Is it junk or is it not? I took a chance on this product because it seemed to me that most of the negative reviews associated with it were not based on product quality (though who knows how long it will last), but on how the product failed to live up to the purchaser's expectations. And it is those expectations that I think are misplaced.
I bought this at CVS for $100+tax; MY expectations were that it could replace my Palm TX, which got a cracked screen in a mishap. The Palm TX was a handheld PDA with pretty similar specs in terms of processing power, ROM memory, CF slot, etc. It was no speed demon on the internet luckily, most sites would call up a page optimized for mobile devices. So you avoided most of the fancy stuff that bloats web pages down (or, depending on your POV, adds rich and exciting content). I think what helps foster unrealistic expectations is that this Sylvania unit looks like a laptop, not a handheld PDA. So people come to it with expectations that it will perform like a laptop. Instead, it runs Windows CE 6, which, I understand, was an OS designed for PDAs, handheld PCs, etc. So it is against THAT class of device that this product should be judged. So far, I am impressed with what you get for the money, and I'm having a bit of nostalgia in terms of configuring things. It's not that hard, but if you never had a Win98 computer, you may be spoiled in the sense that you've never had to go under the hood and change a few settings. I'm no expert there are many settings that I don't understand at all but I did remember enough to get it going.
I did consider a modern netbook (I have a regular laptop and desktop too), but I decided to take a chance on this first. Here's why. I learned that my 2.5 year old laptop had a processor that was something like 3-5 times as fast (depending on benchmark) as a new netbook. Yes, you pay for it in battery time, but the real problem is that netbooks try to do everything a full blown laptop can do including accessing full-blown websites that are, day by day, getting weighed down more and more by Flash and other "enhancements" that just cripple the rendering time on a netbook. What I liked about my palm TX was that it didn't even try to load a regular website, for the most part. It did the "lightweight" mobile versions instead (even then, not really fast). I realized that the problem of netbooks is that they were trying to do too much. It was like putting a Honda Fit engine in a schoolbus and going to pick up 50 kids in a hilly subdivision. This Sylvania thing should do OK if you treat it more like a 65 hp classic Beetle driving on the flat roads of central Ohio.
With that, let's take a brief look at the good, bad, and the ugly.
The good:
Screen is quite good and large again, compared to PDAs. Compared to a laptop it's tiny.
size and weight is amazingly small.
Keyboard arrows have inverted T, a layout I much prefer.
3 USB ports; I've heard that two are USB 1.1, one is 2.0. Have not tried them.
CF card slot. Not sure if this will be limited to 2 GB, but it would not surprise me, as that was the limit on my TX, I think. I have a card from it and have used it it works.
Touchpad pretty good, though the buttons are stiff.
Has headphone and microphone jacks. I've used the headphones for earbuds, and sound is much improved over the built in speakers. My regular laptop has weak speakers too, so not a big deal.
Keyboard is small (as you would expect) but pretty good. I used to have a Psion 5mx and it reminds me of that, though it is about 1" wider than the Psion. The left shift button is not quite as big as I'd like, though. For some reason, the caps lock above it is bigger.
Windows CE uses reasonably familiar methods of arranging icons, launching programs, etc.
The bad:
Documentation is sparse. Just enough to tell you to fully charge it before use, and to label the features.
Windows CE is not quite as easy to customize nor, probably, as capable of it. . For instance, you can copy/paste new programs (see below) into the "program files" but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll show up in the start menu programs list. Come to think of it, I'm having the same trouble with Windows 7, too!
If you update the OS using the patch on the digitalgadgets.com website, you'll lose some features and gain others. For instance, I noticed that Wordpad disappeared and all the office apps were just viewers. Wordpad appeared to be replaced with a basic text editor named Ke or something in alpha release. But I came out ahead (see below). Another downside was that instead of connecting to a lightweight google search page, it connects to the full blown one now, which I did not want. And I cannot find the lightweight search page anymore using my desktop PC. It appears Google is only supporting such for mobile phones now. But supposedly this OS update fixes a "memory leak" and hotkeys, etc. I just didn't know they'd change the programs that were pre-installed.
Not expandable or upgradeable but then again, neither was my TX. Compare it to a handheld.
Case is a fingerprint magnet OK, this part you can compare to regular laptops.
Battery indicator was kind of unhelpful. I got maybe 2.5 hours out of the first charge of the 1800 mAh battery, with a good deal of that on WiFi and installing/copying/pasting. But I don't recall the indicator going anything like linearly to low. It kind of abruptly warned me power was low and it would shut down in 60 seconds, so I'd better save my work. Better than nothing, but still, not great.
As best I can tell, there's no email client. You have to use webmail (and I have gmail works though gmail chat does not). There are some chat programs though one called Pigeon, which apparently is not Pidgin.
The ugly:
The tomato-soup-red color is just awful. I am trying to think of a way to decorate the outside or "skin" it.
One thing I thought might help on this computer is to use Linux it tends to have lower overhead than windows, but again, this is not full blown windows, so Linux could actually be a greater burden than Win CE. But in the process of looking into that, I came across "Bento Linux" someone is working on a distribution for this system, and helpfully posted links to a "Mega Pack" of programs that he (or she) found to work with Windows CE. These included browsers, game emulators, utilities, media players, games, and even spreadsheets and word processors. I found two that appeared to be close cousins of Word and Excel even able to read/write to "Office 97" formats. Not too shabby. Beware of the game Doom, though it's a DOS port that only appears to work on CE. You can't exit it without forcing a shutdown of the machine (I didn't know how and could not alt-tab or ctrl-alt-del out of it, but holding the power button for 5 seconds did it).
So perhaps the $100 laptop has arrived ... but it's a PDA in netbook clothes. In some ways, better (keyboard, USB, ethernet jack, larger screen, productivity programs, clamshell design to protect that large screen) but in other ways, worse (can't find a PIM or calendar that imports modern file formats, though even among contemporaries, such importing is hit-or-miss; also, it's an older OS that is not really being developed any more). On balance, I think it is good replacement for the TX, if it has reasonable durability. But make no mistake it's slower than a laptop, it's slower than a netbook. It's a PDA in netbook form not unlike the original Asus EEE, frankly. For $100, it's a trip down memory lane (lack of memory lane?), eminently packable, and, if I can dig up some more freeware CE programs, quite capable of fully replacing my Palm TX as my computing travel companion.
this is a simple machine, to be sure. As the previous reviewer mentioned, the negative reviews come from people who apparently wanted a rolls royce for the price of a hyundai. I had very low expectations of this little machine..just needed to surf the web, really. It does that. It's slow. and some pages don't load. in fact, it doesn't support you tube anymore. This little machine should not be your only computer, it won't support all of your computing needs. However, I like that it's very portable, very simple and , frankly, disposable. if i lose it, or it breaks, I won't be crying. It has held up very well and has way outlasted the time period that I initially gave it.
just don't expect a fancy, fast computer. it's not. (duh!)
Buy SYNET7WID 7 Inch Wireless Mobile Now
These Cheap 7-Inch Netbooks are suitable only for dedicated hackers!
Also known as MiniLaptops, SmartBooks, Netbooks, etc.: Don't waste your time on this device if you're not willing to open it up and hack it!
But if you're already stuck with one of these, read on, as help is on the way. And please feel free to copy and post this review elsewhere on the internet, for the benefit of all of us hapless 7-Inch MiniLaptop/SmartBook/Netbook users out there.
I picked up mine, for $ 10.00, at a yard sale, from a very frustrated owner. Preliminary research on this device quickly revealed that it, and its many cheap spin-offs, has a notorious reputation. And it's quite obvious that almost all of the retailers of these devices are going out of their way to be unhelpful.
My version has a WMT, ARM-WM8505 300MHz processor, with a Windows Embedded CE 6.0 operating system (despairingly called "WinCE"), was a precursor to Windows Mobile, and is not supported well any more.
But, on a more positive note: Here's a complete and informative 30 page User Manual for your netbook: Titled, simply, as "usermanual.pdf", the 8.8 MB file can be downloaded from:
Google "files.chatnfiles" (an ftp site).
Scroll down and elect the "Sylvania_netbook" folder.
Select the "WinCE_6" folder.
Download "usermanual.pdf".
And, while you're on that ftp page, be sure to download "winCE6freeware.zip", a 109.7 MB MegaPack freeware bundle.
Also, here's another user manual: Although it was written for the CnM book portable mini laptop (Windows CE 5.0), and devotes some of its content to ActiveSync (not possible on Windows CE 6.0), it's another helpful user manual out there for your netbook. The 4.4 MB PDF file (38 pages) can be downloaded from the internet by simply googling "CnMNB7SE Manual.pdf".
The first thing the user of one of these devices needs to do is open up the internal battery compartment, and unplug and remove the internal 7.2 Volt Lithium-Polymer battery pack. That's right, completely remove the battery and simply run the netbook off the plug-in OEM 9 Volt wall wart, or maybe a 7.2 Volt to 9 Volt external battery pack (plugged in to the 9 Volt power jack, on the back of the device). The reason for this is that the CPU of the device runs very hot, with the OEM internal 7.2 Volt Lithium-Polymer battery pack in place, which explains the early failure of many of these devices. The 9 Volt power jack in the back of the netbook fits a standard 4.0 mm O.D. / 1.7 mm I.D. plug (aka: Radio Shack "B" plug, Part# 274-1532).
But a custom made rechargeable internal battery pack, 7.2V, 2500mAh nickel-metal hydride (6 AA's) will run (continuous video with full volume) the netbook for 3.15 hours. A 3 long x 2 wide battery pack will nest, half-deep, in the original internal battery compartment -without the original cover. And the CPU runs much cooler when powered by the improvised internal 7.2V, 2500mAh nickel-metal hydride battery pack. But most nickel-metal hydride batteries will self-discharge about 0.11 Volts per day (= 0.67 Volts per day, as a 6-cell battery pack), unless they're one of those newer nickel-metal hydride batteries that claim to hold their shelf-life charge at least 4 times longer. Unfortunately, the individual AA batteries, of the 7.2V, 2500mAh nickel-metal hydride battery pack, need to be removed and charged individually, as the netbook / OEM 9 Volt wall-wart will not charge an internal nickel-metal hydride battery pack.
But to bring my 7-Inch MiniLaptop up to industrial grade, I took an extra step and glued aluminum heat sinks on the CPU (mine is a WMT, ARM-WM8505 300MHz processor), as well as the Wi-Fi processor. The unit is easily opened up by turning it upside down and removing 12 screws, of which 2 of the screws are fine-thread screws that screw in to the sheet-aluminum underside of the keyboard. Unplug the internal battery pack, and with a thin, sharp knife, carefully separate and pop open the bottom of the plastic case. For the CPU, I superglued a flathead aluminum bolt onto it, drilled a hole into the underside of the plastic mini-laptop case, and, with an aluminum nut, attached a 4"x2.5" piece of aluminum flashing to the underside of the plastic mini-laptop case.
As mentioned, the Wi-Fi module in the device also runs way too hot, but the remedy for this is not as simple. The Wi-Fi module is a small .5"x1" circuit that is attached to the main circuit with 4 wires and a piece of pressure sensitive foam tape. Here I carefully peeled off the Wi-Fi module and removed the foam tape, as it traps heat and causes heat damage. I then soldered additional lengths of wire to the original 4 wires, superglued an aluminum heat sink onto the Wi-Fi CPU, and routed it through the right hinged joint of the video monitor case, and attached it inside the upper-right of the plastic case of the video monitor. I then drilled 6-.0625" holes above, and 6-.0625" holes below the Wi-Fi module, on the inside (video screen side) of the plastic case to allow for essential cooling ventilation. This also positions the Wi-Fi module for much better reception, solving the common gripe many users report of poor Wi-Fi range. I would upload photos of the modifications, but they would only cause serious misunderstandings with customer service staffs.
The next thing one should do is Google "winCE6freeware.zip" and download the ~104 MB MegaPack freeware bundle. Also Google and download "MioPocket 4.0 Release 68.zip" (~86.6 MB download). The OEM bundled software on many of these 7-inch netbooks is lacking. And there are not many apps available for Windows CE 6.0. But these two downloads are definitely a good start. They both include browsers, game emulators, utilities, media players, games, scientific calculators, and even spreadsheets and word processors. Also, Google "LEOFS_CMP.PPC_ARM.CAB" to download an excellent Windows Embedded CE 6.0 compatible flight simulator (jets, helicopters, sailplanes, a Piper Cub, and even a hang glider). Google "qcpparm.zip" for Q-Calc, an excellent scientific calculator that runs on WinCE 6.0.
"winCE6freeware.zip" extracts as three folders. Open the "winCE6soft" folder and browse and try out the numerous .exe software on your netbook.
"MioPocket 4.0 Release 68.zip" extracts as three folders. Open the "MioAutoRun" folder and the subfolder "Programs" and browse and try out the numerous .exe software on your netbook.
Two valuable softwares in these downloads are:
UCWeb Browser: Although it runs in Chinese mode only, it is intuitive, allowing one to bookmark their favorite English websites (Google, EarthLink, facebook, etc.), and this clever browser enables one to blaze through the internet.
Opera Mini: Another excellent internet browser, which runs quite well on Windows CE 6.0, by using the function and numeric keys on the keyboard open up options.
Minimo: Yet another excellent internet browser, which runs quite well on Windows CE 6.0, and is easy on the limited resources of the netbook. Of particular note is the opening home screen with quick access to Google, maps, local weather, etc.. But some of its features may exceed the limited resources of the 7-inch netbook.
*** A note about "Chinese" software:
China is notorious for pirating software, and Windows is no different. Only about 10% of Windows, sold in China, is fully licensed. 91% of Windows offered in China have some sort of malware. And 72% of those Chinese computers, with pirated Windows, have browser settings altered in a way to lead unsuspecting users to illegal sites, which then fish for financial data and other sensitive information.
I have had almost no success in downloading and manually installing .cab files on my netbook. .exe files seem to be the only software that will work with Windows CE 6.0.
And while almost all of these cheap 7-Inch Netbooks will long be remembered for what they aren't, one needs to focus on what they are, and can do:
Almost all of these devices have built-in stereo speakers, two 1.1 USB + one 2.0 USB jacks, a headphone/line-out jack (although the netbook speakers still work with the plug in), a microphone jack, a SD card slot, Wi-Fi, and a RJ45 ethernet jack.
Inside, most of these devices have a 2GB flash disk.
When loaded with compatible video files, and using "TCPMP" (the Core Pocket Media Player), the device plays video clips and full length movies with ease.
Using "nPOP", one can send and receive email, much like Outlook.
Using "UCWeb Browser", or "Opera Mini", one can blaze through the internet.
DSL, as well as WiFi connections is a breeze with the existing hardware, although WiFi seems only to work with open (unsecured) connections.
Using "TCPMP" (the Core Pocket Media Player), or GSPlayer, mp3 (as well as .ogg, .wma, .mp4, .wav, etc.) music files can be played, with full equalizer controls.
Using "TextMaker" (SoftMaker Office), one can produce complete and professional documents, with photos and charts, as .doc, .rtf, .odt, .psw, as well as proprietary .tmd files.
Using "PlanMaker" (SoftMaker Office), one can produce complete and professional spreadsheets, as .xls, .xlt, as well as proprietary .pmd files.
Using "Presentations" (SoftMaker Office), one can produce complete and professional PowerPoint-type presentations, with graphics, as .ppt, .pot, .rtf, .bmp as well as proprietary .prd files.
With UltraG image viewer one can store and view detailed topo hiking maps, as well as handy road maps, as well as photos.
Challenge yourself with games like "ChessGenius", "PocketChess", "Nankin", and "Solitare".
There's also "CALC", a paper tape calculator, and when used in the ten-key touch keyboard mode, is quite useful for serious number crunching. And there's "Calc98CE", an excellent scientific calculator.
But there are some specific irritating issues with this netbook:
The 1/8" stereo out jack does not turn the internal speakers off, when ear buds are used.
The SD card slot manual eject mechanism crapped out early on. I had to straighten out a paper clip, and then fashion a tiny hook with needle-nose pliers, and pull the damaged micro-spring and mechanism completely out of the SD card slot. It now works just fine this way, as I simply left a 16 GB SD card permanently in place (but can easily be removed, if needed).
The built-in WiFi only seems to work with open WiFi networks, and many password protected networks, but not all. I tried, at home, to log into our secure WiFi, but was unable to get it to work. But it still works just fine in many WiFi coffee shops.
I have yet to find a YouTube application that works.
I have yet to find a Skype application that works, although it is inconceivable that any version of Skype could ever work on one of these 7-inch netbooks, with its limited capacity.
And I have yet to find a printer/printer application available. But there is somewhat of a silver lining in this deficiency in that it is a correct move in the direction of a paperless society. For example, I used to do a daily download of the local TV broadcast schedule, and inkjet print it out, both sides, on a landscape 11x8.5 piece of paper. Now I simply bring up the the Zap2It website (via Minimo browser), on my 7-inch netbook, and download the evening TV schedule, as a PDF file, to the Desktop of my 7-inch netbook. The PDF can then be quickly and easily viewed by my family, as needed.
The keyboard, while of excellent and sturdy construction, is only 81% the size of a standard keyboard. This will cause even the fastest, most skilled typist to feel like they're all thumbs on the keyboard.
As mentioned, the netbook has two USB 1.1 + one USB 2.0 jacks but, Windows CE 6.0 being somewhat of a primitive operating system, will not with all USB devices and accessories. But many mice, keyboards, multi-port USB hubs, flash drives, and SD card readers work quite well with the netbook. I haven't found a webcam that will work, but many digital cameras can be connected, by USB, and the stored photos viewed and copied.
Here is just a partial list of the many aliases this Windows CE 6.0 OS device is sold under (or simply known as):
Chinese CE Netbook
Cheapy-Creepy CE Netbook
Sylvania 7-inch CE6 netbook
CVS Sylvania 7-inch CE Netbook
VIA Mini 7-inch Laptop LCD
Lanyu eBook LY-EB01
ITA Smartbook 7
Cherrypal Africa
Datawind UbiSurfer
Menq EasyPC 790
3K Computer RazorBook 400 CE
Join Tech J1-Pro JL7100
Delstar DS 700
ITA Computers Smartbook 7
And the one thing most of them have in common is that they are mass-produced in Shenzhen, China.
As these 7-inch netbooks will not Activesync with your desktop computer, this is the time to format (be sure to select the FAT 32 file system option) a 16 GB, class 10, SD card, to serve as the "Storage Card" in your 7-inch netbook.
I advise one not to be too eager to reflash a new operating system onto their 7-inch netbook, as some functionality may be lost, due to variations in the motherboard/hard drive chip design, and not easily recovered. One such example is the driver for the internal battery pack. Many have complained about failures of the internal battery, not knowing that the new operating system they reflashed onto their netbook was not written for the existing motherboard. Just to be sure, I broke open the internal "8.4 Volt" (7.4 Volt rated), 1800mAH lithium-polymer battery pack, and the two internal 3.7 Volt batteries, as well as the internal battery management circuit test out just fine. The battery will normally run the netbook for about 1.5 to 2 hours, on a full charge, for routine computer work (word processing, etc.), .75 to 1 hour, if running a high-drain application, such as a video clip with full volume.
But if you choose to reflash, be sure to note the operating system, as well as version, as well as build, that originally came installed on your netbook. To find this information: Click "Start", select "Settings", select "Control Panel", select "System", and, under "General" tab, you'll find the operating system. There is a remote possibility that you will then be able to find, download, and reflash it, if the other operating systems fail. For example, I finally, and successfully, installed Windows CE, Version 6.00 (Build 3122) on mine. Also, under "General" tab, the Processor Type (mine is, for example, "WMT, ARM-WM8505") will be listed. This may prove helpful, and save you a lot of time, as operating systems are very specific as to which CPU they will work with.
And back to the subject of the internal battery pack: There are serious issues with the OEM internal 7.2 Volt Lithium-Polymer battery pack and the netbook motherboard. The overheating of the CPU is an indication of this. The early burn-out of the OEM 9VDC wall-warts, as well as netbook failures, reported by many owners, is another indication of serious internal power issues. I even rewired and bench tested a 7.2 Volt (two 3.6 Volt cells in series) Lithium-Polymer battery pack, without the OEM battery pack management circuit (aka: electronic battery cell balancer), and added a third wire, leading from between the two cells, to the third (middle) post in the internal battery jack, on a hunch that the netbook already had a built-in battery management circuit that conflicted with the battery management circuit inside the OEM internal battery pack. But this was not the case, since the rewired battery pack discharged without being "balanced" (both cells kept at the same voltage), and the rewired battery pack did not recharge through the OEM wall-wart / netbook.
I even built an new 7.2 Volt Lithium-Polymer battery pack, with a larger, more robust battery management circuit, but, it too suffered damage to the Lithium-Polymer cells.
Warning: Experimenting with Lithium-Ion and Lithium-Polymer batteries is a dangerous fire hazard. I bench tested the rewired battery packs outdoors, on a cement surface, with a fire extinguisher handy.
After all of this battery testing, the only option is the custom 7.2V, 2500mAh nickel-metal hydride battery pack, to serve simply as a glorified internal clock battery, as well as an emergency power backup for the netbook and a custom external 7.2V 12V battery pack. But, as mentioned above, the CPU runs much cooler with the internal 7.2 Volt Lithium-Polymer battery pack removed, and the OEM 9V wall-wart (or a custom external battery pack) used. But then, with the 9V wall-wart, you're not portable, are you? Also, the OEM internal battery will completely self-discharge (actually, the flawed motherboard slowly drains the battery) in less than a week. Oddly, a custom 7.2V, 2500mAh nickel-metal hydride battery pack does not self-discharge into the netbook motherboard at all, even though it does self-discharge, by itself, over time.
To make the netbook a truly portable device, I hacked a Sony NP-FX110 7.4V 3800mAh rechargeable battery pack: Adding a charging jack, as well as a plug for the netbook. Measuring 8.25"x5.75"x.375", the thin battery pack fits under the netbook and provides about 7 hours of heavy use (continuous video with sound), and even longer, if running only office software.
But if you really need to try new operating systems (... or love taking risks, like I do), Google:
"netbook.poodwaddle"
And go to the links to that website for a list of different operating system downloads.
There you will find video instructions on how to reflash a new operating system. But more importantly, numerous options for operating systems are available there to try on your netbook:
WinCE.rar
ChineseWinCE.rar (this was the best one for my 7-inch netbook: It appears in Chinese, but reboots to English)
SylvaniaWinCE.rar
BankofWinCE.rar
scriptcmd.rar
Android1.5.2.rar
Android1.6.rar
Android1.9.part1.rar
Android1.9.part2.rar
Android2.2.rar
Android2.2V2.rar
The reflash process is quite simple:
Download the .rar file.
Format (select the FAT 32 file system option) a SD card (2 GB minimum).
Open and extract the .rar file to the SD card.
The SD card will now read as a "script" folder only.
Insert the SD card in the SD card slot of your netbook.
Turn the netbook on. The reflash will automatically start and run by itself.
Give it enough time, as it's a large folder (~155 MB, more or less).
When done, turn the netbook off, remove the SD card, and turn the netbook back on.
Be sure to erase the "script" folder off the SD card, as it's no longer needed, and an accidental reflash is inconvenient.
Note that Android operating systems are best suited for touch-screen netbooks (versus WinCE keyboard netbooks), so may not work at all on your Windows CE netbook. But no big deal, just reflash with another operating system on the list, although I've read that small remnants of a previous reflash may still remain.
I've uploaded my own "Microsoft Windows Embedded CE 6.0 800x480 pixel jpeg desktop background, which will fit in well with your desktop icons.
I have gone through great lengths in this review, not only for the benefit of the users, but suggestions for the manufacturer(s) of these devices. It's a pity these netbooks weren't designed and built just a little better, as they could have been the ideal solution for a mass market in the third world. So, for the time being, this mass-produced netbook serves as mute testimony to the reality that the Chinese workplace can sometimes be all too similar to the American workplace, where initiative and innovation is swiftly punished.
After all of this, I have come to the conclusion that there is a place in my life, for this 7-inch netbook. In the move towards a paperless society, it's a handy and convenient substitute for my inkjet printer: Instead of being printed out, printed matter can, instead, be simply downloaded and saved as a PDF file, to the Desktop of the 7-inch netbook, and viewed as needed. But the 7-inch device is not instant-on: It does take about 35 seconds for the netbook to boot up, plus about 35 seconds to open up the downloaded PDF file, of, say, a downloaded evening TV schedule. This netbook is also perfect for reading downloaded books and such, on the go. This device complements my rugged Windows XP laptop, a real workhorse, with a 14-inch diagonal screen and internal battery that will run the device for about two hours. And when I really need to travel light, I have a Palm TX, with a 480x320 color screen (4" diagonal), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a 32GB SD card upgrade, a tiny battery powered thermal printer, and a full-size foldout keyboard (for full-speed typing), and an internal battery that will run the device for over 7 hours.
I hope this helps.
Good luck and have fun with it.
Read Best Reviews of SYNET7WID 7 Inch Wireless Mobile Here
As other reviews mentioned, we struggled to get the online set up (Roadrunner wireless). We called the customer service number and within little time we were up and running. Though the rep was clearly ESL, he did a great job letting my husband know what he needed. If this is a problem for another reader, I'd say hang up, call again, and hopefully you'll reach someone else on the next go. For the money well worth it.
As someone else mentioned, more documentation would be helpful e.g. what are the specs for SD cards? Is 8gbs to much? If I arbitrarily buy a standard SC card it'd be my luck is that it won't work for some reason.
Update Jan. 2011 Spoke too soon. It ran great while it ran. It became a little buggy and I think it was a company rep who had my husband download a patch that was supposed to fix his problem. Instead of helping he was no longer able to get online. Then, he was also unable to get anyone on the phone who could help him. There's not even an option to leave a message for a call back. The product comes with little documentation and no troubleshooting advice. After a few days of dealing with customer no service we took it back to CVS and set our sites on something more reliable. Reviewrs who said this is really a glorified smart phone are right except that it's not all that smart. Don't be conned by a low price a cheap piece of junk is still a piece of junk.
Want SYNET7WID 7 Inch Wireless Mobile Discount?
You get what you pay for. If you're paying $80-$100 for a computer, but expecting one that's usually priced at $250-$400, then expectations need to be more realistic. This computer is NOT junk. The start-up instructions for internet were sufficient and it actually comes with apps you wouldn't expect, like a pre-installed PDF reader. I received this about a week ago and, so far, no problems. Because my expectations were realistic, I'm very satisfied.
If you want to:
-browse youtube
-listen to music/mp3s
-do a lot of downloading
-do fancy word and powerpoint programs
-download and play games
-do anything with flash
...then DO NOT buy this, as none of these functions work.
If you want to:
-type simple documents
-browse simple (not flashy) web pages
Then this is a very efficient little machine.
I've had this laptop for over 2 years now and I love it. I use it daily and I've never had a major problem with it. My charger broke about a year ago, which was frustrating and I bought an aftermarket one from Staples. The charger has loosened my charging port, but that is the fault of the charger... not Toshiba.
Is this Amazon's hardware equivalent of VAPORWARE? I ordered this probably 6 weeks ago with expedited shipping. Nothing so far. The Square Trade policy arrived promptly and I'm now past the date it can be returned. I have a policy insuring something paid for that is for a product I have never received. I'm patiently waiting, but I wish Amazon wouldn't have represented they had something that they could not deliver! I hope this gets Amazon's attention. I love the Acer products -they are generally excellent values and I love the chromebook. The extra memory and storage drive on this unit are useful to me. What's happening here?
This laptop arrived with a quirky mousepad. It seemed to click on its own making it almost impossible to type without the cursor jumping around. I used the fn9 for a few days and then it stopped working. My nice new computer is now on its way to California for repairs. Possibly the most disturbing thing is that, after spending so much money on a laptop, when I called ASUS tech services, they suggested that I let them tell me how to permenantly disable the mousepad. I would think they had enough pride in their products to want to make a new computer work correctly rather than cut off the broken stuff. So far, I'm not real impressed with ASUS.
Bought one of these for $2000 with the best memory and options.
I have a white Vaio CS320J. I have had it for 3 months and have had issues with the loud fan noise as well as a rumbling soung in the fan. The computer has overheated and shut off. Took the computer back to the store I bought it and they tried to charge me to have it diagnosed under warranty. I bought an extended warranty on this laptop to prevent issuse like this. I have had problems with Sony products in the past and decided to give them another try. Big mistake. Sony product are poorly manufactured and fall apart within months. I would never buy another Sony product. Do not buy this laptop unless you are okay with wasting hundreds of dollars. I would buy anything else over Sony. ANYTHING.
First thing..I didn't expect to find a laptop in the price range I had in mind which contained all the features and memory this Dell has.
For years I held off on buying a laptop. Mainly because I had bought a netbook back in 2009 and it had sufficed for my mobile computing needs.
I Work on a lot of Macbooks and I'm really not a huge fan of Airs and Pros. Logicboards seem to be real water magnets and it doesn't take a lot to end up with a fried board from a spill. Have ton of laptops and the opportunity came for me to buy one of these that had a bad Gatorade spill, so I did because I gave an i7 pro to a family member and needed an OSX. The older unibody style seems to hold up better to liquid than the newer pros. The heat generated and maybe weathering may lead to some cracking of the case in a few areas, but naturally heat will do that. Probably not a bad thing and allows some heat to dissipate. Easily sealed with electronic grade silicone, and besides, this Macbook was Afghanistan too, so I'm sure that didn't help. Just goes to show how durable it is, I guess.
I'm giving this one 3 stars. I don't see the big speed improvement when compared to my 2 year old Dell. Then again, I haven't tried any games that would take advantage of the 1G video card or heavy processor intensive work. I mainly use it for everyday use like email, MS Office, browsing, running a web site, etc.
I bought this laptop through Dell. The only difference between the one advertised here and mine, is I have a 1TB HDD, and 8 Gigs of RAM.
I bought the Toshiba Satellite L755-S5271 to replace my previous laptop, a Sony VAIO VGN-CS110E that simply died on me after only 3 years of use. So far I am extremely satisfied with the Toshiba; it has everything in the latest technology, and is at an unbeatable price ($499.99). The screen is bright and sharp, the operation is fast and smooth, and the machine is quiet (unlike my Sony whose CPU fan makes a loud and unpleasant noise only after 2 years). It is said that Toshiba has the second best reliabiliby in the industry, next to Asus, and my husband has owned a Satellite since 2005 and it's still working well today.
I have had my M6400 Covet for almost 2 years now. It is a great desktop replacement, but portability is not a strong suite. I've carried it on trips but it is just too heavy--best as stationary.
I bought this laptop in December 2012 and took it on an overseas trip. It regularly and predictably crashed with the blue screen of death after about 30 minutes. With reboot I got 30 more minutes of work done. When I came back I wasted hours with HP tech support. Finally I sent it in for repair. It came back with a new disk, motherboard, battery and a new video card with no drivers. After installing the drivers the video card works. But now the screen "flickers" and allows keyboard input only randomly. Windows update does not work. I sent it back for repairs yesterday. Will keep you posted on this saga.
I'm a producer and gamer. I chose this laptop due to it having a numeric keypad, four cores, 4GB of DDR3 and a 500GB HDD. The bottlenecking point seems to be the GPU. It can generally get pretty hot when you're playing a game, and it used to shut off from overheating, but that problem disappeared after I bought a cooling pad, which you should be using anyways. Battery lasts OK give or take three hours while gaming or rendering, and up to five hours when doing web browsing or other small stuff. No touchscreen, but I wouldn't buy one of those since I don't like Windows 8. The touchpad recognizes multi-touch commands.