer that question. When asked who could, they told me "no one could answer that question". Really!!
I guess I will send it in and trust the "level 2" technicians to have a clue. I'm not optimistic.
Bottom line I will never purchase another Lenovo machine and let my experience be a warning to you.
HP Envy 4-1110us 14-Inch Ultrabook (Black)
First thing I want to write is that it was amazing to see that it took 13 seconds to get to the home screen or whatever screen they call it in windows 8. That was just impressive. I have own an ASUS laptop before and the touchpad was fairly good but something was missing, I was making too many errors while typing. Hp has done a brilliant job in keyboard placing at least that's what I think. similarly the touchpad feels great, it is not a plain surface, you feel some resistance while moving the hand around it and it feels good, feels I have more control over the touchpad. May not feel much of an important thing but with Windows 8 trust me, you are going to love that.On the bad side, you can easily see fingerprints on it which is kind of distracting in my case, thinking to buy a cool laptop skin to solve that problem. F5 button is constantly on, which i thought was not necessary before but in the dark you know exactly where to press to turn on the backlit and dont have to try to guess where is Fn button and F5. So i don't have problem with F5 lighting up anymore, trying to getting used to that.
Bottom-line for less than $800 this machine is just perfect for someone like me who wants to get latest in the technology, both flash memory to boot up way faster (Ultrabook thing)and Windows 8,btw i want to comment on windows8, if you have had a windows phone before it should not be much of a problem to get used to it and for the rest, people are buying apple computers for the first time and trying to learn how to use it, trust me it wont be half of that trouble to get used to windows 8, its time to evolve to next generation anyway:)
In terms of performance, it's really hard to assess how fast a machine is from raw product specifications. The HP Envy 4-1100us features the newest Intel processor, 4Gb of RAM, a 500Gb hard drive, and a 14-inch screen driven by an onboard Intel graphics processor. It also comes with Windows 8 built-in, which is a very attractive feature for those of us who hate the gotchas and glitches that invariably occur during OS upgrades.
These are not knockout specs, but they're quite good at this price level. In my real-world performance tests (Microsoft Office suite, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, various business tools, ITunes, etc.), I found the HP Envy to be plenty fast, and exceptionally quiet. (The RAM and hard drives can be upgraded, so if you seek lightning-fast performance, it can be attained if you desire.)
The battery life is exceptional I can work all day at the office or in a coffee shop without plugging in. That's pretty amazing battery performance considering the light weight of this machine.
So for those looking for a very sleek, um, Sleekbook at a very affordable price, I'm not sure you can do better than this machine.
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First, let me say WOW to the backlit keyboard. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it and frankly, think all keyboards should be standard backlit. I do a lot of late-nite web surfing and it was always so troublesome. The keys are 'chicklet' in style and respond easily and quickly to your touch. You can, if you don't want to use the backlit feature, simply hit F5 and it turns it off.The laptop itself for only 4 gb of ram is pretty responsive it boots FAST and even after its asleep up and going in less than 20 seconds. It feels well made and even though only 14", does not feel cramped or uncomfortable.
Now for the bad: I had read quite a few reviews on Windows 8 some good, some bad, some so/so. Seeing all those ads on TV, I thought, what could be so bad? First, its much too confusing and I'm pretty computer literate. Too much crap that just isn't needed. If I want an ebay "app" or icon on my computer, I'll download and put it there myself. Same with all the other "junk" that comes on it. Second, its much too sensitive. I will be in an email typing away and next thing I know POOF its disappeared and I have a million tiny icons on my screen sure you just put your cursor to the left corner and you can get back to where you want to go but it should not be that touchy feely sensitive. Or you hit a key and you're in somewhere you have no clue why you're there, how you got there, why its even there. Windows 8 takes up a LOT of space. It does have a few nice keyboard shortcuts (once you figure them out) but frankly, if I could put Windows 7 on this it would be PERFECT.
Windows 8 is also not 100% compatible with all your other programs and hardware. For example, my Apple shuffle Windows 8 doesn't even recognize, can't find it and iTunes doesn't see it either on Windows 8. I have now found numerous other websites reporting this same issue so if you are an iPhone or iPod or iPad user BEWARE of Windows 8.
I would have given this 5 stars but for Windows 8. For me it just isn't what its all (excuse me a moment as I find my way back to this review after hitting some random key by mistake).....where was I? Oh yes, Windows 8 just isn't all that much too sensitive and easy to get "lost" and just not compatible with all software/hardware.
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***I got my new laptop from Amazon and have had a few weeks to play with it. I definitely had a dud before! This one connects great to my internet, doesn't lag or hang up on sites like the other one did. I officially love this little laptop! The battery life is unbelievable, it's so light and portable, the picture is great, love the backlit keyboard,how cool it stays even after a few hours of running, there isn't anything I wouldn't rave about to my friends about this computer. I still haven't messed with windows 8. I just click on desktop and it is just like using Windows 7 in my opinion. I still get excited that I own something I love when I pick it up to use it, especially after having one that was so bulky and had to be plugged in or it would die quickly. And you push the power button and can be online surfing the internet in under a minute! Even my husband watched me looking up recipes, arranging the shopping list, etc for a few hours online, not plugged in, and still had over half the battery left and said he wants one for himself now lol. Changing my rating from 2 to 5 stars because as a person who just uses a computer to surf the internet, play some online games, listen to music and charge my ipod, load and edit pictures from my camera, etc (basic every day stuff, no hard core gaming or any serious business), this computer is absolutely perfect and I couldn't ask for anything else from it. Hope it keeps working for years to come so I don't have to research and find something this good again!***First I have to say, I love this ultrabook. I don't even mind Windows 8. Took a little getting used to, a few google searches to find out how to find things I was looking for, but things change, you adapt and move on. I don't use any of the apps, personally. I just click on desktop and do everything just as if I was using my windows 7 laptop. Maybe someday I will play around with it and see if I find them useful. I heard horror stories about Windows 8 and was terrified, but it's not bad in my opinion. The laptop itself is EXTREMELY lightweight. I love it! I have a HP DV-7 and it's a beast to carry around, this I can easily hold in one hand. I love the back lit keyboard, I shut it off when I am in the light, push one button to turn it on when I am in the dark, I don't even know how I lived without this feature before! The screen is nice and bright, colors look good, picture is very clear, and 14" was definitely the size I wanted (I wavered between 14 and 15.6). I, personally don't get the whole "beats" audio thing. They sound like generic computer speakers to me. Zero bass, even when adjusted. It was nothing special. Only difference I noticed was I could turn it up all the way without distortion, where my DV-7 would get kind of gurgled at the top volume. I love the volume buttons right up top, along with a mute button, makes it easy to do the things I want to do, with or without sound and change between the two quickly. I have no problems with the track pad, though I admit to using a corded mouse because I am not big on track pads to begin with. I like that a simple double click in the upper left corner shuts it off and has a little red light to indicate it's off. I read some reviews about having to pound on the keys, and this is definitely not true for the one I have. I can type easily and swiftly without any problems. The matte cover is a little annoying because of finger prints, but that would be a silly deciding factor or reason to lower the rating. And I would have probably rated it a full 5 stars for pretty much being everything I wanted EXCEPT, I'm returning mine today after less than a month. The internet barely works. I try to open a site and about 80% of the time or more, it just freezes and is "thinking" and never opens the page. We have other devices that use our home network with no problems, including another HP laptop, so it's not my internet. I tried to see if it was something I could live with, or maybe even improved with updates and I can't and it didn't. I did some searching and didn't really see everyone complaining of this problem, so I am hoping that I just got a slightly defective computer. A computer is pretty pointless if you can't surf the internet. Amazon is sending me a new one, and I will update my rating and this review when I get it and play with it a bit!
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After having the laptop for a few days, I downgraded it to 4/5 stars. It is still a great computer, but the market is saturated with midrange laptops at this price point, a fact that I wish I had researched a little more before settling for this range. I wish I had saved up and waited to buy something truly great, like a Thinkpad or maybe even Macbook.Okay, before you read this review, please know that this is the first new computer I have purchased in twelve years. The last one was a desktop model I bought in college. However, I also work in CADD/GIS so i have an extremely fast workstation at my office that I am lucky enough to get to use. Since I use Windows 7 at work, I think I have a pretty good frame of reference.
This laptop is FAST. I really enjoy it. There is a little bit of a learning curve with Windows 8, but hang in there and it gets easier. The laptop is incredibly thin and the design is beautiful. Another reviewer commented that people look at it when he takes it out of his bag at the coffee shop. It is beautiful.
The display is really nice, too. It has a glossy screen. I like the webcam, too. Windows 8 contains a lot of apps. I did not want to sign up for a Windows Live account, so I guess I can't use their "Mail" app. that's no big deal as I use Gmail anyway. Since I hate Internet Explorer, I downloaded Google's Chrome browser as quickly as I could, so I'm getting used to the interface. I enjoy the backlit keyboard, as well as how quiet the laptop's fan is. It looks like it has a pretty good battery life.
The main reason why I took off one star is that the keyboard is not as durable as I would have hoped, you have to really mash on the keys to get them to register, which slows down my 90wpm considerably. When you spend as many hours per day on a laptop as I do, you need a decent keyboard. Hopefully the keys will loosen up as I use them. As others have remarked, if you rest the heels of your hands on the laptop too heavily while you type, it is so sensitive that it will think you are trying to use the touchpad, so it can be a little disorienting to be typing along and have other apps pop up.
Overall, I am pleased with my purchase. This laptop was a good value for the money. If you only use it a couple of hours per day, or if you mainly use it for web browsing, this is a good buy. If you type a lot, please upgrade to something better.
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Acer Aspire 4810TZ-4011 Timeline 14.0-Inch Laptop
I have been using the Acer Timeline (14 inch, Aspire 4810TZ-4011) since yesterday evening and so far so good. Here are my first impressions:1. The delivery was quick and packaging was good.
2. The looks of the laptop are fantastic. Love the isolation-type keyboard. The screen hinges could have been more solid but for a lightweight machine appear ok.
3. The eject button for the CD, various ports, the card reader, are all very suitably positioned.
4. The colours of the screen are beautiful. There are setup options to adjust those to taste, but I did not need to use them.
5. The laptop was easy to set up. I loaded the battery for about an hour before starting, perhaps an overkill, and was rewarded with a blue light coming from beneath the touchpad.
6. Setting up Vista for the first time was much quicker than my last XP setup on a netbook. Feels natural so far.
7. Soon after startup I was prompted to create recovery disks, and made two DVDs with the system and one with software.
8. There is (was) a lot of preloaded software. I spent a good deal of time finding out what it does (on Google) and cleaning most of it up.
9. People who have complained from performance issues maybe should take care to remove the redundant backup software (two or three of those pre-installed?!), the trial antivirus and other FUD nonsense.
10. I registerted for a FREE copy of Windows 7 for Timeline owners, to be shipped in October (woot!).
11. Set up Skype (after combating for a while with the firewall settings of Vista), and made a call -the sound is good, the mic is well positioned, the camera works fine, even better after peeling off the protective plastic sheet :)
12. Tested a youtube video in HD and it did not play smooth, which was a disappointment.
Comparing this to my 4y old FS, the Acer Timeline feels about as solid, a lot more silent, cooler, lighter by more than 2 pounds, with 6 times the RAM, 4 times the battery time, and a newer processor -clearly an upgrade in every aspect.
The keys are spaced very well for me ... the keyboard has an excellent feel. The glossy black finish is a bit unfortunate, as they instantly show smudging. The trackpad mouse button does indeed require Thumb of Steel, but nicely accomodates leftand right-clicking without being separated into two buttons.
I'm amazed at how happy I am with the screen. I don't like the glassy displays, but as long as the backlighting is intense, it can be used in fairly bright light. That's the case with this screen. The resolution is very crisp. I have not had any need or desire to adjust the color settings.
Speakers are not great in terms of volume, but I just can't imagine docking a review for that quibble. The laptop is thin and light get some headphones!
The battery life is phenomenal, as advertised; the first time I've ever had a laptop that performed within 50% of the advertised battery life.
The CPU is probably a little underpowered for Vista, but not terribly so. I'm sure that I will be happier with Windows 7 when it comes out.
Now for Linux. I shrunk the Vista partition down drastically using GParted from an Ubuntu 9.04 live CD. After that was done and I rebooted, Vista determined that something was wrong and launched a repair process that took a very long time to complete (2 hours+). It then came up into Vista and I have had no problems with it.
I formatted most of the freed space to give over to Ubuntu. I was completely floored by how much worked immediately: sound, wireless, keyboard control of volume, webcam, USB ... wow. After upgrading to a slightly newer Linux kernel (2.6.30), wireless now comes up correctly after being suspended, and keyboard control of screen brightness works. I can't think of anything that doesn't work other than multitouch gestures on the touchpad. Battery life seems to be as good as when running Windows. Speed for the tools of my trade is great when running Linux: emacs, X windows, SSH, Firefox and Flash.
Unlike a previous reviewer, I am in no sense a "casual" user; I do software development and am always a power user of software. But not a gamer or graphics guy who needs PhotoShop. I tend to view my laptop as a window to development servers using X and SSH, and a window to the Web using a browser. For those uses, this little laptop is entirely capable. So both the casual and the geeky can find happiness with the Acer 4810.
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I have owned it for 10 days now.Just noticed !!! the DVD burner does NOT Burn DVDs... I did a full system recovery, and nope...just can't !!! I would leave three stars if I could change my rating because Acer warranty helpline is toll free, easily reachable and extremely courteous. I have yet to see if international warranty is worth something cause I took it back to France or do I have to mail it in the US...I got a lemon, it happens.
Let's forget this unusual defect, and focus on the rest
The positives :
I like the keyboard a lot (flat keys, well spaced, shiny surface...yes, fingerprints stay, and stays cool)
very silent fan
very bright screen with the led backlight, no prob to work outdoors
computer top, and screen don't get hot at all
two finger operations on the touchpad (zoom in and out with two fingers, keep scrolling with circular motion, backward and forward with right and left swipe)
neat design (overall), looks smart, feels sturdy
audio jack connections on the side
nice specs (320 gb of hd, 3gb ddr3)
great battery life
fast enough
stable system
audio digital output
hdmi and vga video output
it did reboot once on its own (crashed) when fast forwarding a video on vlc, but I cannot make it happen again, I believe it has been fixed by the windows updates (anyway, this would be a vista issue that would get solved by windows 7 upgrade, or did already get solved buy the automatic updates)
free upgrade to windows 7 (the form is in the computer box, whether the reseller tells you about it or not)
The negative
sound quality is nice, but not loud
no firewire port ! come-on, how do you connect your camcorder sure, you can by an adapter
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Any 4810T made before July has a problem due to thermal instability. When driven hard for a while the machine becomes slower and slower and just stops, showing 100% CPU activity, even with no user activity at all. This is caused by faulty peripheral drivers that cause the CPU to spend all of its time in interrupt service routines. The problem can be cured by downloading and installing the latest BIOS, driver, and application files from Acer's web site. However, if my experience is any guide, you will not find this out by talking to Acer's facetiously named Customer Care Representatives.I bought a 4810T-8480 from Staples on July 27, 2009, and received a unit that was manufactured on May 8, 2009. Needless to say, the unit had "sleeping sickness". Before I researched this problem on the internet I called Acer's customer-no-service twice, each time giving a detailed explanation of how the machine slowed down and stopped with 100% CPU but no activity: The first time I was advised to clear the internet state (a total non-sequitur, since when the phenomenon occurs one cannot do anything). The second time I was directed to clear out Windows/Temp and /Tasks, another time-waster. It seems impossible that these people have not heard of this problem, so why are they misdirecting customers from the solution? A conscientious company would be pro-actively notifying customers with these machines and providing them fixes.
Anyway, I solved the problem by downloading and installing EVERY driver and application update offered for my machine on Acer's site and especially by flashing the latest BIOS, which as of this writing is ver. 1.23. Acer attempts to discourage BIOS upgrades, and includes a dire warning in red at the top of the BIOS downloads which reads in part: "...Acer recommends that you should only update your firmware/drivers if you have been instructed to do so by an Acer Customer Care Representative." However, since it is clear that Acer has only Customer Don't-Care Representatives, that isn't going to happen, so ignore that warning and forge ahead. After downloading and running the upgrade you may have one brief heart-stopping moment when a pop-up appears that says that the installation may have failed and seems to ask for your input. TOUCH NOTHING and the BIOS flash will end with an automatic reboot.
Be sure to select the correct OS in the not-so-obvious pull-down box when selecting drivers and applications to download and install. In general, it won't hurt to attempt to install the wrong driver, since the install will either fail or just leave a useless driver, but of course you needn't download drivers for peripherals that you don't have, such as in my case Bluetooth. The one exception to that that I found was in selecting the web camera application: There are two, one from Chicony and one from Suyin, and no obvious way to tell which vendor's camera is installed in my machine. I guessed and installed Suyin first; it didn't work, so I installed the Chicony application over it, which did work. It might have been better practice to have removed the first application before installing the second.
I hope that this helps anyone who buys a down-level Timeline Lord knows you won't get any help from Acer!
Once the updates are installed, this is a very nice machine. The battery lifetime, if not quite the advertised 8 hours, is still impressive. It is cool enough to actually use on a lap. No, the slow-down is not inherent in the speed of the processor, which is perfectly adequate for most uses. It will never satisfy a gamer, but that is obviously not its niche. It's a great machine for a student to carry around all day, running Office aps, accessing the web, etc. If it weren't such a do-it-your-self project I would have rated it higher.
If you see any Acer reps or especially Acer execs, give 'em Hell for me!
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This review relates more to the AS4810T-8480, but as it is not sold on Amazon yet, I wanted to make sure everyone is aware of the problems I am experiencing on that model, as this might impact the entire product line.I received my new laptop 4 days ago. Overall it is great, and I'd love to post a positive review here. It looks great from the outside, the 6-8 hours of battery life is a reality (let's see how long it lasts before the battery worns out), keyboard is nice, etc... Also agree that the built quality is not perfect, but overall it is fine.
My major concern, is the overall system stability. I am not a heavy user, mostly internet surfing.
However, in the past 4 days, I have experienced a tremendous number of crashes, maybe 2 to 3 a day, just using normal programs such as Skype, Internet Explorer 8 and MSN Live Messenger... At somepoint, the CPU goes to 100% utilization and the system becomes very slow or totally unresponsive, so I need to do a forced shut down. I thought this was due to Internet Explorer, but experienced the same with Firefox yesterday...
I just tried to install a USB AT&T 3G key, and despite a successful installation, now I am unable to log into Windows because on the log on screen my cursor and keyboards are none responsive. I have just logged a ticket with their Support Team, let's see what they come up.
I have never had some many problems with a new laptop in the past and am considering returning it for a refund.
Again, I would really like to love this laptop, I think ACER has a great product here, BUT I cannot recommended it at this point, and hope I will be able to update my recommendation very soon.
UPDATE: just over one month after receiving the laptop and as I was about to return it after ACER's customer service proved unable to provide a solution, I updated the Intel VGA driver (as many of you suggested in your comments, thanks a lot my bad for not checking them out earlier!) and the BIOS, both being recommended on [..] and I am happy to confirm the issues have disappeared. The laptop is now fully functional, so I have decided to keep it.
In regards to other features of the computer, I would say that my main complaints are the lack of a hardware switch for the wireless, and the screen is a little too glossy for me. The speakers are a bit weak. Bluetooth could have been included but I knew about it so can't complain.
But overall I'm still happy with the Timeline, and would recommend it to anyone traveling a lot and not requiring high CPU power!
Hp Envy 15.6" Laptop M6-1125DX 3rd generation Intel Core i5-3210M 2.50GHz 8gb Memory 750gb Hard Dri
I bought this product on Black Friday at Best Buy for $499.99. I am glad that I didn't pay the price listed. Overall the computer is great, but there are a few things that bother me. It's a Windows 8 computer, and sometimes when I drag my finger across the touch pad, it sends me back to the previous app that I had open off of the main screen. I can easily get back to what I was doing but it shouldn't happen to begin with. Physically, the black surrounding the screen pops when I move it (like when I am adjusting the screen forward and backwards, I don't just randomly squeeze my computer).The computer is very fast and it's taken a little bit to get used to since I am going from a Windows 7 to a Windows 8. I haven't figured out how to put Microsoft on the desktop (or any icon on to the desktop) but I am sure I will figure that out sooner or later. The sound on this is great (especially compared to my old Acer computer) and I find myself only having it halfway and it's still a little loud for my taste! I didn't have any trouble setting up wireless or Microsoft Defender (the Windows 8 version of Microsoft Essentials) but Norton did get in the way from setting it up at first. There are a lot of available apps that you can put on the front screen, a lot of them being free!!
I found it strange that all of the function keys are opposite from what I am used to; for example: before I would press F5 and the page would refresh, but now I have to press FN F5 for it to refresh and the other function (the backlit keyboard on and off) is the first function. I hope that makes sense!
The keyboard is easy to type on, and the letters aren't having any problem with sticking. They are soft in a way and it's very comfortable.
I set up my computer so that when I unlock it, I have to swipe my finger on the scanner and I haven't had any problems with that either. It's kind of fun having such a personal computer!
I would suggest this product for someone else.
I have owned many HP laptops in my day. It just ends up happening. I do not like that they put in a bunch of HP software that I never use and perpetually gets in my way. Also, the first unit I purchased had some weird glitch where every 65 second the DVD drive would pop open. However, now that I have a working one I like it so much I felt the need to review it. Also, this computer is trying really hard to be an Apple product. It's silver shell and black back lit keyboard echo that of a Macbook. However, it is light and feels like a cheaper version of the apple product. Finally, there is a movement to change the design of the arrow keys so that left and right buttons are full sized but up and down buttons are half sized. I use these buttons all the time and the half sized buttons are annoying.
So enough of the negatives. What are the things that make this a four star product?
1. It is a cheaper product. It costs over 50% less than an apple product. I love the price. And I think for what is paid the laptop offers a lot.
2. Backlit keyboard. It is a perk I have been waiting for. they seems to usually be reserved for ultrabooks. It is nice to see the price point drop on this feature.
3. I am not much of a computer "guts" kind of guy. I just want the computer to do what I want it to. I do not need to know all the inside stuff. I do know that the audio quality is good and I am able to run my PC games well on it without issue. I have heard reviews saying the screen is cheap but I have no complaints. It is higher quality than the laptop it replaced and for that i am grateful. I do not think the average user will feel cheated when it comes to the display quality.
Overall, I just like it. It works well and I feel comfortable using it.I just got this computer and so far I love it. Not to up to date with the newest laptops and programs so I have to say this has been very easy for me to work with and learn as I go. its amazing what this laptop can do. so far so good. I have a great feeling about this investment. Anyways thanks for listening. : )Well I've had this laptop for almost a year now so I decided to review it.
Pros:
Good size, looks nice, I also really like the backlight keyboard. I love being able to just have all the lights off and still be able to see everything perfectly. I also like that there's a whole number keypad. Laptop is fast and don't have problems with loading things or what not. Plenty of ram and memory. Total overkill really i mean 8gb of ram? I would have rather had less gb of storage and have solid state drive, but I wanted a lot of specific things and the laptops with ssd's are mostly ultrabooks and very expensive. It was decent price, I bought it from best buy for 700. Has good sound too
Cons: The fingerprint scanner stoppedd working. It can be quite useful, use it for logging into any website and logging into your computer. Fan stopped working also... but just for a short time like a few days, not sure why but thought i was going to have to return it. The camera is mediocre. Also has bad intigrated graphics. But that is normal for intel In hindsight I should have gotten the amd version of this computer, amd has better graphic support and it was actually 100 bucks cheaper. Anyways that's all I can think of right now. Battery life at the beginning was really good it's okay now. Probably get likeI purchased this computer as a gift after first buying an Asus. After problems with the Asus, this was the first choice for the recipient and they have nothing but praise for this computer. Based on their assessment, I would highly recommend it. Ordering, shipping and packaging were definitely a thumbs up as well.
Samsung Q1 7-inch Ultra Q1U-V (Intel A110 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium)
Let me start by saying that out of the box this product would never receive 4 stars. This is why; Vista on 1Gb of ram just won't do.Samsung have clearly listened to some complaints as my unit did not come with McAfee installed, in fact that amount of bloatware was very limited. Upon booting the device installs itself, then needs an hour to create a backup on its drive. Which is annoying because it places it on a hidden partition swallowing up 13Gb of storage (of your 60Gb).
The touch settings in Vista are pretty bad by default, so you really need to tweak those a lot to get them right (turn off the silly mouse "help" pointer, enable the keyboard instead of handwriting recognition etc...).
After that you need to do something mean to it; rip it open and swap out the 1Gb module for a 2Gb one. It's not for everyone but there are some very handy video tutorials online. All you need is a small screwdriver and steady hands. The 2Gb module (2Gb DDR2 notebook memory) cost me $49. With 2Gb you'll notice a MASSIVE increase in speed. Applications now run smoothly, open fast and there is little to no disk memory swapping. But like I said; it's not a question of an easy to open panel, you need to remove the entire backside of the machine to reach the ram. Why Samsung don't just deliver it with 2Gb is beyond me.
Once you have upgraded the ram and tweaked the OS you need to turn off the Vista indexing service (google it), this reduces the amount of drive accesses for indexing your files. All that does is help with file searches which you probably rarely do anyway.
Now with 2Gb, better tweaks and some services turned off you'll want to turn off the Vista Aero settings (once again; google it).
It's taken you 2 hours, but now you have a PERFECT speedy little UMPC that runs nice and fast.
Some general observations:
The mouse pointer is beyond useless. It has little to no acceleration, use the stylus and keep the mouse in joystick mode, it'll make scrolling much easier.
The "dialpad" popup keyboard is horrendous, ignore it and never touch it again.
The keyboard on the device itself is for emergencies only. Because that is about the only time you'll put yourself through the agony of typing something on it. The best and (in my opinion) fastest way to type is with the on screen keyboard, or the (optional) Samsung portable keyboard (or any small keyboard of your choice). The Samsung is listed for $89, but comes with a built in eraserhead mouse. Amazon has a folding Bluetooth keyboard for $29 which is a great option for this machine.
Audio is impressive, nice and loud.
Wifi is great, it connects much faster than my Dell XPS notebook and never drops a signal.
The device boots in under a minute and wakes from sleep in around 12 seconds (including connecting to wifi).
The screen is perfect; great resolution and extremely bright and sharp.
Heat is an issue. It DOES get warm, but never to the point where it will burn you or that it becomes too hot to handle.
The Microsoft Origami interface is awesome. Anyone that has seen Media Center will recognize the look and feel. It's a media center/application launcher optimized for touch screens.
Bluetooth is stable, they use the Widcomm Bluetooth stack (which put simply means they use a third party company for the Bluetooth software and not the limited Microsoft package).
The package is a little limited. You get the unit, a charger, a battery, a wrist strap (that also works as a handle, very clever) and a cheap (poor quality) case. In my opinion Samsung should have delivered it with the organizer case and a keyboard, but I fully understand they wanted to keep costs low on it.
All in all it's a winner. I picked it over the competition (Sony UX380 or the OQO model II) because of the screen and the fact that I can upgrade the Ram. The Sony is limited to 1Gb no matter what you do, and the OQO is underpowered with a VIA cpu. Even though this device is only 800MHz I felt that it ran faster than the OQO model II I tested. It also has the perfect screen size to resolution ratio. The Sony has a higher resolution screen, but is 2 inches smaller making it near impossible to work on for longer durations.
My only real annoyance with Samsung is the model numbering on the Q1 ultra series. First of all; calling it Q1 was plain stupid. The previous model was also called Q1, and it's nothing like this machine, so google searches for "q1 ultra" return 100's of hits on "q1 ultra portable" which is usually NOT this device. Note to Samsung; next time, call it Q2.
Then the various models of the Q1 Ultra; they make one with no Bluetooth or cameras, one with Vista, 2 cameras and Bluetooth but no fingerprint scanner, one with XP, 2 cameras, Bluetooth and a fingerprint scanner and several others. All with cryptic names. Bad move. It's near impossible to determine what the exact specifications are of this machine.
All in all I can highly recommend the Samsung Q1 Ultra for people shopping for an ultra portable PC. If you use Skype, Office, Internet Explorer/Firefox, Mail and most other basic applications you will be very happy (once again; only on 2Gb). It won't do well on heavy applications like video editing or graphic designs.
that was small enough to carry in my laptop bag with my laptop, but large enough to take notes on.
So far this device has exceeded my expectations.
I have taken notes on it for 2 days now with MSFT's onenote loaded.
The machine keeps up with my writing.
I loaded all of MSFT office enterprise edition on it for the fun of it and Lotus notes 7 for my corp email.
I am trying the new windows live mail instead of using outlook for my personal email. I love this as well as I can read my personal outlook emails on the device and my personal gmails at once without them being deleted so my regular laptop still has a full email record.
I am starting to use the MSFT Origami interface that comes with it, and so far I like the interface for playing music.
The device only has 1 gig of ram, but I have open and am using onenote, windows live mail, lotus notes, a few browser windows, word and am playing music on it with only the most occasional music stutter.... with the Vista OS.
It launches applications slowly once you have consumed the ram and the hard drive isn't all that fast ... but once launched it swaps between applications fine.
(+11 sec to load excel as opposed to +4 sec on my fast LT)
Remember I only bought this to take electronic notes on ..... but I may even leave my laptop at home next trip.
I am buying the larger 6 cell battery (I think it should have come with this already for the price) but I got over +3.5 hours with wireless on and connected with the std battery. I hope I will be able to have Samsung upgrade this later and add a cellular chip in this model but I doubt they will do that.... If you need cellular, I'd say wait.
So what don't I like,
Some usability nits with the key positioning, a tad more spacing would be better, rubberized keys perhaps and the most popular extra keys positioned on the outside (like the esc key).
Of course I'd love a faster CPU, more ram and a faster hard drive, but I'll always say this ......
This device is usable as it is, when a faster one comes out I may chuck my laptop away for good.This computer blows people away. I have had this thing for about a month now and am still drooling over it. Everywhere I whip this badboy out people are fascinated with it. I usually hear a comment about the screen first. People usually say," Is that high def or something?" Anayways the screen is definitely bright and crisp. This computer is a total desktop/laptop replacement unless your into advanced gaming. Oh well that's what the xbox360,PS3, and Wii are for. Yeah you might have to wait a couple seconds longer to load an application and the keys are a little close together, but who really cares? I use the stylus for just about everything and this computer can do everything yours does or more! The 7 inch bright 1024 by 600 native resolution is absolutely perfect. I highly recommend this to anyone looking to buy a computer regardless of desktop,laptop etc. especially college students or anybody that likes to take notes, doodle, and journal. Seriously though, its a little trade off to wait a couple of seconds more to have the sleek, James Blondish super cool head turning mobile PC that this sexy monster is. ENJOY!
This review was written on this computer using mainly the stylus. :)I purchased the Q1 Ultra NP-Q1UA000 with Windows XP installed. (I read so many other reviews suggesting that Vista was too taxing on the processor and 1 GB of memory). The bottom line is: This is everything I expected it to be and more! I did order the portfolio/keyboard combo but it is still on backorder. Nevertheless, the variety of input methods (stylus, on-screen keyboard, dial keys and split Qwerty buttons) work extremely well for me. I bought this machine for two purposes: to check email on the road and to provide a compact way of taking notes during the many work meetings I attend. Its internet capability using Wi-Fi is as smooth as silk and the note taking via Windows Journal and One Note is really neat after you get the hang of it. The screen resolution is really nice and its readability is enhanced by the brightness settings using the sensitive touch buttons at the top. Samsung thought of most every niche including a slot for MMC and SD cards--a feature that allows me to share camera shots without hogging hard disk space. With Windows XP, in lieu of Vista, only 16 of the 60 GB hard drive is used...and that includes the full suite of Microsoft Office 2003 and several other larger programs. I've read a number of critical reviews about this UMPC but for me, this little jewel is A-1. Negative things? OK, the split Qwerty buttons are small, but the on-screen keyboad (and the USB keyboard on order) suppresses that frustration. The other dislike is that the extended life battery is thicker so that the machine slants to one side when set on a flat surface and I doubt if it will fit too well in the portfolio I have on backorder. I did order the external USB ODD with the machine and I would highly recommend this to anyone who buys one. On the other hand, almost any external USB driven DVD/RW will work. Overall, I am very very happy with this computer.First and foremost, it works and works well. Both with the original 60GB disk (I used a 4GB "EP" SD chip for ReadyBoost) and with a SanDisk SSD I fitted (look up Hugo Ortega for how) it works at nice speed. The screen is clear and bright, you need good eyesight of course.
The flaws:
WiFi range mediocre. At home it failed to work in a room where several other devices worked fine. Set up the WiFi in a place where signal is known strong otherwise you will go nuts trying to juggle the mystery messages in the setup screens.
the mouse thingy at the left is virtually unusable. Last resort. It is a joystick but it either zooms or crawls, does not seem to have much dynamic range. Fortunately you can use the cursor or a fingernail.
the screen does NOT allow you to rest your hand on it, the sensor will not be able to figure out the stylus. This makes handwriting a bit awkward since you need to rest your hand somewhere and almost everything has some kind of button or sensor on it. Portrait-right mode is the best for right-handed since the lower edge is clear of gadgets.
the split keyboard is not very good. Not because it is split, but because the buttons are just too easily mistaken and also the choice of what is on the buttons is awkward. It works, but not any faster than stylus onscreen. For logins if you have a "strong" password you will go nuts trying to get your password right.
THE THUMB READER IS MISSING. Despite it being in all the images on Amazon, the model they ship does not have the reader. And I still have not been able to figure out if Samsung will agree to sell it separately.
the velour sleeve supplied has effectively no protection. You will want something to carry this safely.
Battery life seems good, there seems to be minimal crapware installed, in many ways this is a good experience. But there could be definite improvements. Handwriting recognition is fast and accurate. It is a bit large to be a pocket machine but is quite unobtrusive in a bag. It is big enough to show email, documents, and web quite clearly.
Dell Latitude D610 Laptop + Windows XP (Microsoft Authorized Refurb; New COA and disc included!)
The computer was OK but had only one USB port which was loose and needed to be tightened before it worked. Only one USB port is not a misrepresentation -but I would think I could assume that one could expect more than one port on a computer like this!
so great for use other than for putting any private data onI bought this for my own use during college and have since then, used it many times as a backup computer for my desktop. Battery life is long, computer is fairly fast, and the price is cheaper than a new one.
Lenovo IdeaPad Z580 20135 15.6" HD LED Laptop, 3rd Gen. i5-3210M 2.5Ghz Processor, 8GB RAM, 750GB H
Laptop is very good.. Look and processing speed is fast.Only thing is they are not providing Operating system CD and registered antivirus in pack.. You have to buy it separately.
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Sony VAIO SA3 Series VPCSA3AFX/SI 13.3-Inch Laptop (Platinum Silver)
This machine has a solid, all metal construction, with the only plastic being the keys and the bezel surrounding the screen. It is quite fast with a 2nd gen core i CPU and an AMD 6630 GPU. Keyboard is one of the best I've ever used, and easy match for any thinkpad, and backlit to boot. The 1600x900 matte screen is bright and very clear, but lacks color depth and contrast for any kind of high quality, color accurate display.Other reviews have referred to it as flimsy but honestly, this is a pretty solidly built machine. Pressure on the back of the lid produces no distortions in the display, the base is very very stiff, especially for such a thin machine. Overall this machine reminds me of the T4x series thinkpad I used to own, but with a much brighter screen.
The speakers are terrible, even for a small 13" machine.
Linux compatibility has some issues that will hopefully get ironed out. Nothing that makes using it unusable, but a few things like the trackpad not having any suitable drivers, and really poor battery life (under linux) that make it a questionable choice if Linux on the go is your primary reason for using this machine.
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I looked at all similar units in the 800 to 1200 price range, and chose this one for the keyboard ease, backlight, and robust construction. It is substantially made, mostly of aluminum/magnesium alloy, and the matte display is outstanding. Other units had the gloss and the glare is quite distracting. You pay a bit more for the Sony name, but it is worth it. It has the usual bloatware, but not overly intrusive, and one can disable these pesky bits easily. It is remarkably light, yet not flimsy in the slightest. I'm using it in my surgical office for electronic records, CT scan image review and other fairly processor intense tasks and the i5 handles all quite rapidly. I did up the RAM to 8mb, and that was $14 well spent! Got mine from 42nd street photo in NYC, and all is well. I would recommend it highly.Read Best Reviews of Sony VAIO SA3 Series VPCSA3AFX/SI 13.3-Inch Laptop (Platinum Silver) Here
Purchased this laptop because its basically the only machine out there with the combination of features I wanted, and it costs less than a grand to boot.-Backlit keyboard very difficult to find in this size, much more effective than the little thinklight on Thinkpads
-Hi resolution 1600x900 screen just try find this feature outside of Dell enterprise workstation models
-USB 3.0 onboard
-Fingerprint reader
-Dedicated Radeon graphics seems like nearly every PC is using the crappy Intel HD integraded chips in their 13.3" and smaller models
-Aluminum unibody I'm really confused by the reviews describing this laptop as "flimsy" or claims that its not actually metal
Have been using the machine for about a week now and its simply impressing me at every turn. After uninstalling the bulk of the Sony bloatware, Ive got it setup quite cleanly rather than doing a full clean windows install (as mentioned by another reviewer who was having difficulty).
Runs every game I've thrown at it in native resolution (1600x900) so far, including BF3 and MW3, which is jawdropping. Having a portable gaming system thats this svelte is going to make traveling a heck of a lot more enjoyable. It quite simply blows the doors off my last "thin and light" acer timeline.
All in all, a good purchase and a happy camper. Thanks Amazon for a great price versus the Sony website!
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This is my second LAPTOP from SONY VAIO, First one was F series but I had to buy new one because F series if is big and i need one smallerI have bought this laptop SA Silver(color) for 1 month, first I was surprised of its shape. It is very thin and light. Silver color is amazing. All my friends love it when they saw at the first time.
It is very fast,
this graphic card is strong, so I can play on it strong games like (MW3, The RUN .etc.)
I have photo shop program, but it doesn't affect on the performance of Laptop
I believe that SONY is best company for Everything
Toshiba 15.6" Satellite C655D-S5136 Athlon II Laptop 3GB Notebook 320GB Computer PC
The first key item of note in reviewing this laptop is that I now own it as a replacement for a slightly cheaper HP with almost identical specs but suffered a massive hardware failure just 31 days after purchase. Between a solid prior experience with Toshiba and results read in an online study on laptop malfunction rates (where Toshiba came in second only to Asus and ahead of pricer brands like Apple and Sony) I feel far more confident that this machine will last for me.Now onto the specifics of this model....
The specs on this fall within the general standard of what I call the level-2 laptop (one price-step ahead of the single core celeron/sempron pure budget machines).
The keys are as follows:
Athlon II Dual Core 2.2 GHZ with 3 gigs of DDR3 RAM, Mobile Radeon 4250 Graphics, and a 320 Gigabyte hard drive.
These are all a good blend of price and functionality that won't be able to run the hottest games on the market (as is the case with any integrated graphics) but handles normal day-to-day along with programs like photoshop or low-res settings of newer games without any problem.
The hard drive size is a nice boost from the 250 gig you normally see at this range, though it would probably still behoove anyone with a fair amount of digital media to pick up an external hard drive.
Battery life is pretty good as a reflection of it's modest power at about 3 1/2 hours, which should be plenty for most-people's purposed.
The one place this machine does lose points however would be peripheral-type hardware.
The keyboard is fairly nice with and included 10-key that doesn't cramp the regular keyboard at all. It also has a memory-card reader built-in that is especially handy for those with phones/cameras/etc. that use sd/microsd/etc.
Beyond that however the machine is noticeably lacking in this department with no webcam, only two usb slots, and a smallish oddly textured touchpad.
Final Verdict:
As long as you are willing to pick up a USB hub this is a great multifunctional machine that is powerful enough for all regular home needs (power gaming and HD video editing aside) while still falling within that budget (i.e. sub-$500) range.
As with all of these machines however I recommended you shop around, Amazon's listed price of $488 is about $90 more than I paid, just enough to take it from a great machine for the price to a somewhat average value.
I refuse to pay, so I took the computer back from Best Buy. They demanded I sign a form saying I was satisfied with the repairs! I refused to sign and took my computer. Now, it doesn't even boot to the desktop.
Don't ever buy from Toshiba OR Best Buy. They are partners in crime.
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Acer Aspire E1-571-6811 15.6-Inch Laptop (Glossy Black)
This is an update to my review. I loved this item for the first few days but then the screen went black and I could not get it to come up for anything. I don't know if this is a problem with Acer or not but this happened on my older computer also which was an Acer. So now I have to delete everything on this so that I can return it. A huge pain in the rear. If it happens again I will have to buy a different model and will speak my mind about Acer. I also do not like the new Windows 8. It is diffiult to figure out where everything is but I'm sure after working with it for awhile it will become easier. Everything new is hard at first.I just received this yesterday. It was so easy to set up and I am cruising around on it like crazy. My other computer constantly froze and shut down plus the screen didn't work so I had to have a monitor on the side so this one is amazing. I love having a number key on the side and also on the top. It does not get warm at all I love it.
As for the computer itself, it is wonderful. Plenty of processor and RAM for just about any need. Be aware that it does have the trackpad offset to the left due to having a full numbers keypad on the right. This makes typing a bit awkward for anyone who is used to having the trackpad centered. But since Mom had never used a laptop, she didn't know the difference. I was the one who struggled.
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The Acer Aspire E1-571-6811 15.6-Inch Laptop is fairly light weight, loaded with Windows 8, and grants free access to the Acer iCloud.Many of the other pre-loaded programs are interesting and convenient, e.g. the news feed. Some are a little confusing to figure out, e.g., the Camera (specifically where the folder is with the pics I've just taken. The folder is, of course, in the Pictures under Library, but the subfolders are by date, which can be a bit confusing when there are a lot of subfolders, and the dates all begin with the year, then the month, then the day).
The Right click sometimes doesn't respond when clicked initially, but may take a couple of pushes to respond. This bothers me greatly. But since I bought the computer online, I'm not about to send it away for diagnosing and repairs when it only gives me trouble intermittently.
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The quality and speed is so much better than my old windows XP that I love it. Coming from XP, windows 8 has areas that I find very difficult. But, in time I hope I am able to master it.Want Acer Aspire E1-571-6811 15.6-Inch Laptop (Glossy Black) Discount?
one of the best acer laptops that i have ever bought and the fact that it has windows 8 on it is even more fun im just sayin lol so go out and buy this laptop you will not regret
Toshiba Satellite A305-S6872 Core 2 Duo T5800 2.0GHz 3GB 250GB DVD±RW 15.4" Vista Home Premium w/W
I have always used an HP for my computer needs. My husband surprised me with this Toshiba model for Christmas. We have a friend who is a web designer and gave him three suggestions, one being this Toshiba. I can honestly say I was skeptical, but after initial set up I am more than impressed. The sleek design catches your eye right off the bat, and the fact that I have a web cam and Skype are certainly upgrades that I enjoy! If you want a laptop that has all the bells and whistles without over doing it, try this Toshiba! you won't be sorry!
Apple MacBook MB402LL/A 13.3-inch Notebook (OLD VERSION)
This is the ultimate laptop! Whether you just got into the Mac world, or you have been using these awesome computers for years, this laptop will suit you! I'm just a normal college student with normal computer needs! This laptop flips every bill I could put up! Even down to upgrading, it excels! I put in 4 GB of RAM so quickly and so easily! No messy innards to remove, just slid out the battery and boom, there you go! I love it! Don't hesitate, if you're looking for an all-around amazing laptop! Just get a mac!
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Item not as pictured and note attached that Audio didn't work ( was not informed of this prior) Simple answer....I would'nt buy from seller againRead Best Reviews of Apple MacBook MB402LL/A 13.3-inch Notebook (OLD VERSION) Here
I brought this computer for my daughter and it works like a charm. I gave it to my computer guy and he checked it out updated it and it's good to go. Thanks so much for being an honest seller and selling a great machine. My daughter loves it. All the bestMs Smith
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The MacBook was as advertised. It is clean with no blemishes.The only problem that I had was when I transferred from my older desk top, the folder that had the Office 2008 disappeared.Cecilba
Acer AS7250-0209 17.3-Inch Notebook Computer (Mesh Black)
I've owned my Acer ASPIRE 7250-0209 for a month or two now and I couldn't be more pleased with it! It's lightweight and has a great screen. I bought the largest screen I could get for the money because I specifically wanted it so I could watch movies and DVDs with it. I lugged it around in a backpack for three days at the UAVSI trade show in Vegas and it was a breeze. Good battery life I guess, I plug it in all the time. Small power brick, pretty long cord, three-prong grounded plug on the end of it. (Remember this when you buy an extension cord or a plug strip to carry with you.) All in all, a value for the 500 bucks or so I spent on it. I will definitely buy an Acer again from my experience with this laptop. Outside of case kinda looks like carbon fiber. Oh, and Amazon is a great place to buy computers and electronics, too. No problems with shipping and getting it sooner than I expected.
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I bought this to replace my aging PC. Nice laptop but the only thing I have found not so good is that the release button for the CD drive is hard to get to unless you lift up the laptop. One of the disadvantages of having an thin laptop I guess but everything else works just fine and doesn't take up all that room on my desk. Still like it very much.Read Best Reviews of Acer AS7250-0209 17.3-Inch Notebook Computer (Mesh Black) Here
Awesome! Never even gets warm, let alone hot! I would definitely consider buying again! In fact, I need another and will but again.Want Acer AS7250-0209 17.3-Inch Notebook Computer (Mesh Black) Discount?
I have had problems with this computer since it was delivered. It turns off by itself, locks up, the on-off button does not always work, the battery lasts about two hours and the Help-Line is worthless.
Tohisba Satellite A665-3DV10X 3D Notebook Laptop: Intel Core i5-2410M, 6GB Memroy, 640GB Hard drive
Highly recommend this PC. I have always been a HP or Compaq kind of guy, but this Toshiba has won me over. Starting to play video games again after a 20 year absence. Now, in amazing 3D!!
It is win 7, much better than win 8.Just love this computer, fast, powerful, and 3d can't get any better for the price! Win 7 but can be easily upgraded if you even care.
Sony VAIO VPC-EH14FM/B 15.5" Notebook (2.1GHz Intel Core i3-2310M 4GB RAM 640GB HDD DL DVD-RW Micro
i recently purchased this, i had read reviews saying that the maximum volume is way too low, but wow, people werent kidding. you can barely hear it, especially with an air conditioner on. also, i dont like that you have to use a function key then click the volume controls to change the volume, that seems primitive for a laptop. i want 1-touch volume control, every computer should have that.otherwise the laptop seems good so far, and has decent specs.
but, i'm basically forced to buy external speakers. which is so annoying and unacceptable this day in age for a laptop.
Alienware M14x R2 AM14XR2-6111BK 14.0-Inch Laptop (Stealth Black with Soft Touch Finish)
I don't have this exact model as it's a ready to ship prebuild one. I got mine in June of 2012 so the specs vary and I will list them:i7-3610QM
8 GB DDR3
750GB 7200RPM
650M 1GB
1600 x 900 resolution
The build quality is excellent, the feel of the laptop when I use it is spectacular, it has a matte almost rubberish finish so it's not metal and doesn't get finger prints on it.
The keyboard has some flex, but nothing that you'd ever notice during normal use. It also has one of the best keyboards that I have used, the feeling is excellent and is 2nd to the higher end business line of Lenovo laptops.
The CPU is a powerhouse for being a mobile edition with 4 physical cores and hyperthreading you get 8 threads, combined with turboboost which can jump the 2.3 Ghz clock beyond 3.0Ghz this CPU blazes through tasks and anything I throw at it. While I have an i7 and this is an i5, the Ivy Bridge architecture with the 3rd generation is the same with both CPUs and is excellent, the i5 is a nice CPU and will handle anything you'd be able to throw at it with ease.
The 650M with 1GB will run nearly any game on high at native resolution, just make sure to properly ventilate the laptop of the GPU will underclock itself due to the heat. The GPU's stock clock is 745Mhz and will go up to somewhere around 850Mhz if needed for short periods of time. The extra 1GB on this model will help with textures and will provide some overhead for future games.
The AlienFX is nice and is part of the reason this laptop is expensive, you can set them to change to a different scheme when a certain .EXE file is running, which is great for games. As an example for Skyrim I would set the keyboard to go to all white. Some games implement the FX into the code of the game, like World of Tanks where if you get hit the keyboard will flash red.
The laptop can run pretty hot, I always have it elevated and when gaming plug the fans in. Personally I use a Cooler Master Notepal U2 which fits the laptop perfectly. When gaming the fans can be fairly loud, but if you have the audio on it's hardly noticeable. My temps with some small overclocks stay around 70 degrees Celsius. Because of the heat dispersion layout, when the laptop gets hot the keyboard and palm rest do also.
Battery life for me is what you would expect for such a powerful laptop, I can get about 3-5 hours depending on what is running, which is enough for me to make it through my classes. This i5 model will have better life because it's not running a quadcore CPU.
This laptop should have an MSATA slot under the bottom cover, allowing for a second hard drive that can be used either for storage, or as caching to speed up your HDD, they range from 32GB up to 128GB+ and are slightly more expensive than a normal SSD. I have yet to get one and cannot evaluate their value as of yet. If this changed I will update this.
There have been some issues with this laptop so I will list them:
I put the laptop into hibernate and it would not boot back up, needed a motherboard replacement. Dell / Alienware had a tech to my house in a couple of days and the laptop was back in perfect working order.
My "r" key needs to be replaced as it broke (the key itself not the mechanism) and they're sending someone out to replace the whole keyboard.
While not a real issue, the number of USB ports is slightly disappointing but I knew that going in.
I cannot natively run 3 monitors so far; I use the native screen, a 1600 x 900 HP through VGA and wanted to extend to my TV through HDMI but it will not allow that, I have heard that the Mini-Displayport may allow this but I have not bought an adapter. While a USB to VGA or DVI is always possibly I would rather a native solution be available.
Battery isn't easily removed, you need to unscrew 2 screws to take the bottom cover off, then 2 more to take out the battery which makes it difficult to carry more than one. My battery has so far experienced a 10.4% battery wear according to BatteryBar.
On an end note: If you are experiencing very low FPS in a game in moderate settings, ensure you're using the dedicated card, the system uses Nvidia Optimus which allows you to use the dedicated card when needed and the HD4000 when it's not. You can make any program use the dedicated card simply by right clicking, going to "run with graphics processor" and opening the Nvidia Control Panel, adding the EXE to the list and selecting the dedicated card from the drop down.
While there are other brands of laptops with similar or the same specs for ~$100 cheaper or so, I find this laptop to be worth the money, and when looking around, an Apple Macbook Pro of the same specs costs $1800 for me, where as I paid $1300 for my version.
Edit 3/5/13: Last week the tech came out the and keyboard was replaced, I observed minimal dis-assembly of the laptop, consisting of the bottom, some screws, and the bezel around the keyboard, then 2 more screws, the ribbon strips for connection and FX, then a replacement. The new one does have the new windows logo implemented for Win 8 and is up to par with the prior keyboard.
I will note that the lighting seems a little dimmer, especially with the space key. But this is in normal light and not darkness, when my room is dark the whole keyboard is clearly visible.
Buy Alienware M14x R2 AM14XR2-6111BK 14.0-Inch Laptop (Stealth Black with Soft Touch Finish) Now
I love my laptop! Doesn't get hot and its great for gaming. Only thing I don't like about it is Windows 8, but that's not alienwares fault.I got this for my daughters 10th birthday, shes a gamer and says the graphics are awesome on this laptop. recommended for gamersThis is my first Dell. I used Macbook pro, Vaio and Compaq, but this pc is in another category. somple the best.
Dell XPS M1330 Laptop (Black) Ultra Slim 13.3" Widescreen, Vista Premium, Intel Core 2 Duo Processo
I've had very mixed luck with this machine. The pros listed in the very positive reviews are right on--it is fast, it is sleek and light etc etc. However, I've experienced some serious problems with this machine:1. The drivers for the video card are incredibly buggy, and routinely lead to the screen blanking out (this is a well known problem, and it still hasn't been satisfactorily fixed).
2. Windows vista has never worked well. I'm not sure if this is a Vista issue or a hardware issue, but this machine and this OS have not worked well together (e.g. I initially could not shut the machine off except by using the power button--vista has a lot of shutdown options, all of them simply froze the computer; the machine still crashes, freezes and slows down at random).
3. I've had problems with the Wi-Fi -it's simply not that great at picking up a signal. On several occasions I've had to borrow a laptop to get online; other machines were picking up the signal but not this one.
4. The computer regularly simply stops working. It won't start, or if it does it won't boot. I suspect it was simply set up very poorly by whatever Dell tech put things together. I paid a computer technician a couple hundred bucks to go through the system, and this made things a lot better--but it made the problems less frequent rather than cured them.
A simple summary of my experience with this machine can be summed up by this fact: I'm writing this review on my wife's MacBook because my XPS is currently in its "I'm not working today" mode.
I've been a huge Dell customer over the years--this is my fifth machine ordered from Dell. There will not be a sixth.
The xps m1330 is soooo fast. It loads up really really fast and the screen is soooo bright and clear. Vista is awesome too, very good looking and you will never go back to Windows. Some ppl say it is buggy but i have experienced nothing wrong so far.
I highly recommend this product! This is the first fast computer I purchased ( also the first one that cost almost a thousand dollars ) Well I bought a refurbished XPS M1330 from Dell website but it works really fast. Using Vista with a computer that cost 600$ is not a smart idea since Vista slows down the computer significantly. However with XPS 1330 ( 3 gbyte ram and 2.4 Ghz clock speed) I can use Vista as XP.
Pros: Fast, thin, light ( not so light with 9cell battery), has firewire and HDMI outputs, 2 ( or can be three) headphone jacks, has remote control, have nice keyboard ( for males who has large hands) and ( with 9 cell battery) can be used up to 5 hours without plugged in to electricity plug.
Cons: Doesn't have any modem (telephone) output, only has 2 USB ports, and Wireless Card 4965AGN might have some issues from time to time ( forced the computer to restart once since I purchased the computer ( in more than 1 month) but probably can be fixed easily with a firmware update).
So far I haven't encountered any serious problem with the computer. After I installed Linux ( Ubuntu )software the startup takes more time than usual but it's not a hardware problem. So I would recommend this computer who are fed up using cheap and slow computers, and want to buy a nice and fast computer.
Hope this helps you chooseI owned this laptop for a year and a half now. Original price was $1200 with the EPP discount.
The biggest plus of the laptop is probably the weight around 1.8-1.9kg. The touchpad is the next thing I love, it just feels much better than probably any other I tried. Keyboard is ok, nothing fancy (small Enter...), feels ok. Performance wise, laptop works fine in Win7, games worked great (untill the GPU burned that is; see below), I used it for World of Warcraft raiding first couple of months.
The fingerprint reader takes forever to log in. I never figured whats the "magic" way to swipe your finger for it to work faster than manually typing in the password. Slot DVD drive makes funky noise but works fine. Remote that comes with the laptop is cool for presentations, and works with Media Player too (even though with 13" laptop you can't be that far and look at the movie). Battery was pretty lousy even when the laptop was new, barely made it 2hrs with watching movies on almost lowest brightness, surfing the web etc. Webcam is above the screen and the laptop has a microphone array -those work great with Skype and much better than most webcams (