Dell Latitude D430 Core 2 Duo Laptop with XP

We needed a computer at work to do nothing but handle files between our server to a 3TB external back-up drive. Bought this guy to do that function. A small burble was that it came in with Vista on it, and we need XP ... after a quick call, this was revised quickly, and we are up and running. Very nice customer service. Quick response. Good packaging. Very clean refurb laptop that works well. I recommend these guys to anyone.

Purchased this little laptop from Data Sales, because I wanted a smaller, lighter and more solid laptop than my Inspiron 1545. The latitudes are made of metal, like the terminator. You will read other reviews of this particular machine that say "it's slow, it gets hot, wah, wah, wah..." Yeah, it is a bit slow by today's standards, and yeah, it gets a little warm, but it's also 5-6 years old and it cost you $130.00! It's also light and solid and mine came with a docking station with a CD rw/DVD rom! (yours may not) The computer arrived super fast, well packaged and with the docking station that I wasn't expecting. Data Sales obviously practices the policy of under-promising and over-delivering as the condition was listed as "used-acceptable" and minus a couple of minor blemishes on the top of the case, the condition is excellent to like-new. Mine came with windows 7 pro (yours may not), I dual-booted it with crunchbang linux and it spins like a top. At some point I'll replace the HD with a SSD and I'm sure I'll get many years of web-surfing, pandora listening and e-mailing out of it. For $130.00 I couldn't be happier.

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Dell Latitude D630 14.1-Inch Notebook

I've had a Dell Latitude D630 for almost 2 years now and there's one key feature that needs to be pointed out first. It's solid. Although I've never dropped it, it has been through a lot. It's very difficult to warp the LCD screen by applying pressure to the back of the display, and the screen is recessed a fair bit from the outside edges. I've seen quite a few people crack their screens but you'd have to try pretty hard to break this one. At first glance it appears thin, plastic, and flimsy; but when you pick it up and hold it you can tell there is a strong network of metal bracings underneath the surface.

When I bought mine brand new from Dell, quite a few technical things went wrong. First the touchpad never worked well out of the box. It skips, freezes and stops working intermittently. I understand this is a big problem with Dell laptops. The other joystick style mouse works well, but after a year started occasionally drifting to the top right of my screen at slow speed so I had to disable it. I usually use an external mouse anyway. After having the laptop for about a year, a section of the motherboard fried and the computer kept giving me video driver errors, but after I called Dell they politely came to my home and swapped the defective part free of charge. I play my fair share of PC games and this thing gets hot. Sometimes the bottom of the laptop will become uncomfortable to set on your thighs so I'm not surprised the board burned out. It's important to note that this machine only gets hot when it's running a video game. It usually runs at normal temperatures doing everything else. I invested in a fan cooling pad which does a good job keeping it cool.

Other than the mouse and heat issues, it's a good machine. It's a nicely sized laptop as well. Personally I feel like it's not too big or too small.

UPDATE April 20, 2012:

Even though nobody is probably still buying these machines, I'd like to report on my D630 almost three years after my original review was written.

It has been almost five years with the D630 and it's still functioning, of course not as well. The cooling fan is not as strong as it used to be, and the machine gets pretty hot when running multiple programs or playing video (years of dust accumulation probably affects the heat sink's ability to transfer heat to some degree, no pun intended). Lucky for me I don't play video games any longer, as I now see them as a waste of time, so that will no doubt lessen the damaging impact to my hardware. Right now with only Firefox open the machine is a normal temperature. The wireless card periodically stops working and I must disable and re-enable it to get it to work again. Some of the keyboard keys have become very sensitive probably due to debris underneath, but all are still registering. The touchpad still occasionally acts up by sometimes not detecting my finger in a specific area toward the center of the pad causing my pointer to leap as I cross over it, but for some odd reason flicking it a few times gets it to work properly again, and other times it goes completely unresponsive until I restart the computer. The pointing stick stopped tracking slowly across my screen and has become fully functional, albeit awkward to use. The original battery has died and I'm currently on my second. Dell let me keep a brand new optical drive after they misdiagnosed a hardware issue (DVD drive failed to detect discs) that turned out to be another fried motherboard making it twice I've had the motherboard swapped under warranty, so my DVD drive still works flawlessly. Hopefully it won't happen again since the warranty expired almost two year ago; the original warranty being three years covering everything but the battery and LCD display. The screen is still very clear with no dead pixels.

Not much else to report besides the system's performance benefited from a OS reinstallation. A comment below mentions bluescreens, but I think bluescreens are more due to badly written software than the machine itself.

The Dell D630 is a remarkable machine. I work for a university that is replacing older model laptops with the D630. This laptop was given to me for testing purposes and I must say I enjoy the features and durability it has provided me.

The hardware is more than adequate for the needs of our students. The Core 2 Duo processor isn't top of the line but will run most operating systems flawlessly. I tested this one with Windows XP, Windows Vista and am presently running OpenSuSe 11.1. The machine I am using comes with 2 Gigs of ram but can be upgraded to 4 gig. The only time I notice any ram issues is when I am doing video intensive work while the 3D desktop in SuSe is turned on. The resolution only maxes out at 1440X900, but the clarity of the LCD screen more than compensates for that. The 4 USB ports are also a nice addition to the machine. There are other Dell Latitude's I've experienced that only provide two ports.

The durability of this machine is more than one would expect from a Dell product. With previous Dell laptops I easily pop keys off and have even cracked a screen by dropping only 10 inches. The D630 has given me a new found hope of the durability of Dell laptops. I have knocked it off the table without any issue. I have left it in my vehicle overnight (-10 degrees) and it was just fine. My children have used and abused this laptop. All it seems to require is a nice wipe down and it looks as nice as the day the machine was given to me.

The only things I would like to see improved on is a SD-card reader built in. Maybe a little better speaker set. I believe there is only one speaker built into this machine. There is no S-video port on this machine. With previous Dell's in my possession, there have always been S-video and I have become acclimated to having one on my machine. The D630 also appears to be a little heavier than what I am use to using. I don't mind lugging my laptop around but I other people I talk with say they would never carry anything that heavy with them for work. (mac)

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I bought this laptop directly from dell Financial Services auction on ebay. I did not even know that they have it here on Amazon Marketplace too. Even though the description said manufacturer refurbished the laptop I received looked like new. It came with power adapter and a Dell Windows XP Reinstallation CD and built in Intel PROSet Wireless Card. Absolutely no bloatware is included.

Now this may not be a top of the line machine but it is pretty adequate for home and school or even Small Home Office use. The neat part is that once you boot up the machine for the first time it would automatically install Windows XP after going through some preliminary steps. It even gives you option to enter setup and configure things but you are better off leaving the machine alone to do its thing and install windows XP or whichever operating system it is bundled with unless you're techie. Once windows finishes installation you can pretty much install anything you want. I have so far installed Open Office, MS Office 2003, Firefox, Chrome, Avast Anti Virus, Trusteer Rapport security Software and many other productivity softwares and the machine boots up and runs smoothly.

It does not come with webcam so I installed Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000 and Microsoft Lifecam Cinema and either camera runs smoothly even on HD modes. I use Lifecam Cinema more often because it's stand is perfect fit for D630 bezel as opposed to the Quickcam Pro 9000's stand which tend to wobble.

I will advise you buy this laptop directly from Dell either here on Amazon Marketplace or on ebay where it is listed under Dell_Financial_Services. You will likely receive a laptop that will be like new but more importantly you will get 30 days warranty.

This laptop is of right price, size and specs: 14" bright LCD, 2GB Ram, 80GB harddisk space and 2GHZ Intel Dual Core processor that is more than adequate for most home, school and or Small Home Office use. It is sturdy and sleek looking too.

There is one thing that Dell scrimped on here: the tiny single speaker that is barely audible! I use an external Frisby USB laptop Speakers. I also use headphone when I am on the road. It is worthy to note that this tiny speaker belies a powerful sound card that only becomes apparent when you put on a headphone.

NB: Don't forget to switch on the wireless radio or you will not be able to use the wifi connection. The switch is on same side and next to the headphone jack. It is switched off by default. Once you switch it on it will detect a bunch of wifi hot spots including yours, if any. Select your SSID from the displayed options and enter your router's WEP Key and you will be good to go. I have at&t 2WIRE Wireless Gateway and the WEP Key is the ten digit number directly below the serial number located on the side or bottom of the router depending on whether it is standing vertically or lying on it's side. The built in wireless card is powerful. I highly recommend this laptop to anyone who may be on budget but not willing to compromise on quality and performance.

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I bought this laptop because I needed a laptop to carry around with me to work and school. My regular laptop was expensive, very bulky, and felt a bit flimsy, and I wanted something a bit more durable that I wouldn't have to worry about breaking, but that was still a workhorse. I work at a computer repair shop at my university, and we take in a lot of laptops. Of all of the laptops we work on, I found the D630 to be one of the easiest to maintenance. When I was looking for a work laptop, I wanted a business laptop that could handle the tasks I needed it to accomplish and was easy to repair if need be, but was still within my limited college student budget. I searched around for a while, and a refurbished D630 for about $300 was what I came up with. Everything else was either overpriced or unimpressive and old. I decided to take the risk of getting a refurbished laptop for so cheap, and I am extremely satisfied.

When I got the computer it came pre-installed with XP pro, and I decided to set up a dual boot with Ubuntu. Ubuntu installed extremely easily and all of the drivers were ready to go right away. The computer has had no trouble doing anything I set it to so far, and has exceeded my expectations. I learned that some of these machines had video card problems in which the video card would overheat and cause screen splitting, but that is only with the models that have nVidia GPUs. As long as you choose to purchase one with an Intel GPU that recall issue is not a problem.

As far as how the laptop functions and works with the user, I am very impressed. The keys feel very ergonomic and natural when typing, and the area where you rest your palms is a very comfortable texture and size. The touchpad is easy to use and allows your finger to slide along it without much difficult, unlike some laptops on which the touchpad grips your finger and makes using it more of a hassle. A lot of laptops also are made of very cheap, easy-to-break plastics and feel very flimsy, but the D630 feels more rugged and durable with its magnesium casing. I can't say anything about the battery life because my D630 came with an old battery, a risk I took when buying a refurbished laptop. I've only heard good things about how long they last when not plugged in, however, and am buying a new battery as soon as possible. The 2 GHz Intel dual core processor works very smoothly and efficiently, and with 2 GB of RAM most applications run smoothly. Overall, I am very satisfied with this laptop and feel like it is an underrated machine, and I would definitely recommend it for anyone who needs an inexpensive laptop.

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I've been using a Dell T630 for the past 3 days, 8 hours a day while undertaking some intensive training class. I am not going to enumerate the published specs for this machine but, instead I will run the specs against what I perceive as its usability and how that correlates to the price.

It's probably fair to state that there is little remarkable about this machine. So, here they are, my observations:

Most of the basic featuresc found on cheaper models are found in the T630 as well.

Some features found in cheaper models, such as biometric (fingerprint) authentication are not supported.

Max resolution is 1440x900

Small 60-80GB hard drive I can't see how equipping a $2000 laptop with a $50 hard drive can be possibly justified (for our class purposes, an installation that included Windows XP, Firefox and some VMWare filled up the disk, leaving only 1GB free).

Keybord is below average, "molasses" feel, need to strike the keys hard for a keystroke to register.

Same as above for the mouse button emulators, only worse.

4 USB ports (that's a good thing), 2 in the back and to on the right.

Heavy.

I award this machine 3 stars only because I am ignoring the outrageous posted price because prices can and do change. So, price not considered, it's an average, unremarkable machine. I can tolerate it for another day or 2 of training but, if this was my office laptop, the size of the hard drive and the subpar keyboard would proably have me petition my IT department for a replacement.

Of course, using it with a docking station (and it DOES have docking capabilities) would take care of the keyboard issue but the minuscule hard drive would still be a concern.

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ASUS X55A-BCL092A Laptop Computer / 15.6-inch Display Screen / Intel Celeron B820 1.7 GHz Dual-core

I was super hard pressed to buy a laptop for my job, but pretty short on cash. I bought this laptop as a referb and got a decent deal on it.

Pros:

-Lightweight and compact. (I actually had to buy a smaller bag to carry it in even though it had the same screen size as my last laptop.)

-good for surfing the net

Cons:

-Low processing power/memory (I have a difficult time multi-tasking with this laptop. its pretty much a single task dedication machine)

-Only 2 USB ports

-No indicator lights for things like numlk or capslk

For the most part this laptop suffices as a basic running machine, but dont expect to much from it.

I got this laptop for less than $300 and I love it. I just wish it came with operating instructions. I love the handwriting element,but can't find the pen that goes with it.

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My laptop isn't functioning as I expected nor meeting the standards describe in the advertisement. I unable to type in a web address into the server or write or send e-mails. This laptop is useless and I would like a refund or a new machine.

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Thinkpad T420S 14" 320GB 4GB

I am an IBM employee and as such I enjoy a discount on Lenovo purchases. With my corporate discount, the price comes down to what you would find on newegg, tigerdirect, or amazon, but with the ability to customize the system. When I was building mine, even with the discount, the upgrades that I wanted were too expensive, so I ordered a basic configuration plus some upgrades from the sites mentioned above. My system arrived with i5 2520 CPU (the lowest possible frequency), 320 GB hdd, 2 GB RAM, and an integrated video card. Separately, I ordered 8 GB RAM, Intel 320 series SSD (160 GB capacity), and a cheaper 32 GB mSATA SSD drive (a mini-PCI card, the T420s has a slot for it), which I use for swapping and temporary files.

I purposely ordered the CPU with the lowest possible frequency, and no dedicated video card. In my career, I have built and used probably two dozen different systems, and in each and every case, the CPU has never been a bottleneck, nor has been the video card. Most video cards today have GPUs which consume an enormous amount of power, need extra cooling, and drain your battery while heating your lap. I have to mention that I use computers for software development and other casual uses, but not for gaming. I could not care less how many frames per second a given game would render (TO ME it is all crap, and so far from being realistic that it is not worth the hassle -TO ME a 1980's console Packman is more real than most of the games I see nowadays; call me old fashioned, I don't care). I want a system that would run one or more virtual machines, a development environment, and a database of a size which only the most rich and prestigious universities could afford only a few years ago. The T420s does that.

It runs very cool, is fast, and is sturdy. On occasion, the fan engages, but so far it has been running only at a low speed which is not disturbing (I compare it to my T60p system with dedicated graphics which was very noisy).

The keyboard is outstanding. Better than any Thinkpad (I have owned five) so far. I only wish it was back-lit. The little light on the top of the lid does a good job at illuminating the keyboard, but again I would have still preferred a back-lit one.

The preloaded software is not too intrusive. If I had an option, I would never buy a system with preloaded software, but unfortunately even with this high end business system a clean build was not an option. I have made the habit of wiping off every new system I receive and install only what I need; with this one, I have not done it yet. Probably I will, once I have the time to gather all drivers. But so far it is good, I don't feel slowness, maybe also because the system is so fast.

The screen is nice. It is matted, so it is easy on the eyes. If I had an option, though, I would go with 4:3 screen, which is much more convenient for writing code, but nobody makes these nowadays. I wonder, why all manufacturers think that laptops are only for watching movies?

Speed. With the two SSD drives configured as a master and swap, the boot is blazing fast. I installed the second, smaller and cheaper SSD as a swap and temp drive in order to preserve the more expensive Intel drive. Windows 7 boots in 20 seconds, and an XP virtual machine boots in 8 seconds.

Build quality. The MacBooks have been a standard by which I have measured the build quality and ergonomics of every other laptop, and I have to say, the T420s is better in most departments. It does not flex, it stays cool (the MacBook I compare it is a Core 2 Duo which runs hotter), and is lighter. The MacBook has a back-lit keyboard and a truly amazing display (Lenovo's display is matted which is good, but does not provide the same level of contrast).

There are several things that Lenovo could have done better:

1. 4:3, higher contrast screen

2. back-lit keyboard

3. a minimal install with no preloaded software (although this system is not as crapified as some Sony's or Dell's I have seen lately)

Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase. I highly recommend it. My current configuration is very expensive and is comparable to a 15" MacBooPro's price, but I still prefer it. I have to mention that this is the first laptop I buying with my own money, if that makes my review more trustworthy. If Windows is not essential, get a Mac. For Windows, I doubt that there is a better highly portable system on the market as of today.

I give it 4 stars, as there is still room for improvement. For a comparison, I would also rate a MacBook Pro at 4, and any other laptop I have found at Staples, BestBuy, Costco, etc. scores no higher than 3.

This thin and light -and fast -Lenovo T420s laptop is at the top of its class. The Lenovo brand runs under the radar screen for many consumers, but builds top-technology laptops that last next-to-forever. The T420s is sick fast with a 14" screen, but only weighs 3.9 lb. You can find other lighter weight laptops, but only with dinky little 13" and 12" screens -which is just too small to be productive and with toys for keyboards. You can look, but I don't think you'll find a better 14" laptop that is under 4 lb.

The T420s also has space for three (yes three) hard drives -the primary drive, the ultra-bay, and the mSATA slot. I bought an 80GB Intel 310 flash drive for the mSATA slot, and loaded Windows 7 on it to make it my boot drive. Then, I put all my applications on the flash drive, too, so that loading Windows and even the biggest app is lightening fast. I loaded all my docs and pictures and music on the primary drive, so I have plenty of room for more. I left the optical drive in the ultra-bay for now, but it has the option of being swapped out for a hard disk or flash drive, or a second battery. The system is whisper quite -you can't hear the drive and the fan, when it's on, is only a faint background whirr.

The best part, though, is the keyboard -I never knew that I could type so fast. The words just seem to flow up on the screen with no effort and few mis-spellings. Crazy good. After pounding away on other keyboards for years, this one is a joy. Textured track pad works well, too, and maybe someday I'll start using the little-red joystick that others seem to like.

This thing is durable, too. It was designed in the vein of the original clean-and-black ThinkPad by the legendary designer Richard Sapper. You can easily find cheaper laptops, but not ones that will last for years like this one.

Buy Thinkpad T420S 14" 320GB 4GB Now

Have been using this for about a month.

Purchased customized one (i7 2620 processor and dedicated nvidia graphic card) thru lenovo. This thing is fast!!

Added OCZ vertex 3 SSD using ultra bay and it rocks! The ultrabay supports sata 3, FYI.

Used ebay ultrabay adaptor with this SSD without a problem. The installation(hardware) was done within 5 mins and clean OS installation(win7) onto SSD took like 5 mins.

Much cheaper than ordering SSD version from lenovo (I heard that the SSD from factory is intel's which uses sata 2 connection).

You spend less money and get newer & better SSD.

Had to give up DVD-rom but who cares!(I rarely use it). The overall weight slightly increased but still not a big deal.

Applications like autocad, 3ds max, adobe suites load up instantly!

Also, you don't need to order higher RAM from lenovo.

Get aftermarket RAM and add it. It also saves your budget a lot.

1600*900 display's awesome. Not being 16:10 screen? Not a problem for me.

USB 3.0 blows with compatible flash drives and external harddrives.

Light weight, 2nd generation processor, sandybridge chipset, high resolution screen, various expansion slots(mSATA, ultrabay), USB 3.0...what else do we expect for a laptop this year?

1 star deducted due to relatively POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Overall, despite this thing is quite expensive, I'm very satisfied with the performance. You get what you pay for! -]

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Custom configured T420s on lenovo website. Wish I would have just bought it from Amazon and did a few upgrades myself.

My machine:

2.5 Ghz Core i5

8 GB Ram

320 GB HD

Exterior:

This machine is very nice looking, with a good design and solid feel. It's incredibly light (3.9 lbs), such that I have to double check that I actually put it in my bag. The build quality is excellent. 5*

Screen:

Love the 1600x900 display resolution and the matte screen. Screen is beautiful and brilliant, as good as my MacBook Pro. 5*

Software:

Standard Win7 + all the Lenovo bloatware. After 7 months still haven't figured it all out. Thinkpad technologies seems like a waste especially when many of the functions are supported internally by Windows. 3*

Battery Life:

Here's the shocker. It's 2011 and I have the same battery life as I did with my first Dell lappy in 2003. Unacceptable. I'm doing good to get 2 hrs from a full charge, and normally it's like 1.5. I had to play with the setting to get it up this far. ThinkPad software has lots of customizations but the computer was practically unusable for any real battery life. Horrible. 1*

Hard drive:

The standard SATA 320GB 7200 RPM drive is a dog. 1*

Lenovo issues:

Computer has had video card, BIOS, and numerous update issues. I was able to fix them all with a little research on the internet but a $1300 machine shouldn't have these issues that I never had with a $499 Dell. 1*

Overall:

3*. A good notebook at the right price, which is $999. Any more and it's just not worth it. The quality and weight is good but I certainly don't get the warm and fuzzies I expected from the Lenovo brand.

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Nice performing laptop with Nvidia graphics and I5 processor. Solid state drive.

Ordered DVD bay battery (good idea).

The problem with this laptop is the noise emanating from the fan.

My hearing isn't overly great and to me it is ridiculously loud.

No notebook of this type should have such a shoddy design in that area with a fan sounding like a hair dryer 80% of the time.

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Samsung Series 5 550 Chromebook (3G)

I've been using one of the laptops that Google originally distributed in order to test Chrome OS. As the idea behind Chromebooks is new to some, I thought I'd focus on the operating system, though I've covered the hardware to a point.

I'll try to make this in-depth without it being too technical.

If you're looking for a quick idea of whether or not this is for you, jump to the bottom and read the summary.

The Concept

The premise on which Chrome OS is based is that almost everything you do when you use your computer happens in your browser, so Google have built a system that makes that experience as fast, as simple and as secure as they can. That simplicity also leads to an 8-hour battery life, which very few laptops can offer.

This simpler approach means that you don't have to deal with software updates(with one exception, see below) or worry about anti-virus software.

This also means all of your files and media is stored on other computers, on the internet. Some people aren't ready for that and if you're not, Chromebooks aren't for you.

Applications and Limitations

As you might imagine, just the web means no Windows, Mac or other typical software applications. Because of this, there's no CD or DVD drive in a Chromebook.

Though `just the web' may sound extremely-limiting, you can do a lot in your browser; multimedia editing(including video), as well as voice and video chat is all entirely possible on a Chromebook, as is the creation and editing of documents, spreadsheets and presentations. This software is available all over the web and there's a selection of useful tools to be found in the Chrome Web Store, with free and paid solutions.

That said, you can just type in a web address or search as you would normally to find a helpful website. As an example, Google, Zoho and Microsoft all offer web-based office suites, some of those are free and some paid.

Setup

Setting up a Chromebook is as simple as turning it on, putting in your Wi-Fi connection details and logging in.

If there's a new version of the operating system(as there was when I set my machine up) it will download that before you can continue. This may seem odd, as the idea is to make updates invisible to you, but Chromebooks check for updates the first time they're run in case something in that update changes something key, like the introduction process for new users.

Once the laptop has checked for updates, it reboots and you login. You're then shown how to do various things with the click-able touchpad, such as scrolling and right-clicking.

Speed

After the first time it's turned on Chromebooks are designed to be very fast. In my experience, that means booting up in around 9 seconds from off, whether that means the power button being pressed or the lid being lifted. If you close the lid for a while but leave the machine on, it should resume instantly.

Security

Whilst not being able to install traditional software can seem restrictive, it also has a huge benefit: no more anti-virus software.

Viruses are so common on Windows(and lately the Mac operating system, OS X) because the more software that's installed, the more potential vulnerabilities there are to exploit.

Because the Chromebook knows what software should be installed, it can keep a copy in an encrypted area of the hard drive. Each time you turn the machine on, it checks to see if anything unathorised has changed in the software. If it has, that encrypted copy overwrites everything and any updates will be installed when you connect to the internet.

No system is 100% secure, but this method(called verified boot) makes it much harder to compromise your machine.

Privacy and Google

Some users don't like the idea of being dependent on any large company for their computing needs. So, does a Chromebook make you reliant upon Google?

In short, no. Whilst Google does encourage you to log in to a Chromebook with your Google account, you can log in under Guest mode. Whilst using Guest mode, nothing you do is saved on the machine, you don't need to log in to a Google service and you're free to use any web-based service you choose. Google is currently working on other login methods.

However, should you choose to login using your Google account(as I do and most users ultimately will) your settings and bookmarks can be saved and synched across any other device running Chrome(which now includes Android phones running Ice Cream Sandwich version 4.0 of Android and above), just as they are in for the Chrome browser.

Files and Devices

A key thing when using a system like this is being able to use files people email you and external hardware, just like you would on a Windows PC or a Mac.

If someone emails you a picture, for instance, you can download that file and directly upload it to Picasa Web Albums, Google's photo hosting site. This is called a file handler(think of it like you would a piece of software that opens certain files in Windows) and Google has released tools for companies to do similar things with different file types. For example, Google Docs will soon be able to upload Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and Powerpoint presentations directly to your account, without needing to go to the web address of the service.

I've tried various hardware with my test laptop. All have worked well.

Inserting a usb thumb drive or plugging in an external hard drive will make a Chromebook scan it for files it can play(there's a built-in media player) and plugging in a camera will show you the pictures on it. I've also tried an external webcam, microphone, keyboard and mouse and my Android phone. All worked as I expected.

Off-line Access

Chrome OS is great when you have internet access, but what about when you don't have internet access? Many(but by no means all, yet) web sites can work off-line and then upload your game progress or document when you next connect. This functionality is coming soon(this summer, according to Google) to Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Docs. Some of the applications that currently function off-line include the NY Times, Huffington Post and Angry Birds.

Hardware and Pricing

Those who dislike Chromebooks often bring up netbooks. A netbook is a small, cheap laptop which almost always has low-quality, slow hardware. This results in a poor experience, as they typically run Windows and because of their cheap hardware, can't provide the resources Windows needs to run at its best. On top of that, Windows can't offer the security that a Chromebook does, can't boot as quickly and very rarely will you find any laptop that run for 8 hours on a single charge.

Right now, Google has only 2 partners who are making Chromebooks. That lack of competition keeps prices higher than they likely will ultimately reach.

My experience with the test machine Google distributed(called the Cr-48) from a hardware perspective has been very positive; my Windows machine boots in 1 minute 22 seconds and my Cr-48 is at the login screen in just under 10 seconds. Depending upon the task, I've experienced between 8 and 10 hours of use per charge.

It's similar to the machines you can buy in that it has the same quantity of memory and storage and a similar sized(though not as hi-quality, I'd imagine) screen. The major difference is that the Cr-48 has a single-core processor, whereas the official Chromebooks use a dual-core chip, making them better able to handle more intensive tasks, such as video playback.

Summary

To put it simply, Chromebooks are fantastic if you use only the web or spend almost all of your time on the web; sub-10 second boot, great security and great battery life.

If you don't or don't have internet access most of the time, these aren't for you just yet.

Update

As of May 2012, Chromebooks will soon have a very different interface, making them look more like a typical operating system. They will also soon have Google Drive support built-in, as part of the options for managing files.

It should also be noted that Google's Cloud Print service(not so new) can be used to wirelessly print from a Chromebook(or any Chrome install on Windows, Mac or Linux and, eventually, Android, I imagine) to a printer.

Update 2

As of today, the 29th of May 2012, a new, more powerful Samsung Chromebook with 4GB of RAM has been announced, along with the Chromebox, a desktop version of the latest Chromebook, with some additional ports. Both of these devices should soon be for sale, if they're not already.

Also announced today was version 19 of Chrome OS which has the radical(closer to Windows or Mac) UI design, which should make it more familiar for users of those two operating systems. Along with this, it's been announced that there will(in the coming weeks) be an off-line Google Docs editor, allowing the important functionality of a word processor to not rely on an internet connection. This certainly applies to Chromebook and Chromebox devices, but should work on any modern browser that supports the required technologies, too. This is a big deal and makes Docs(and Chrome OS) much more useful for those who are on the move a lot and worry about not always having a connection.

Finally, Google Drive integration(including off-line support) is said to be released in 6 weeks, with version 20 of the operating system.

With that we'll be close to a point where losing your connection for a while won't be a huge issue. Especially with there being plenty of web apps and Chrome apps out there with off-line support already.

I had an older Chromebook and the new Samsung 550 is much much better. It is fast, simple and surprisingly powerful. As long as you're comfortable with the Google Apps products (great word processor and spreadsheet, adequate presentation editor and capable of reading all Microsoft Office attachments) this is a perfect laptop for casual use. The concept of everything in the cloud works great, and makes it easy to upload, view and share pictures from your camera, do your email and social networking, and do your day-to-day document editing all from one place, then pick it up and continue on a different computer if needed. Google video chat or hangouts are better than Skype, and accommodates video conferencing with multiple parties, so ideal for families. This will save me a ton of time acting as tech support for my parents and sister, because there is so little to know to get this laptop working.

I find it interesting to read reviews about how you can get a more powerful Windows laptop for the same price. To those reviewers: you're missing the point. This laptop has none of the crud that is windows (with its slow boot, patches, updates and virus checkers) and simply works. Of course, if you are into gaming, or want to do video editing you need something bigger but that is not the target audience for the Chromebook. For casual use (and that encompasses the majority of what most people do on a laptop) the Chromebook is perfect.

Buy Samsung Series 5 550 Chromebook (3G) Now

I bought this after finding that I used my original Samsung Series 5 Chromebook more than I used any of my devices. With the increase in specs compared to last year's machine, I was certain this would be an excellent device and my new favorite machine.

Shell Easily the most improved aspect. It's not metal, but easily some of the best looking and feeling plastic you'll find. The bottom has a textured brushed feel. There is a slight wedge feel to it vs. the uniform thickness of the original series 5. There are nice bumpers on the bottom and small ones near the keyboard which keeps the screen from touching the keys.

Screen Same screen as the prior model. Nice and bright when turned up. Matte. Wide viewing angle. The top to bottom viewing angle can be bit limited.

Keyboard The chiclet layout is same as prior. They have a bit more bounce than last time, and instead of the brushed plastic from the Series 5, these have a smoother surface. I like it, and it's a pleasure to type on. Very bouncy and responsive. And as others have said there is the search button where the caps lock key is but you can change it back to caps lock function.

Trackpad Also MUCH better than before. New gestures include the three finger swipe for moving forwards and backwards when browsing. More responsive and accurate. It's a bit smoother than before and feels of much higher quality.

Speakers Also greatly improved. On the series 5 the speakers were often barely audible even at full volume. These speakers can fill the living room with the volume turned up. Watching shows doesn't require headphones to hear anymore. Very happy with this upgrade.

OS With the faster processor Chrome OS moves quickly and is much smoother than before. The new layout (which is on the older chromebook as well) is nice but I kinda liked the full screen "only browser" layout from before. This moves more towards a traditional OS look, where you can dock the apps at the bottom (such as Calendar, Youtube, etc). I'm not sure this adds much because formerly the New Tab page contained all your apps so they were all instantly available instead of the smaller selection you put at the bottom. They have also added the Google Drive to your File Manager area, which is nice. I highly suggest that if you want to get the full use of your Chromebook you need to make use of Google Docs and Drive. They are working to make creating docs offline possible. As a side note, the menus when you right click are also bigger now, which wasn't really necessary.

3G Can't judge how well this works because it isn't working at all right now. I can't even activate it. I called several people at Verizon and none of them even knew what a Chromebook was. I sent a message to the Chromebook ninjas and they informed me this is a "known issue" that they are working with Samsung and Verizon to resolve. I'm very nervous that this is a hardware issue as you can see that the 3G 550 isn't available for purchase anymore, which makes me think they've pulled them. Hoping it's something they can fix with Verizon's network or with a Chrome OS update, but they really should have been able to do that by now.

Another random issue is that it has trouble accessing Facebook. I've let the ninjas know about this as well. No issues on my Chrome browser on my Mac. No other websites seem to be affected.

So basically the two major issues are the 3G access and the Facebook loading. Otherwise this is a great update and a wonderful device to use as a secondary machine. THIS IS NOT TO BE USED AS A PRIMARY MACHINE. You can't install printers or other software. But for the same price as a tablet you get a nice large screen and a keyboard with greater functionality. Before anyone says a tablet can do more, try turning off the network and then see how much it can do. You can play some games and that's about it.

I'll update with any information as it rolls back on the 3G issue.

Update: I meant to post this sooner. The facebook issue is entirely resolved. As is the 3G. Personally if you have an android phone there are numerous free tethering apps out there at this point so you can usually get away with having the wifi only version and saving $100. That's just one opinion so obviously it's up to you.

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Let me begin by saying that I love my chromebook. I have a 3-month old Macbook Pro that I paid over $3K for, but I consistently pick up my chromebook instead because it is just faster at booting and shutting down, and it has AMAZING all day battery life. If you mostly use your computer for surfing the web, and if you trust Google with your information, then there is nothing better for you than a chromebook.

But there is one caveat. Specifically, the chromebook does not work well with video sites like hulu and netflix. The problem is best illustrated by hulu. For example, when you watch a video on hulu there are intermittent video advertisements. The problem with the chromebook is that it cannot recover the video feed for the video after the commercial ends. The audio is there, but the video is not. This occurs every single time an advertisement is played. The only way to fix it is to refresh the browser. This is more than a little annoying, and renders the hulu website useless.

Google needs to fix this problem now. Melissa Daniels, the honcho at Google for all things chromebook, I'm dedicating this review to you. Please fix this problem. Other than this one issue, the chromebook is an outstanding product that I highly recommend.

**Update 6/20/2012**

I have noticed that the chromebook is frequently unable to load webpages I request. For example, I will type in the URL for cnn and the browser will just churn and will never open the requested webpage. After a few *minutes* of waiting I get an error message saying the browser cannot resolve the DNS for the requested webpage. The chromebook does this even when it is connected directly by ethernet to the router. Also, this is a frequent problem that happens every single day.

Hopefully Google can fix this and the other problem associated with the chromebook being useless with popular video streaming sites like hulu. If these issues are not resolved by the time my 30 day return window approaches, I will be returning this item to amazon for a refund.

**Update 6/28/2012**

My Amazon return window closes tomorrow, so, it is decision time. Video websites like hulu still do not work well. Lots of other people are complaining about this problem, but Google does not appear to have done anything to correct it.

The network connection issue also remains a problem. I have sat my Macbook beside my chromebook and the chromebook has dropped the network connection repeatedly when the Macbook did not. I think this is a hardware problem inherent to the chromebook, but I am not sure.

A new problem has also emerged. Specifically, one of the chromebook's speakers has started buzzing. I have not abused this computer whatsoever. In fact, because websites like hulu are useless on a chromebook, I haven't used the speakers that much. When I do use the speakers I do so responsibly. There is no reason that the speaker should be busted when I have only had the computer for 29 days.

Because of the reasons described above, this computer is going back to Amazon as defective. I have ordered a replacement and will continue to post updates on how the replacement computer performs.

So far the chromebook has been a disappointment.

**Update 3/02/2013**

The chromebook is still unable to work well with Hulu and other video streaming sites. I have found an additional problem: the chromebook is unable to stream audio from Sirius. Why is it that Google has been unable to fix these problems after so much time is passed?

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After immersing myself in my Chromebook the last few days, I feel like I know enough about how it works to be able to write an objective review.

The thing that struck me first is how fast this computer is. You are up and running in 10 seconds from the computer being completely turned off. Browsing is fast. Navigating around the computer is fast. It is evident that speed was a big priority in the making of this device.

The computer itself is quite aesthetically pleasing; I have gotten asked about it already in the few short days I have had it. It feels solidly built, and is very comfortable to hold and use. I love the keyboard, it feels good to type on. The track pad is great as well. It is large, and has a clickable button built in that is neat to use. From what I can see, the computer doesn't seem too fragile, and there isn't anything hanging off that can get snagged.

As for the Operating System: Chrome OS is great, if you know what it is all about. This computer is not for the person who is set in their ways of having certain programs they use every day, such as iTunes, Photoshop, MS Office. You can not install these programs on the Chromebook. That being said, there are many applications that can take place of these programs. Google Docs is a stripped down MS Office that has the same basic functionality. There are several music apps that would be happy to let you store your music library on them. Google is constantly updating the software and bringing more functionality to Chrome OS as well.

No frills, no viruses to get, minimal set-up, instant start up and shut down, and great hardware is a great experience. I highly recommend it.

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Toshiba Satellite 15.6" Core i7 640GB HDD Notebook

Best you can get for the price. Great product regardless of the price. Bought it on a Saturday and receive it on a Tuesday. This was specially important since I bought it as a gift for Christmas. My only complain is that I bought it and the next day it was on sale for $50 cheaper!!! I'm still rating it with 5 stars. Recommend to anyone.

The computer is nice, but they temperature are high. Windows 8 is not very funny but visualy is nice too,.

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Dell Studio 15 Laptop

This is the Dell Studio 15 inch laptop (Green Colored Case). I think this a great lap top and it gets the job done. I kept reading all the negative reviews and i have no idea why there's so much bad press. I have never once called customer service and i ordered my laptop at Dell directly through their website. I have no reason to contact customer service and i never experienced any problems at all with any of my Dell products. I get so baffled when i read all these negative reviews. My Dell products which i have had for years including a Dell desktop and a recently purchased new netbooks have never been a problem. The desk top i have is more than 6 years old and I never have any problems. It runs great. It can definitely benefit from an upgrade in some areas.

The Studio line is Dell's midrange laptops. The Inspiron being there low end range for consumers that just need a standard laptop. The Dell Studio laptop is completely plastic and it's a bit on the heavy side in my opinion. Maybe because i am so use to my light weight Dell 10 min netbook that i have been spoiled. This is a good lap top. However, i think the flaw in Dell is that their products can get very pricey very quickly. Especially when you are adding in high end features like 6GB RAM rather than 3GB RAM or 2.99GHZ instead of 2.33GHZ etc. You can get the same thing at HP for probably around a hundred dollars less and their quality feels a bit more refined, polished, and sturdy. That being said if you check Dell's website they do have deals going on all the time especially on holidays. But for some reason the price never seems as low as it should be. If you check periodically you will find yourself a deal. I go to that website religiously and build the exact same laptop that I have and it always comes up to more money. I got mine on a special promo.

I really regret getting the green covered case. I didn't realize how bright it would be and once i opened it out of the box I really wish i purchased the Dark Blue or Dark Purple colored case. It's really way too bright. I like the personalization options of the different colors, but i really do regret getting this bright Caribbean green color. My laptop also includes the backlit keyboard which is great for typing in the dark. It also has touch sensitive controls towards the top of the keyboard near the speakers and i think that's a great plus. The DVD is also an optical drive, so there is no door that slides out for you to pop in your DVD. It's like a Playstation 3 slot. You slide the DVDs in & out.

Pros:

15 inch screen

Optical DVD slot

4GB RAM

750 GB Memory

2.66GHZ

Backlit keyboard

4 UBS slots

HDMI outport

Sleak shiek design

Different colored cases

Wi-Fi

Webcam

Cons:

Windows Vista (Super Whack)

A bit pricey in my opinion (That's Dell for you)

A bit on the heavy side

If you're thinking about buying a Dell laptop (or any laptop), this isn't the laptop you're looking for. The Dell Studio 1558 might run perfectly the first few months you own it, but it becomes a miserable experience after that.

Here are just a few of the things my Studio 1558 (running Windows 7) has done in the past year or so that I've had it (and still does), just to prove my point:

The hard drive that came with the Studio crashed and had to be replaced.

The Studio constantly crashes from heat. (For a while, I had to restore my system every time this happened.)

The fan is running nonstop.

A technologically gifted friend of mine put a disk in and had to pry my computer open because the disk wouldn't eject AT ALL.

Dell Support was supposed to

I've bought laptops from Dell before. In fact, my previous laptop was a Dell Studio 1721, and I loved it. But because of my experience with the Studio, I'm beginning to doubt that.

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Dell has a serious flaw in the design of this and their newer laptops/notebooks. They are making computers thinner and lighter which ends up restricting the airflow. This causes internal parts to overheat. The typical result in my computer is that the graphics card will overheat and cause the system to lock up.

I have this Dell Studio 15" with factory upgraded ram and other goodies totaling about $1000 investment. Since the new box arrived at my door a year ago, it has continually crashed and locked-up. Dell support has tried everything under the sun, short of giving me a new computer. This includes sending techs to my house and replacing internal parts like the graphics card, motherboard, etc. Alas, nothing changes. The fan always runs at full throttle within moments of start-up. If I try to watch a video or even if a web-page has anything using flash, immediately graphics card failure occurs resulting an over-sized cursor and a total system lock-up. My only option is to do a hard system shutdown. Disabling flash or other scripts only delays the inevitable.

I have owned several Dells in the past and WAS a huge fan of Dell; however, this experience has left me very frustrated and disappointed. One tech advised me to purchase a Toshiba as they are not having this issue because their laptops are still a little bulkier providing better airflow.

Read Best Reviews of Dell Studio 15 Laptop Here

We bought two Dell laptops this year: a Studio and a Latitude, both with Windows 7. The poor NVDIA displays constantly go black and have to "recover." The skittish keyboards send key taps flying all over the text that you are entering. Function keys are muddled up with hardware commands, so keyboard commands in Microsoft applications are unaccessible. The psychotic mousepad runs up and down documents with no control. Worst of all these Chinese laptops constantly lock up and require rebooting. Dell support said, "Oh, you've installed some bad software!" We hadn't installed anything. Stay clear! We're stuck with junk!

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Bought one for me and one for my daughter over two years ago. She uses here Studio-15 in college. Our lap tops came with Vista and that was a headache unto itself. Cannot blamed Dell for that, Microsoft wins the prize on the failures of Vista. Changed to Windows7 and did not encounter any problems since. The lap top is good, works fine, and has not had any problems.

My issue is with Dell tech support. I have to contend with foreign accents, some are clear but many are not and occasionally I get some accents that are so terrible, I have to hang up and redial. When I describe my problem, I can hear them flipping through the solution sheets to read down a script. If you ask a question off script, they are really lost in a fog. When the good old American technician was at the helm, they would whip you through the solution so fast and it was spot on. The guys and gals knew their stuff. The adage is true; you get what you pay for. Dell pay for cheap overseas tech support and their tech support is worst than 3rd graders.

Back to the topic, the studio 15 is a fine piece of equipment which was complimented by my daughter's college tech support at UNC Charlotte. Just remember, when you buy a computer you are also buying the tech support and Dell's tech support has become awful. It has cause me to reconsider buying another Dell lap top because when I call for assistance, it is what I expect. Not to battle through language barriers, knowledge deficiency, default ignorance, and customers to blame rather than the technician providing me with a solution(s).

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Lenovo - IdeaPad 15.6" Laptop - 6GB Memory - 750GB Hard Drive - Graphite Gray-Model: P500 - 59345704

I purchased the Lenovo Ideapad P500 for my birthday from Best Buy a while back, and I love it.

I'll list the pros and cons of this system for easy reading

Pros

*2.5 Ghz processor, very fast, can run several processes at once

*HD monitor WITH HDMI out

*beautiful aluminum casing

*comes with Windows 8

*excellent build quality

*runs cool for hours

*simulated surround sound speakers

*750 GB of storage space

*HD webcam and mic

Cons

*the trackpad is left-oriented

*the trackpad has no spacer to differentiate the left or right button, and in fact, may click the buttons if pressed too hard

*the casing can dig into your hand or wrist when using

*the Intel Centrino 2230 Wireless Card DOES NOT WORK

The Centrino Wireless cards have a reputation for being poorly made (just do a Google search), and no matter how many times you try to install the drivers, you will not be able to get a reliable wireless connection on it for more than an hour or two. The best idea is to buy a $20 USB Wifi receiver to go with it if you do intend on buying this laptop.

Otherwise, it's well worth the money you pay for it.

I've used this laptop every day since receiving it and haven't had any issues. It's super-fast, and I ESPECIALLY love the fact that it doesn't get HOT underneath, since the vent is on the side. The seller got it to me very quick with no issues. Highly recommended.

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my faithful desktop took a dive, and this was the perfect replacement. It's fast, sturdy (no cheap plastic bits) and very sleek. Just as good as a mac.

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This computer is a great choice. It includes a super sound system with excellent quallity. I do a lot of online gaming and it will run at very high speeds. Overall its a beautiful display and great quality computer.

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Bought it about a week ago after bringing back HP touch envy with less on specs and smaller..Check out my YouTube video on my LENOVO IDEAPAD P500 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxc8GhElmU0

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ASUS A52F-XT22 15.6" Laptop Computer Intel Core i5-480M 2.66GHz, 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD, Blu-ray, Wind

I just purchased this laptop, and let me be the first to tell you that it is worth your money. It is blazing fast, and has many features not found at this price point. You are essentially getting a great laptop for your money. Try to find a laptop with blu ray at this price, that is also an i5. Most likely, you won't. I've had this laptop for a few weeks now. Great product. Would definately recommend.

What more can I say? Intel Core i5-480M 2.66GHz processor with 4 GB of DDR3 memory + Blue-ray DVD player for only $600 (at the time of my purchase) is a great bargain. I have not found any other laptops in this price range with these specs.

Few highlights:

Excellent price

Solid performance for running day to day applications and web surfing

Very few bloatware

Good looking screen

Fairly good speakers for a laptop

Stylish looking laptop and not too bulky for the screen size

Minor note:

I sometimes find it difficult using the touchpad mouse in this laptop compared to other ones. I haven't figured out the exact cause but mouse pointer sometimes gets stuck while dragging it along and I have hard time getting it back to move.

Buy ASUS A52F-XT22 15.6" Laptop Computer Intel Core i5-480M 2.66GHz, 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD, Blu-ray, Wind Now

I absolutely love this laptop so far. I've only had it a couple of weeks now but I use it every day and have no complaints whatsoever! Have yet to use the bluray player but I'm not concerned as everything thing else about it works great. It's super fast and display is very crisp and clear. My old laptop, which was only 2+ yrs, was extremely frustrating and going downhill very fast so it was time for an upgrade and I'm very pleased with my choice.

Read Best Reviews of ASUS A52F-XT22 15.6" Laptop Computer Intel Core i5-480M 2.66GHz, 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD, Blu-ray, Wind Here

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Acer Aspire V5-571PG-9814 15.6-Inch Touchscreen Laptop (Silky Silver)

I've had my V5 for a few day now, and I have to say that I am more than satisfied with my purchase. The only reason I almost gave it 4 instead of 5 stars is do to the confusion on the product page. The features list 1TB, but the product specs show 750GB. This confused me because this particular model only came out with 1TB. To help with the confusion anyone else may have, my pc arrived with 884GB of usable hard drive space and 917GB Total space. The rest is taken up by things necessary for the PC to function. My PC arrived on time through FedEx, with the sealed Acer box inside a shipping box. Upon initial start up it requested to register and gave a short 'how to' demo for general Windows 8 functions, which is very nice for those of us unfamiliar with it. Since the initial start up it has only taken my pc a few seconds to go from completely off to fully operational. The touch screen is very responsive, and I love having the option to use it and/or the keyboard/mouse pad. The onscreen writing/typing function is pretty nifty too, and the screen flattens out to almost 180 degrees so your not straining you're wrist while you're trying to write. The backlit keyboard is awesome as well, and seems to be set to shut off after a term of nonuse, so it will not interfere with movie watching or drain the battery. The battery life is another perk for me, and it really does seem to last the 5 hours it claims to with constant use. There is another review here listing issues with the Atheros driver, and yes, before I updated the driver my wireless dropped several times within a few hours. HOWEVER, it was a VERY quick and easy fix. You can get the updated driver straight from the Acer website as stated in another review. The picture quality is awesome for movies and/or gaming in my opinion. At least it is 200% better than my old Laptop (which was only 2years old.) The price tag on this PC is not outrageous either. All in all I would have to say that this computer is more than worth the price. I have been on it nonstop since I received it, and it has kept up with me every step of the way, without over heating or lagging. Truly a great Acer product.....*note* how fast the driver downloads will depend on your Internet provider and/or your connection speed slower connection equals longer download time. If you have problems with the wireless dropping during the download, connect it directly to the modem with something (like an Ethernet cable.) My connection speed is 28mbs+ dl so for me the download was pretty quick. Finding the driver download is pretty easy too. In the search bar on the left pull out type in atheros, and all of the files relating to it will come up (you must go down to files under the search bar) select the file that says atheros setup (or atheros install I honestly don't remember which.) It will bring up the setup wizard, and you should be good to go from there.

I wanted everyone having WiFi issues to know that's it's an easy fix. Go to the acer website and download the newest Atheros wireless lan driver. Once you do that go to System Device manger in your control panel.Goto network adapters and look for the atheros driver goto to uninstall and reboot your computer. Then install the new driver 217v3 once you do that it should run smoothly. I haven't had any problems since I've installed the new driver. Watching movies on this computer is only average. If you look from the right or left the movie becomes unwatchable, you need to look directly in the center. They could have made the screen more vibrant!!!!

Buy Acer Aspire V5-571PG-9814 15.6-Inch Touchscreen Laptop (Silky Silver) Now

Just like other buyers, I was weary.. what if

It has been almost 2 weeks, and I love my new laptop.

Touchscreen make Windows 8 much more user friendly then when used with a mouse.

I do have to say, that moving icons around the START menu was much easier with USB mouse.

I blew away all stuff I will never use, and personalized it under an hour.

Swipe from right, you get the 5 charms of generic options... search, share, start, devices and settings

I love my Picture password option to log into my PC. it is neat.

swipe from bottom, I see all apps, I am having fun exploring... I do not see this as a disaster, I like it.

I have loaded Adobe Element 11, Panasonic HD writer AE, Arcsoft Media Impressions HD3, ULEAD 6.0

( runs fine, just edited project and burned DVD), microsoft Office 2000, no glitches, no blue screens.. everything

so far is running smooth.

I will try to create HD movie sometime next week, and will provide update.

When my personal backup data drive gets scanned, it creates another app icon, when I go to it,

I see another start menu type icons with all pictures, video and music... It is awesome to glance at it

from time to time and see pictures from years back...

I have nothing bad to say... and this thing called "backlit keyboard" it is pretty, but I have not found any use for it.

Battery will be definite problem with time, but what did you really expect as default battery?? 9V brick?

Then you would complain how ugly and bulky the battery is... I will order upgrade when the battery dies.

Update on 5/9/2013

Only problem so far is the DVD-RW application used with Windows Explorer.

I had to delete and re-install the DVD-RW driver, but still get intermittent

"DVD drive is not recognized" when dragging files to the DVD-RW drive.

I used different application, ULEAD DVD recorder, and everything works well.

HD processing worked fine with applications that I have been given.

Very happy with the purchase.

Read Best Reviews of Acer Aspire V5-571PG-9814 15.6-Inch Touchscreen Laptop (Silky Silver) Here

I am pre computer generation, but skilled enough to know what I wanted in a lap top. I use an I pad and I phone regularly so my habit is to touch the screen.....this computer allows me to switch from touch to manual at any given time...so it is perfect for someone who has old school habits intermixed with new school technology. The computer is everything as advertised and more....for a non-geek, I am thrilled at the vibrancy of the screen and the user friendly technology. The size is perfect ...not too big, but ample for "tired" eyes. Settings allowed for a deep purple background and automatically made complimentary text colors that work great. The backlit display is handier than expected. And the keyboard has a comfortable feel....by being larger, there is plenty of room to rest the palm of the hands while typing. The tutorials and support provided are thorough and simple to understand. And Windows 8? For those of us old enough to have had to transition repeatedly to new programs as the computer technology evolved so fast, this is a snap....I have connected it wirelessly to all of my devices including printer...and it works perfectly. Love it more than any computer so far....and, it is much less expensive then in store pricing.

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Received laptop 2-day prime in good condition. Install instructions were straight forward. Followed a few prompts and I was up and running in what seemed to be 5-10 minutes if that much. I did not have any hardware issues, outdated drivers, or wireless issues that some folks are indicating that they've had. My install was clean and quick. I rated 4/5 (would really like to give the machine 4.5 stars) because of some minor design questions that I had. In addition to that, my screen came with a damaged pixel on the screen (1 pixel is missing color). It is noticeable on a black screen, but I don't notice it when I'm working on normal browser or app windows. 1 pixel isn't enough to make me box it back up and demand a new machine.

My thoughts so far.

Laptop: sleek and sexy looking. brushed aluminum looks very nice. Screen is very clear, sharp, and easy on the eyes. I've not even bothered to set up my second screen as of yet! Love the back-lit keyboard. The keyboard itself has a nice touch to it, good response and appropriately sized for my hands. The touch pad is one solid pad (no right and left buttons) and some have mentioned that they don't like this. I don't mind as I usually "two hand" a touch pad anyway. I use a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, so I don't bother with the touch pad much and when I do, I can manage.

Things that I noticed:

-DC battery included does not have a "straight end connector" but rather has a right angled adapter end that plugs into the laptop. This is a bit awkward for my desktop layout because the cable needs to be adjusted forward or backward to lay the cable flat. Maybe this design keeps it from being pulled straight out of the power socket as a straight cable would do?? IDK. Just my own annoyance.

-Speakers are on the bottom of the laptop. Seems to me a better design would be on the top, across the length of the laptop above the function keys. Pandora was a bit muffled when I had the laptop laying directly on my lap instead of the lap desk. Sound improved with a lap desk holding the laptop, but still... I'll probably hook a Bluetooth speaker to it if I want better sound.

Mini card reader (SD) is on the front left corner of the machine (which seemed weird to me) and I can see where it might get in the way or bumped if you leave it in.

Video/RJ45 dongle nice that the manufacturer includes this dongle to plug into the proprietary port for Ethernet or video support. Bummer that I need to find a convenient place to store it for quick use when I need it. I usually have my second monitor attached to my laptop when at my desk this will just be another cable "mess" on the left side where all the ports are located.

-LOVE the touch screen. It seems to be point on. It has worked flawlessly for me using both included and custom apps and surfing the web. It really enhances my computer experience. One of the major reasons that I bought this model and I'm really glad I did. LOVE it!

Highlights:

quiet

cool running (did not overheat the entire time it laid flat on my lap without a lapdesk)

screen is sharp touch screen is AWESOME

keyboard is comfortable (back lit keyboard is very nice)

battery charged to 100% in about an hour (I wasn't paying close attention as I wasn't in the room while it was charging)

battery lasted roughly 4 hours for me (again, I didn't pay attention to when I exactly unplugged). I was listening to Pandora and installing multiple programs, so this probably taxed the power consumption.

before it without warning shut down. To be fair, the screen did darken about an hour before shutdown and give me a warning, but when it actually shut down, it didn't even say "I told you so!".

Light weight. 5.5 lbs. Much lighter than my Dell Inspiron. Will be much easier carrying around.

Fast. 3rd generation i7 CPU and 8G RAM is a nice upgrade for me. I'm confident that it will last me a while.

All ports are on the left side as other reviewers have mentioned. Not a problem for me.

Windows 8

I actually like it. I'm a Linux gal at home and Windows gal at work. Experiencing new OS's is not an issue for me because if I don't like what they give me, I create it how I want it.

Installed RocketDock.com dock (apple dock) and loaded my most used programs on it.

installed classicshell from sourceforge (http://sourceforge.net/projects/classicshell/) to give me a start menu that Windows 8 has removed in this OS.

OVERALL: I highly recommend this laptop. It's an affordable option for someone looking for a fast machine with touch screen

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Lenovo ThinkPad 32605VU 15.6-Inch Laptop

The laptop I bought works very well. The speed is great and it is in great shape. It charges quickly and the charge holds pretty well.

This is the second thinkpad I've had.The hard drive on the last one failed

without warning, taking quite a bit of information with it.

I think Lenovo could figure out how to warn you earlier so you could backup

externally. That's why I can't give this a 5, because I'm afraid the same thing

will happen eventually.

Other than that I liked the other one, and this one so far works ok, tho I haven't

used it much yet.

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It doesn't run very hot and doesn't have any problems handling my normal workload. The graphics card handles applications such as Unity 3d like a champ (and, really, better than it's supposed to). The screen "feels" small for its size, but that's a minor complaint. I like to wait a few months before reviewing computers, but I have a feeling that this one will pan out just fine.

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Samsung Series 9 900X3C - 13.3" - Core i7 3517U (Model: NP900X3C-A04US)

I had been looking for a fast but highly portable business PC for sometime. And although I have been a PC guy all my life, I had been seriously considering switching to Macbook Air, because of it's form factor. I even bought the HP slate 500, which is a great tablet PC, but is highly underpowered and at least at this time cannot replace a laptop. Finally, I looked at the Intel Ultrabooks and liked the ASUS Zenbook a lot. So off I went to Bestbuy to buy one. But when I actually handled these machines at Bestbuy, I noted that though the ASUS Zenbooks are really pretty and sexy, the sharp edges of their metallic body is a concern can almost cut through skin! While at Bestbuy, I also saw the 15" Samsung series 9, and was really impressed. I therefore did some research online and found that Samsung series 9 also came in much lighter 13.3" (2.55 pound) models. It's quite surprising that only limited information is available on the latest versions (i7-3517U) of this model the 13.3" model is not even featured on the Intel Ultrabook website! So, when I looked at the specs it was a simple decision. I bought the best available model NP900X3C-A04US (3rd gen Intel Core i7-3517U 1.90 GHz, 256GB solid state HDD) and got it a few days later. It's beautiful, solid, extremely well designed and light. I love the speed, quick boot up time and the back lit keyboard. The sound is also surprisingly good. I have not tested it's battery life yet, but it has given me a several hours worth of light office use without any issues. I would definitely recommend this machine to others.

I am a software developer and needed a second notebook as a backup and to use at client's sites. An ultrabook seemed to be the answer. I researched all reviews for several months, finally zeroing in on an ASUS ux31a Zenbook. I was concerned about mixed reviews concerning the reliability of the product. I started looking at others and heard a recommendation for the Samsung Series 9 ultrabook. After much research I ordered the i7 with 256 SSD drive. It was best decision I could have made. First, I was impressed that the product is packaged like an Apple product. I opended it up and did what most techies do, started removing bloatware and adding my development files. I now have it for several days and have made the following observations:

1It boots very fast and the drive seems to be very quick.

2The setup was easy and the documentation is clear to use.

3The unit is not only very light, it looks and feels very sturdy for such a small form.

4The screen is amazing...the colors are clear and I have not seen any pixel problems.

5The touchpad is OK once you get used to it.

6The keyboard works for me even though it is small. I am a two finger typist and I had no problem coding with it.

7The battery life seems to be excellent. It seems to be between 6-7 hours. I have not used it for videos but I would assume it would drain the battery faster.

Overall I am extremely impressed with the Samsung Series 9 i7 Ultrabook. Amazon delievered the product in 2 days. I definitely recommend this fine product.

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Following up on William's comments: I too have had this model for about 6 weeks now, and really like it! It is very very fast boot-up especially. I also like to run the Windows XP mode as one of my older development environments requires it. It's nice to be able to do this on one screen while the normal Windows 7 runs on the other (extended desktop). The built-in laptop screen is bright and crystal clear.

The only slight down side is the track-pad, whose operation leaves something to be desired. In fact I found that it was unusable until I unplugged the power supply for the laptop go figure! Working with tech support and updating the driver software did not help. Anyway, I use an external mouse anyway, but I thought I would mention this problem in an otherwise excellent laptop.

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I bought this Samsung 900X3C-A04US ultrabook back in November and found typing extremely difficult as letters and words jumped all over the page and ended up in the middle of other sentences and even other paragraphs. I downloaded and installed Samsung's firmware keypad fix to no avail, so I sent it back to them for repair. They replaced the keyboard but that did not help at all, so I sent it back a second time, explaining the problem in detail. I just received the unit back from repair today but the problem was even worse than before--typing is now essentially impossible, and I have been a touch-typist for over 60 years! I am now trying to get a complete replacement for this turkey but I have no idea whether I will succeed; I have been told that the A05US was introduced to correct the typing problem, but nobody at Samsung will yet promise to send me that model instead.

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now this is a computer. Fast, sturdy, awesome picture. The size is tiny and the weight is miniscule, but the screen is great. No regrets here. It is lighting quick. I love samsung products.

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Samsung Silver 14" NP700Z3A-S03US Laptop PC with Intel Core i5-2450M Processor and Windows 7 Home P

I must say this is a very Interesting Laptop. It's light weight, thin and compact. I got mine for a Steel of only $400 at a local shop.

I do Have Pros, Cons and Experience Index.

Pros:

Thin and Attractive Aluminum Body Shell,

Web Cam,

2nd Generation Intel i5 Processor

Back-lit Keyboard,

20 Second Boot Time,

Slot DVD Burner Drive,

Radeon HD Graphics,

Instead of Window's Pathetic HD Graphics,

5 Hour Battery Life,

750 GB Hard Drive Split into Two Disk Dries, and

Finally No Glossy Screen

____________________________________________________

Cons:

Touch Pad!! Very Sensitive, No Split Left or Right Buttons, (Built into Touch Pad). Recommendation Small Wireless Mouse.

At Times on the lap may heat up.

____________________________________________________

Windows Experience Index:

Graphics: 5.9

Processor: 6.9

Memory (8GBRAM): 7.4

Gaming Graphics: 6.3

Primary Hard Disk: 5.9

____________________________________________________

Final Thoughts:

Expensive Laptop Depending on Budget but I Recommend this Laptop. It Compares to Macbooks 14 Inch i5 Processor Laptops.

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Samsung Series 3 NP305V5A-A09US 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)

The screen of the laptop fried in less than three months., begun to display extra bright images on and off, everything was hardy visible, I've already ordered a replacement screen, That kind of things shouldn't happen to a new laptop. Everything else is good, the laptop is very fast.

I received the PC and everything worked as expected. I was given to under stand that this was used as a floor model and it had minor scratches as would be expected and this was fully disclosed in the items description. Very pleased with the machine so far.

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Great laptop, no problems for six months now and is on 24/7. The fan gets a little loud but overall a great laptop. Love it. Samsung makes great products.

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It's not touch screen with Windows 8, but for the price it's hard to argue against the hardware it has under the hood. Yes, 2013 smartphones will soon be as powerful as this laptop, but for normal use (student, business, general home use, NOT gaming) this laptop is great.

The only nitpick I have on the laptop is no hard switch to disable the touchpad, though it has function keys to do so.

Well done, Samsung.

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Apple iBook Laptop! 14" Screen G4 iBook 1.42 GHz Processor, 1GB, 60GB, SUPERDRIVE!, WiFi, Bluetooth

I am happy with this computer. I had trouble with some keys not working when I first got it. The keyboard was swapped out and everything was fine. A few days ago I started having trouble when I used the right shift key. Using that shift key caused everything I just typed to disappear. I have been using the left shift key instead and all is well. I will contact the seller for "help" but have not done so yet. The seller has been very cooperative about helping me get used to my new computer and replacing the faulty keyboard. I am just outside the one month warrantee that comes with a refurbished computer. I hope the seller will be able to solve the right shift key malady. I thought getting an Apple laptop for under $400 was reasonable price. I don't know if keyboard problems are common for laptops or if I am just unlucky.

Mac was delivered over 10 past the last day it was promised. The box was destroyed that it was sent in. When I tried to use the Mac the operating system wasn't installed properly resulting in the WiFi not working. Most of the promised applications wouldn't work because of that. After repeated attempts to resolve this with seller and being absolutely abused by them I ended up having to file an A to Z claim with Amazon. I would never, never, never consider purchasing something from ClasMac EVER again, even if they were giving it away for free! Please take this review very seriously and give them wide berth and save your self lots of frustration, abuse and time. They have another very bad review that they tried to convince me was the purchaser and not them, hmmmm.....

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I Have owned a I book g4 14.1' 60GB For quite some time now. And it preforms very well for all user applications. The shipping was fast thanks to DR Bargains. I currently own one and I'm very Happy with it. I would definitely buy this laptop again. Thank you apple!

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We bought this for my mother, for Christmas. I am not a Mac user. But, she is coming along. It would've been nice if it had a NEW outer casing. It looked slightly used. But, so far, so good.

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I am always skeptical when purchasing "refurbished" electronic equipment; especially computers. However, I am absolutely please with the quality of both purchases (that's right i came back for a 2nd). Additionally, the vendor was very prompt in replying to my emails regarding set up questions.

Without question i would/will use them for all my refurbished computers in the future and would encourage others to do the same.

Jeff from Texas

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Dell Inspiron i17R-1316sLV 17-Inch Laptop

First off, yes...this is a Windows 8 laptop. Don't let that deter you from purchasing this brilliant laptop. Windows 8 DOES take some getting used to, but what new thing in life doesn't? Besides there is a very simple way get away from the tiled "Metro" look and revert back to the old desktop, it's built INTO Windows 8. I found it tons of fun exploring the new OS and the different apps for it. True, the store is pretty bare compared to what Apple and Google offer, but what is there is pretty good for starters. Now, onto Dell's great bit of machinery and also to let you in on a little secret...this laptop and it's $800 older brother have "pretty much" the same processor regardless of the i5 and i7 names and the $200 difference. They are both DUAL CORE at heart. Period. I've done my research and ALMOST bought the i7 version thinking it was natively a quad-core chip....nope. I looked up both processor names at Intel's websites and the core specs both show they are dual-core, with the ablility to overclock themselves(a power boost). The thing is, they can work as a quad core chip due to Dual Threading(able to handle 4 instructions at once as opposed to just 2). The difference really comes in the RAM, with the i5 laptop having 6GB and the i7 having 8GB. Other than that, you can save $200. They have the same USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports, same DVD +/RW drive, same 1TB hard drive, same screen resolution of 1600x900. If anything, the colors offered are different. Now, onto the laptop. If you're looking for a machine that can handle the lightwork of everyday activities or some more higher end things like HD video editing, then this is what you want. Netflix(a Windows 8 app) and all other sort of media look fantastic on it's beautiful 17" , 16:9 screen. Gotta love the extra keyboard real estate with it's separate number pad. Keyboard feedback is fantastic and very responsive, as is the the touchpad. Start up and shutdown are also substantially quicker compared to all the Windows 7 laptops in this category(obviously disregarding the Ultrabooks). True, this isn't as mobile as your standard 13" laptop, but once you open this thing up and power it on...you won't care. I highly recommend this laptop if you want a reliable machine that can take the lower to higher end of your computing needs. Lastly, no, this is NOT a good choice if you are looking to game on this with settings on HIGH and things turned up to 11 ,as the graphics card...just isn't up to par. It can handle things decently on low to mid level, but look elsewhere if you want some serious gaming and unleashing the games' full potential. Thanks for reading and let me know if you have ANY questions on a topic that I did or didn't answer and I'll be happy to help. Thanks again!

I bought this computer last week and it is AMAZING! Wicked fast, no slow down with multiple programs running in the background. I'm even able to play a lot of games on the highest setting. Great buy!

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This Dell Inspiron 17" laptop computer has exceeded all my expectations for my requirements of a laptop computer and a work unit. Very well engineered and well built with a nice appearance. Well worth its low, economical price.

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I give it 5 stars based on ease of use, great screen resolution.

Although I would recommend using a wireless mouse since Windows 8 is really intended for touch screen. Once I installed the mouse it was fabulous experience.

There was not a lot of unwanted software and apps installed. Just the usual you'd expect from the manufacturer plus a few others.

Like the trial version of MCAfee was installed. I'm a Norton Guy and do like to have the choice of virus protection. But with MCAfee installed at first it did assist in getting set up online for registration and updates a lot less worrisome. Once all the updates were done I easily uninstalled MCAfee and installed my Norton.

So far so good.... there you have it ... 5 stars with the mouse I had to purchase. Without the mouse ... it would not be a very pleasant experience with Windows 8 unless it's a touch screen.

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I was a little nervous about Windows 8 but find that with some digging you can figure it out. for example i was confused about getting itunes on it since the website (Apple) showed it as downloaded when it wasn't. I had to do it from the "desktop" icon which looks just like windows 7.

I love the laptop itself. It's large, with a huge screen. I did have some trouble finding a case i liked. most stores only stock cases for laptops up to 16", not 17.3". But it's a great desktop replacement and I generally won't be travelling with it but I do want it to be portable because I do tend to move around a lot.

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