Seriously thoughtful Quick AS1410-2285 Laptop\Netbook Impressions.

[Catire]

I don't know if this belongs on the "Other Devices" forum since I'm not using it for reading books (Yet!).


SPECS & PRICE
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
Intel Celeron SU2300 (dual-core, 1.2GHz)
11.6” 1366 x 768 display (glossy, 230 cd/m2)
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit OS)
2GB RAM (800MHz PC2-5300)
250GB HDD (5400RPM, 2.5” SATA)
Intel GS45 Chipset / GMA 4500MHD Graphics
802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi,
Gigabit LAN 5-in-1 Card Reader, HDMI, VGA, mic in, audio out (S/PDIF), LAN, 3x USB 2.0, Kensington lock 0.3MP Webcam Dolby Sound Room, Stereo Speakers
6-Cell Li-ion Battery (4400mAh - rated at 6 hours)
1.41 kg / 3.1 lbs Weight.
Price: $399.99 USD.


Impressions

With a dual core celeron and a 11.6” screen, this pc is something between a netbook and a notebook, combining a netbook's size and a notebook's performance and keyboard.

The Good:

• Performce: The dual core cpu combined with the 2GBs of ram help make this a pretty decent pc, I can multitask and run a few programs at once without any noticeable slowdown. For example: I opened all my bookmarks in chrome(119 tabs), listened to music with itunes, played a 720p video and I could still write this review and alt-tab my way through the different programs and they responded as if they were the only one running.
  
  
• Size & Weight: At 285 x 204 x 22.1 this thing is about the size of a letter sized paper and at its thickest its like 1 1\2 a DVD case and its pretty light at under 2kg including the pc, battery and power brick.
  
  
• The Keyboard: It's large and I'm touch typing with it with minimal errors. The only key giving me trouble is the backspace since its about half the size as a regular keyboard's size and I keep hitting the = key instead of it.

The Regular:

• The 6 cell battery life only lasts about 4 hours in “Balanced Mode” and about 3:00-3:30 in “High Performace Mode”. Not as much as a netbook with a 6 cell battery but I can buy a Higher capacity battery when they become available if it bothers me.

The Bad:

• The lid is glossy black and it's fingerprint magnet, I wish it was matte but I knew what I was getting when I bought it.
  
  
• Bloatware: Mcfee, Norton Backup, and about 15 other programs had to be uninstalled before I was happy

So far I'm really happy with my purchase, I have to use it for a while longer to see if I have any more likes\dislikes.

Article with size comparison

If anyone has any specific questions I'd be happy to answer them

[HarryT]

Totally agree with you that the new 11.6" screen devices are pretty much an ideal compromise between size and portability - nearly the portability of a netbook with a decent-size keyboard for typing.

I've recently bought a Dell 11.6" machine myself, and I love it.

[Catire]

Wich model did you buy Harry? 11z?

[HarryT]

Yes, the 11z, but I "beefed it up" over the base model by going for the dual core CPU, 4GB RAM, and a 500GB hard disk. It's an excellent machine! I also have the extended 9-cell battery which gives it a battery life of over 10h, which is very nice.

[Catire]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Yes, the 11z, but I "beefed it up" over the base model by going for the dual core CPU, 4GB RAM, and a 500GB hard disk. It's an excellent machine! I also have the extended 9-cell battery which gives it a battery life of over 10h, which is very nice.

Wow nice, I'm jealous of that 500 GB HD

[HarryT]

I got it largely for use as a portable video player (I go away on quite a lot of trips from work), so I went for the largest disk available. The basic hardware, though, is the same as yours - same screen, same video chipset, same ports, etc, and you can always upgrade your RAM and disk if you find you need more!

I'd never seen Windows 7 before getting my machine (I have 64-bit Home Premium, same as you) and I must say that I've been very impressed with it. I've not found one single application that doesn't work on it, yet.

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by Catire

I don't know if this belongs on the "Other Devices" forum since I'm not using it for reading books (Yet!).


SPECS & PRICE
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
Intel Celeron SU2300 (dual-core, 1.2GHz)
11.6” 1366 x 768 display (glossy, 230 cd/m2)
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit OS)
2GB RAM (800MHz PC2-5300)
250GB HDD (5400RPM, 2.5” SATA)
Intel GS45 Chipset / GMA 4500MHD Graphics
802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi,
Gigabit LAN 5-in-1 Card Reader, HDMI, VGA, mic in, audio out (S/PDIF), LAN, 3x USB 2.0, Kensington lock 0.3MP Webcam Dolby Sound Room, Stereo Speakers
6-Cell Li-ion Battery (4400mAh - rated at 6 hours)
1.41 kg / 3.1 lbs Weight.
Price: $399.99 USD.


Impressions

With a dual core celeron and a 11.6” screen, this pc is something between a netbook and a notebook, combining a netbook's size and a notebook's performance and keyboard.

The Good:

• Performce: The dual core cpu combined with the 2GBs of ram help make this a pretty decent pc, I can multitask and run a few programs at once without any noticeable slowdown. For example: I opened all my bookmarks in chrome(119 tabs), listened to music with itunes, played a 720p video and I could still write this review and alt-tab my way through the different programs and they responded as if they were the only one running.
  
  
• Size & Weight: At 285 x 204 x 22.1 this thing is about the size of a letter sized paper and at its thickest its like 1 1\2 a DVD case and its pretty light at under 2kg including the pc, battery and power brick.
  
  
• The Keyboard: It's large and I'm touch typing with it with minimal errors. The only key giving me trouble is the backspace since its about half the size as a regular keyboard's size and I keep hitting the = key instead of it.

The Regular:

• 
  
• The 6 cell battery life only lasts about 4 hours in “Balanced Mode” and about 3:00-3:30 in “High Performace Mode”. Not as much as a netbook with a 6 cell battery but I can buy a Higher capacity battery when they become available if it bothers me.

The Bad:

• The lid is glossy black and it's fingerprint magnet, I wish it was matte but I knew what I was getting when I bought it.
  
  
• Bloatware: Mcfee, Norton Backup, and about 15 other programs had to be uninstalled before I was happy

So far I'm really happy with my purchase, I have to use it for a while longer to see if I have any more likes\dislikes.

Article with size comparison

If anyone has any specific questions I'd be happy to answer them

We have almost the same model, except mine doesn't have the dual core processor. It is the same size, same shiny black lid, same RAM and HD. Mine came with Vista Home Premium, which I promptly replaced with Windows 7. I do use mine for reading a lot, and find I like it. It's not quite as easy to curl up in bed with it, but it is doable.

[Catire]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I got it largely for use as a portable video player (I go away on quite a lot of trips from work), so I went for the largest disk available. The basic hardware, though, is the same as yours - same screen, same video chipset, same ports, etc, and you can always upgrade your RAM and disk if you find you need more!

Yeah, I don't know about the Dell but the Acer has easy access to the HD and Ram, so upgrades are no problem. I briefly considered buying a larger 7200RPM Hard Drive but It was out of my price range and I went for a case and wireless mouse instead.

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'd never seen Windows 7 before getting my machine (I have 64-bit Home Premium, same as you) and I must say that I've been very impressed with it. I've not found one single application that doesn't work on it, yet.

Ditto Microsoft did a good job with the OS. If you ever find a program that doesn't work on 7 just install VirtualBox and run XP from there.

[Ham88]

I have a Asus EEE PC 900 with a celeron processor running at 900mhz =( 1gb of ram, and a 4gb ssd. I have xubuntu on it. I can't complain about specs though seeing as I spent $150 on it. I love it despite it being slow, perfect for toting about my documents on it.