Acer Aspire One AO722-0022 Notebook AMD Dual-Core Processor C-60 Review

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List Price: $469.99
Sale Price: $449.00
Today's Bonus: 4% Off

The Acer Aspire One 722 may be small in size and price, but don't let that fool you. With it's 500GB hard drive and 4G memory it's larger than any desktops we own, and faster too.

Though I haven't had the Acer long, it is continually impressive. Out of the box, I was pleased to see it lacking in much of the bloatware that came on my HP netbook and Gateway laptop. The desktop was blissfully vacant, leaving me to populate it with my own selections of programs.

Connecting to any WiFi has been a matter of a couple of clicks, including our sometimes difficult home wifi that treats new devices with deep suspicion. The Acer was accepted onto our home network with no issues at all.

Whether loading on photos from sd, using the built-in webcam, or utilizing 3rd party readers such as Kindle for PC and Overdrive Media Console, everything works seamlessly.

I've read some reviews recently that laptops can run annoyingly hot, but that is not the case with the Acer. It's quiet and cool, even when streaming videos. If you are a person who, like me, is easily bothered by excessive electronic noise, you will especially appreciate this quiet little Acer.

A early drawback was the whiteness of the background. Even after turning the brightness all the way down, the whiteness was too intense. Fortunately, it is completely adjustable in the Control Panal where you can customize themes, colors etc. I was able to choose a background with a gentle glow much like the color on my favorite e-readers.

For many, the multi-gesture function is a good selling point and many will enjoy it. I, however, could not get accustomed to it and was happy to discover I could disable the features one by one until it functioned perfectly for me.

Certainly, this is not a high end laptop and it shows in the plastic and hinges, we well as the plug for the ac adapter. I'm gentle plugging it in because the connection feels a little frail. Same with transporting it. The shell is light plastic so I am extra careful. But for such an outstanding low price it's worth it. I only paid 250.00 for mine with a rebate, but it is a good value even at a higher price.

If you plan to listen to music or videos without headphones you'll want a good external speaker, but this is true for many laptops. I used my Jawbone Jambox speaker and it sounded great. I don't think this Acer model has bluetooth, so I used a cord into the audio.

Comes with Windows 7. Finally, Microsoft has produced an operating system I like almost as much as XP. It even has a built in security suite from Microsoft.

And lastly, there are amazing desktop background photos including landscapes and screens from around the world that automatically rotate through the day. I never know what dynamic desktop scene I will treated to next. It's an unexpected pleasure.

The Acer Aspire One is an excellent choice for the budget-minded person who also wants some speed and storage space. I'm so impressed, I would consider Acer in the future for my higher end electronics.

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This is the exact model with the 500G HD, 4G ram that was sent out to all the tech magazines and bloggers for review. Beware that other retailers might have other versions that not only have a smaller HD but also half as much ram for a minute difference in price.

Acer vs Asus

Obviously the this machine is 2 1/2 years newer than the Asus 1000he and wins the spec-war hands down. However below are a few key points that really stand out for me as a casual user (word processing & websurfing):

My main peeves with this new Acer over my old Asus are:

a) Reflective glossy screen with lots of glare.

b) No light indicator for camera on/off

c) Function key is only on one side of the keyboard so to adjust a function, both hands are needed

d) Fewer screen brightness options darkest setting on Acer is still too white in low-light conditions

e) Soft flexible keyboard key's not as springy or responsive as Asus' chiclets.

f) Shorter battery life. My old Asus started at 10hrs+ with Wifi at second to lowest brightness and still squeaks out 8hrs. This new Acer only pushes 7hrs at a comparable brightness setting.

g) Lack of built-in BT (I use for tethering)

h) There is no pre-programmed function button for resolution or display size adjustment. It all has to be done through the Control Panel

Despite all of the above, I do love my new netbook. I love the 11.6" screen (compared to the 10.1") and the better resolution. I also love how there is an HDMI-port in addition to a VGA-port. The new water-drop design and tapered edges make the Acer look smaller and thinner despite being the same as the Asus.

Overall this is a lot of computer in a small package at a reasonable price and I would not hesitate to recommend this to others.

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If you want an incredibly fast 11.5 inch netbook this is the one. I can't believe the speed. Also the display is very bright which some have complained about but I happen to like it as I work in low light conditions often. My impression is that due to the blazing speed this is a keeper. Just about everyone will be delighted with this, as am I.

I want to mention a few tiny things that kept me from giving this five stars.

I am replacing a three year old Asus eee PC netbook with this.

Cons:

1. The case isn't as sleek as the streamlined little Asus. This is more boxy and the hinges in particular are downright ugly. I wonder why any computer manufacturer wouldn't include great design of the computer as an obvious way to help sell them.

3. This is way heavier. Of course I am willing to lug around an extra 1.5 pounds for that extra 3 gigs of ram and faster processor. This is truely a speed demon.

4. This one seems unforgivable: there is no light to tell you when the cam is on!

Come on, those little LED lights cost what, 10 cents? There were a few times when the only way I knew my cam was still on was that little light! I don't know how to check to make sure it goes off on this.

6. It is RED HOT on the bottom. The fan is on but it is hot enough to iron clothes with.

I am wondering if those tiny circuits are going to quickly fry.

But after waiting around forever for that little Asus to get around to doing it's job this is wonderful. Everything happens in a flash on this. Loving it! And I suspect just about most people will too.

I got mine at the local "big box" store that starts with a W and I feel it was a fair price. I had to order it online and pick it up. There are lots of different similar models of the Acer Aspire One so make sure you get one with 4 gigs of ram for about $50 more, it's well worth it, and the processor is slightly faster too. I paid around $400 for mine. Amazon has a model about the same for the same price, but a different model number.

I can't tell it's any different from the one I got from reading the description.

Some models have Bluetooth but if I need it I can get a Dongle that plugs into the USB port here on Amazon for twelve dollars.

Seems to be a great incredibly speedy netbook so far.

And it has an HDMI port to stream movies to my TV with. Love that!

I think you will be pleased with this netbook.

edit: I've been using this for about five weeks and it appears the hard drive suddenly died. I was afraid of this since it heats up so bad. It just died and won't boot no matter what. Started making a little hiccup sound every few minutes then while watching a movie on it, then whamo, dead. I'm very upset.

Now I have to deal with the whole mess of customer service. I spent a couple of hours trying various ways to boot it without luck.

I've never had any computer die before after a month. So my new recommendation is DO NOT BUY.

I now see many other reviews here for various Acer Aspire One models where the exact same thing has happened.

edit number 2: After struggling with this for 3 whole days I finally got the

"eRecovery Partition" to function, which is the recovery partition of last resort that

Acer includes for just such an emergency in a non booting computer.

As the computer is just starting press ALT while you at the same time press F10 multiple times to bring up the eRecovery screen. From here you can basically re install windows.

I had to try this twice before it works. I have no idea what happened. I would have sworn the hard drive was fried. My data was lost but at least it is working again.

hmm.....I think I would look at a Dell or Gateway after this experience.

Honest reviews on Acer Aspire One AO722-0022 Notebook AMD Dual-Core Processor C-60

This machine packs power. Acer has given 4gb to this netbook which make up for the processor, however the processor is much better than you see on many netbooks. It is dual core which lets it out-compete intel atom single core processors. In addition the processor is very economic with its energy usage, as is the small screen, which allows this netbook to get a true 6.5 hours. The 4gb memory means that it comes with 64-bit Windows 7. Also the display is a full 1366x768 which means it has the same resolution as almost every 13.3" notebook. At the same time all of this remains in a 11.6 inch, 3.4 pound unit, which is light enough to make it feel the same as basically any other netbook. It doesn't feel cramped and the touchpad's features work well enough to make it an easily navigable system. It plays HD internet video and has both VGA and HDMI connectivity plus ethernet and 3 USB 2.0. It also has a 500 GB hard drive which is very uncommon in netbooks. This machine can easily be compared to many 13" notebooks in its speed and hardware while a netbook in size and energy consumption. At the price point there is nothing better on the market.

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Very good option to consider if like me, you want a Windows 7 machine before they disappear from the marketplace, and you want a travel size notebook (11.6" screen is perfect for me) with a full keyboard, but don't want to shell out the bucks for the sleeker ultrabooks or settle for a Chromebook. Another key feature for me on this model is that it has a 6 cell battery which effectively allows me to use it most of the day untethered from the power cord. Very beefy Memory (4 GB) and Hard Drive (500 GB) for this price point, but one shortcoming is that the Processor is just adequate (listed as 1.00 GHz but really 1.37 it would be better to have one 2.0 or higher.) It's fast enough for email, surfing the web, downloading music and e-books, watching You Tube videos, etc., but don't even think about gaming. The machine runs cool and quiet and the fan rarely comes on. Nice that it has an HDMI output so you can easily hook it up to a HD TV. A potential shortcoming is that it doesn't have a backlit keyboard but the keyboard is easy to see in dim light and shouldn't be a problem unless you're completely in the dark. The touchpad is not half bad, but easy enough to add an external mouse (the mouse and touchpad can operate simultaneously, making it seamless to switch back and forth). Screen glare is about average, shouldn't be a problem for most unless you are in very harsh lighting. Stylewise it's OK, but certainly not a sexy choice compared to the touchpads or ultrabooks which are sleeker and about a pound lighter. Then again, you don't have to worry as much about this one getting swiped, and even if does get lost or stolen, at this price, it's not such a big deal. In any case, it suits my needs quite well, and I'm very glad to not be lugging my old laptop around with me anymore when I travel.

Review of Toshiba Satellite M305D-S4831 14.1" Widescreen Notebook

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I bought this about 3 years ago, after having a Toshiba last for 10 years before dying.

Pros: For 3 years ago, this was one powerful laptop. I haven't had any speed issues, except when I try to play Starcraft 2, it lags a little on the lowest settings. Excellent for surfing the internet, or just taking around school. I have used it for Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator with no issues. This was my daily-use computer and generally didn't give me performance problems or blue screens. Generally.

Cons: Straight out of the box, the volume knob didn't work right. The hibernate function didn't work right either. After a couple months, the screen was messing up and a cord needed to be replaced (which Toshiba replaced and shipped the computer free of charge due to warrantee). After a few months, the mouse button chrome started chipping. After about a year the power adapter cord just completely broke in half. I have had some terrible heat issues after awhile. It would overheat and shut down while watching videos or playing games. All. The. Time. Even YouTube videos would cause it to overheat. Speaking of which, it can't play 720p HD videos smoothly. A cooling pad helped a lot, but didn't solve the overheating problem. I checked for dust in the fans, but there really wasn't enough to do this.

Also, really bad battery life. 1 hour max with normal(non-wifi) use.

A couple weeks ago it died. It straight-up won't start up anymore. It didn't have any viruses. It was some hardware failure. I don't even really want to find the problem because I am tired of dealing with the overheating issue and the overall poor setup.

That's my story of the life of this laptop. Hopefully I just got a lemon. You have been warned.

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Buy Dell Latitude E5530 15.6" LED Notebook Intel Core i5-3210M 2.50 GHz

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List Price: $949.00
Sale Price: $699.98
Today's Bonus: 26% Off

The Dell laptop is top notch when it comes to fit and finish, battery life, and operation, but the Widows 8 SUCKS!!!!

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Really like the keyboard that lights up when on the plane, and cabin lights or off. Has lots of functions, and great battery life.

Best Deals for Dell Latitude E5530 15.6" LED Notebook Intel Core i5-3210M 2.50 GHz

This is a robust laptop running Windows 7 pro. Installed another 4gb of ram to max it out to 8gb. Computer runs fast and reliable with a more than enough horsepower to do day to day tasks without slowing down. Well built for the long haul.

Honest reviews on Dell Latitude E5530 15.6" LED Notebook Intel Core i5-3210M 2.50 GHz

I am a 67 year that is not very good with the computer but had an old desktop that has become outdated. I recently gave up internet dial up service and have since come up to the latest.....I love this Dell laptop Windows 8 but probably should have bought one with touch screen but this is quiet an update for me so will be happy with it. I did purchase it with the number keypad because I am use to using that feature. I felt the price was very good for this unit. It has been a challenge for me to learn Windows 8 but am determined to proof to my grown kids I can do it! They tried to discourage me from Windows 8 thinking I would never be able to use it. So far so good!

Cheap ASUS K55N-DS81 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)

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List Price: $499.00
Sale Price: $415.99
Today's Bonus: 17% Off

This is a review of the Asus laptop, not Windows 8. I'm a retired computer professional and I've had over a dozen different laptops over the years, from economy models to the top-of-the-line (so I have a large frame of reference). I'm really pleased with this laptop -it's a great value and I really don't need any more power or features for what I do these days. I use it mostly for web browsing, Office apps (Word, Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint), Photoshop, iTunes management of a huge music library, and email. I'm "on my computer" over 8 hours a day. For those purposes, this laptop is serving me well at a great price. I looked at a lot of others in the same price range and decided on this one for these reasons: a good processor (I don't think I saw any faster ones in this price range), 500GB disk drive (I really don't need more space and I have larger external USB drives if I ever do), a decent integrated graphics adapter, 3 USB ports including USB 3.0, an HDMI port, VGA output for non-digital TVs and monitors (not found on many current laptops but it's still useful), DVD burner, a pretty long battery life, and a 1-year warranty on accidental drops and spills.

When I first started using the laptop, I was very impressed by the feel and the action of the keyboard and the brightness and clarity of the 15.6" screen. I was also pleased that it wasn't pre-loaded with a bunch of free-trial crap software (all I got rid of was the 30-day(?) free-trial McAfee anti-virus, which I replaced with AVG free edition). I added 4GB of Kingston memory for a total of 8GB RAM and so far I have no complaints about performance. (

Some buyers may want to know that the disk drive is formatted with C and D partitions, 186 GB and 258 GB in size, respectively. That's smart, but I wonder if non-technical users will ever even access and use the large D partition since all user files (My Documents, etc.), by default, are put on the C partition. On the D drive, I put all my music files, my thousands of digital photos, and other large data collections which I don't need to frequently access via the convenient user folders (My Documents, My Pictures, etc.). I think there's an additional recovery partition, but it doesn't appear in the file manager.

I have only a couple complaints. The left/right buttons at the bottom of the touchpad take a lot of pressure to make them click (probably intentional to avoid accidental clicking) and I don't like the feel of their action. I thought maybe I'd stop using a mouse and switch to using the touchpad only, but the feel of those buttons caused me to go back to my mouse within a few hours of use. The other complaint is that there's no LED indicator when Caps Lock or Numeric Lock is enabled on the keyboard, but that's a pretty minor issue. (UPDATE: I just discovered there *are* LEDs for Caps and Numeric lock -they are small green LEDs on the front left edge, next to some other LEDs like the disk activity LED).

So, I'm very pleased with this laptop and I think it's a tremendous value in its price range. No regrets on this purchase! Windows 8 is a different story and I'm not crazy about it, but I'm learning to adjust. I would prefer to have Windows 7 which was the best Windows OS to date. Windows 8 is not nearly as bad as many reviewers would have you believe. By creating my user account as a 'local user', ignoring the Start Screen that looks like a smart phone and only using the Windows desktop, it's very much like using Windows 7. You just have to find where they hid some things like the Start Menu (use Windows key + X combination). And so far, all the software I have (some of which is pretty old, like Office 2003), has installed without compatibility problems. I almost paid much more to get a laptop with Windows 7 instead of 8, based on all the negative comments, but I'm glad I didn't do that. The negative comments are overblown.

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I did a lot of research before finally purchasing this laptop by ASUS. The biggest selling points for me were as follows:

ASUS 1 year "360 Notebook Warranty" including 1 year of Accidental Damage/Handling and a Limited 1 year manufacturer warranty.

The AMD A8 4500M APU is super speedy. If you're purchasing a laptop beware that the A6 4400 has a 1MB L2 cache while the A8 has a BIG 4MB L2 cache. While the dual core is rated at a higher frequency the quad core is capable of handling multiple data loads simultaneously much more efficiently.

The Radeon 7640G has 512mb dedicated memory and is capable to pull from the system resources. While this machine CANNOT run games at the highest settings it does an excellent job of being able to run MOST games at low-med settings with high FPS.

4gb ram upgradeable to 16gb.

Pros: Low Price point, 1 year ADH warranty, fast quad core cpu, 4mb L2 cache, fast HDD, fast boot option, instant on resume function2 second wake-up from sleep mode.

Cons: Poor viewing angles on screen, plastic shell/case,

Best Deals for ASUS K55N-DS81 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)

I doubted this laptop would perform that well given its $399 price tag. Incredibly I continue to be blown away by its superb performance, it has quickly become my favorite (of six) computers to use! Even though it's comprised of plastic, it's light weight and superior performance leave me wanting little. Even with 3D games, the performance continues to astound me given the low price I paid.

I bought a 16GB memory upgrade for $85 a week later and it has solidly placed this laptop at the top of my techy toys list. I am dumbfounded by the sheer performance of this low cost laptop.

Pros: low price, above average performance, memory up-gradable to 16GB and out performs my MacBook that cost $1300.

Cons: Made of plastic and does not have superman powers..

Honest reviews on ASUS K55N-DS81 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)

I'm re-writing this review to include a tutorial on how to fix up the laptop without voiding the warrantee. I'm upping it to 4 stars now that I've fixed it. The hardware is great, the software can be fixed.

Pros:

Great Hardware

Fast Processor

Big Video specs

Built in tutorial for windows 8

Comes with 50 GB cloud storage for 3 years

Cons:

Windows 8

The trackpad is awful (tutorial below reduces annoyance)

The wireless will drop out (tutorial below fixes)

Packed with bloatware (you can uninstall it)

Webcam sucks (mic is great though)

Small HD space

Performance expectations:

You will be able to play most games at max settings if the game was released prior to 2010. You will be able to play most new releases up to current day at reduced graphics settings. Applications will run at a reasonably high speed.

Hard Drive(s)

The laptop comes with two small 5400 RPM hard drives (C and D). The OS is installed to C, and D is empty. If you install your programs to drive D, you will get significant performance gains because your motherboard can process twin data streams at 100% capacity. YOU MUST DO THIS TO MAKE GAMES AND APPLICATIONS RUN SMOOTHLY.

Trackpad fix:

The built in drivers for the trackpad add "smoothing" effects and whatnot that make the trackpad even harder to use. They do not provide basic functions like turning off the trackpad.

Fix it:

1. Plug in a USB mouse

2. Download the Synaptics driver platform for mouse, windows 8 option.

3. Using the USB mouse, uninstall the trackpad drivers.

a. right click on the bottom left corner of desktop

b. in the context menu, select "device manager"

c. in the device manager, right click on the trackpad's controller, it is under "Mice and other pointing devices"

d. select "properties" from the drop down menu

e. select the "driver" tab

f. select "uninstall" and follow the on-screen instructions

4. Install the new synaptics drivers

5. You now have better mouse handling, and you can right-click the trackpad icon in the desktop tray, go to the "Device Settings" tab, and disable the trackpad.

6. Install touch-freeze

This will "stun" the mouse while you are typing, which will prevent accidental clicks from messing up your typing.

Wireless fix:

The built in drivers disable the wireless card on a regular basis in order to conserve power. You will need to replace the aetheros drivers with the most up-to-date drivers, and disable some features in the Realtek PCIe driver context menu.

1. Download the Aetheros drivers

download link:

site:

2. This package will install just fine. Follow the on-screen instructions.

3. Reboot.

4. Go to the device manager, select "network adapters," and right click "Qualcomm Atheros AR9485WB-EG Wireless Network Adapter"

5. Select "properties"

6. Select the "Power Management" tab

7. uncheck the box "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power"

8. Click "OK"

9. Go back to the device manager

10. Right click and slect properties on "Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller"

11. Go to the "advanced" tab

12. Modify the following Properties

Energy Efficient Ethernet> Disabled

Green Ethernet> Disabled

13. Go to the "Power Management" tab

14. unchcheck "allow the computer to turn off this device to save power

15. click "OK"

16. Enjoy stable internet.

Windows 8 Fix:

If you miss the traditional Windows layout, you can install a third party start button. I recommend this one:

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for ASUS K55N-DS81 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)

I'm using this laptop mostly for internet browsing, work, and gaming. It does it all, more than I expected after a few weeks of owning it.

This laptop is fast. It's fast booting up, shutting down, loading programs, buffering videos, downloading, etc. Never had a problem. All the features: IceCool palm rests, SuperBatt Tech, InstantOn, and 5% AutoBackup work great. The InstantOn is my favorite, my other laptops and desktops are nowhere near as fast booting up and shutting off. The laptop will boot up to the start screen as long as it takes for you to sip a cup of coffee.

Win8 gets getting used to, many people like to complain about changes, but I have no major complaints. The only complaint I have is I was disappointed that there's no Microsoft Office installed. When I had to do work I was prompted to buy a CD key, not what I expected.

What I love the most is the gaming power of this laptop. You wouldn't expect much from an entry level priced laptop, but I'm playing Shogun 2 Total War on medium smoothly. With that being said, I'm already starting to fill up my hard drive downloading Steam games!

Reviews of HP Promo Compaq 625,ATHLON P340 CPU,15.6 HD Ag Led

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I ordered this laptop few days ago. We were so excited when the laptop arrived at our home, but the excitement did not last too long. It never got started. It took 3 hrs to appear Welcome screen and then half an hour later black screen appeared. Will not suggest anyone to buy this. It did not meet our expectations.

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Great computer for a teenager who is starting to use computers. Good quality, runs good, keyboard is good, good audio. He loves it.

Best Deals for HP Promo Compaq 625,ATHLON P340 CPU,15.6 HD Ag Led

The HP 625 Notebook is a great piece of machine.

Pros

2.20 Dual core processor

320 gb Hdd

built in webcam & microphone

Cons

No status light to indicate CPU usage

PC runs a bit hot

Would have liked a true bright lcd (but thats just me)

Great machine cant complain

Buy Sony VAIO VGN-FZ180U/B 15.4" Laptop (Intel Core 2 Duo Processor

Customer Ratings:

I just bought this computer about three weeks ago. Love the screen, bluray player is beautiful, super fast. I upgraded it to 4gb of ram but it was fast without it. I bought it for design work. Runs the entire Adobe CS3 Suite super fast.

Cons: Took me two days to uninstall all of the trial and other junk software installed by Sony. Battery life is horrible. I bought another power supply so I have one at work and one at home. The minute I unplug the thing from the wall it says 91% battery life remaining. ??? I have never seen such horrible battery life. I got used to my old Gateway that gave me 4 hours of battery life. I'm lucky if I get an hour just browsing the internet. This above all is the only thing that is bad about this machine. If the battery were better I would give it five stars.

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I purchased a computer and it arrived. Taking the machine out of the box, I was very pleased with the look and feel and design of the computer itself. However, after the computer booted up, I realized just how unusable this product was out of the box. The machine comes with more trialware installed than any reasonable person should have to put up with. The software was so overrun with trialware that the machine crawled after booting up. All of the trialware started popping up dialogs asking me to update my software and and asking me to purchase full versions. The computer was utterly useless. I had to format the computer and put a clean version of Windows Vista on the box. However, this machine doesn't come with ANY disk -not even a recovery disk. If you want a recovery disk, you have to pay for it. The downside to that is, even if you had a recovery disk, you'd still end up installing all of the trialware again.

Sony did a great job with the computer, but their execution on the full user experience makes me rate this computer poorly. Had Sony at least given me the ability to completely wipe the computer to a clean Vista install, I would have rated it a 2. Had they simply supplied installation CDs for the trialware and shipped the clean machine without anything pre-installed, I would have given this computer a 4 our of 5. Thanks for listening.

Best Deals for Sony VAIO VGN-FZ180U/B 15.4" Laptop (Intel Core 2 Duo Processor

I was nervous about buying a new computer with Windows Vista, but, this computer is sweet! It is fast and has improved my ability to communicate with my office significantly. Other than a blip with one program, which I was able to fix with an upgrade to the program, Vista has worked fine.

The computer itself is thin, lightweight, and a great performer. I was able to watch feeds from Live Earth this past weekend -it was able to keep up and give me a very decent screen to watch. I look forward to taking it on the road and viewing DVDs. The touchpad mouse is an improvement from my last laptop as it is not quite as smooth and responds better to my movement. To-date the battery life has been better than my previous model as well.

Honest reviews on Sony VAIO VGN-FZ180U/B 15.4" Laptop (Intel Core 2 Duo Processor

Sony VAIO VGN-FZ180E/B 15.4" Notebook PC (Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7300, 2 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, Vista Home Premium)

I own a 1st generation Powerbook Aluminum. And while I love my PB it is getting quite 'long in the tooth'. I was shopping for a replacement, and the new MacBooks start at $1999.00. A bit pricey. So I started looking at Windows laptops. The VAIO, by far, offers the best feature set, for the amount of money spent. Intel Centrino Core 2 Duo 2GH processor, 2GB ram, 200GB HD, and a Blu-Ray disc burner for under $1400!!

The machine is very peppy. The xbrite display is jaw dropping gorgeous! Very bright, colors seem vibrant, warm.

Setup was a breeze, and Vista practically connected itself, to my wireless network.

The laptop is very robust. I have had several programs open at once, including a desktop workspace manager application, for managing multiple desktops, and I did not experience any performance issues.

If there is a 'downside' to this laptop, it is that Sony loads it with so much bloatware, adware, trialware, none of which in my opinion adds any value to the machine. Boot-up time, out of the box, was a bit slow, but was noticeably faster, and quite acceptable, once I eliminated non-essential programs, from startup.

Simply put, build/finish is very nice, solid feel, robust management of multiple applications with little degradation in performance, inclusion of Blu-Ray burner sealed the deal, as the features provided, are well worth the money that was spent. A good value!

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I agree with a lot of people on how much junk Sony preloads on this computer. I have removed a lot of it, but there is still more to go.. I've been using this computer about 1 month and have had NO problems.. Definitely worth what I paid for it!

Cheap NV76R23u-53214G50Mnws 17.3" LED Notebook - Intel Core i5 i5-3210M

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For years it been Gateway computers only.... I believe in them... They last long....

A couple years ago I bought a Gateway NV79C52u 17.3 Inch Laptop Velvet Blue: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003Y733KU/ It's been through a lot of use, not to mention travel. It's still holding up, but is basically for business only. I like so much I tried to find one for personal use but couldn't. Gateway/Acer complicates matters when it comes to getting a Gateway, anymore... When I see what I want on their site I have to do an almighty search to find it on or offline... There was nothing locally. I did find this one (as close to the NV79C52u, as possible) via Amazon/TigerDirect -after multiple searches....

It came directly from TigerDirect. The laptop arrived safely and well packed...

The BLUE NV79C52U has headset/mic/usb/power(and more) on left; 2.0 usb / BlueRay driver on right. Speakers at the front, underneath / Windows 7. It has a sturdy DVD/BlueRay.

The WHITE NV76R23U seems heavier; Ports are on the opposite side... mic/headset/power/3.0 usb on the right w/ DVD drive no Blueray ; Wide/Long Speaker behind the keyboard. Windows 8.

Okay... I'm not a Windows 8 Fan... And Gateway has too many Apps installed, but they can be uninstalled... Thank goodness the old-fashion desktop is available that's where I put my icons for quick access... I'll figure out Windows 8, slowly... and maybe I'll like it...

here are the features to WHITE NV76R23U amazon/tigerdirect

Key Features and Benefits:

Intel Core i5-3210M processor

2.50GHz, 3MB L3 Cache

4GB DDR3 SDRAM system memory (expandable to 8GB)

Gives you the power to handle most power-hungry applications and tons of multimedia work

500GB SATA hard drive

Store 333,000 photos, 142,000 songs or 263 hours of HD video and more

8x SuperMulti DVD Double-Layer drive

Watch movies, and read and write CDs and DVDs in multiple formats

10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN

Connect to a broadband modem with wired Ethernet or wirelessly connect to a WiFi signal or hotspot with the 802.11b/g/n connection built into your PC

17.3" HD Ulbrabright LED-backlit display

Intel HD Graphics 4000 with 128MB of dedicated system memory

Additional Features:

Built-in 1.3 megapixel webcam

5-in-1 memory card reader

2 x USB 3.0 ports, 1 x USB 2.0 port, 1 x headphone/speaker/line-out jack, 1 x microphone-in jack, 1 x RJ-45 Ethernet port, 1 x VGA port, 1 x HDMI port

6-cell lithium-ion battery, up to 4.5 hours battery life

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Buy X202E-DH31T-PK VivoBook 11.6" LED Intel Core i3-3217U 1.8GHz (Ivy

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $499.00
Sale Price: $479.99
Today's Bonus: 4% Off

I have used this computer for a few months now and I think it's fantastic. It's easily portable, runs smoothly (both internet and graphic design programs), and the touchscreen has never given me an issue. The seller was also great and really helped me out when FedEx messed up the shipping.

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Review of Acer Aspire E1-571-6837 15.6-Inch Laptop (Glossy Black)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $579.99
Sale Price: $495.98
Today's Bonus: 14% Off

It's an impressive laptop to say the least. It hasn't been the most popular selling laptop as of yet, but it sure does pack some decent hardware. This laptop will replace my old HP laptop. Acer has been dominating the laptop charts lately, and their E1-571-6837 laptop honestly appeared as another great release. So if you're looking for a low priced Acer Aspire laptop, than keep on reading.

At a mere 15.6 inches, this cheap Acer Aspire laptop packs a 1366 by 768 pixel resolution. Great for watching movies in 720p HD. Windows 8 is the default operating system, and it looks stunning on the Aspire's LED display.

The processing unit contains Intel's third generation Core i5 processor, running at 2.6 GHz with turbo boost abilities of up to 3.20 GHz. 4 GB of DDR3 RAM can also be found inside this laptop.

Graphics will be basic — Intel HD Graphics 4000. Just enough to play basic computer games, such as The Sims 3. Higher end games will run, but quite possibly on a lower setting.

Pros

This Aspire laptop can be described as a great desktop replacement system. It has the right amount of speed and build quality that most desktop computers contain. The Intel Core i5 processor does one heck of a great job in my opinion. It runs Adobe Premiere Elements 11, Quick books Premiere 2013, and so much more — without the hassle of lag.

Battery life isn't anything shocking, but it also isn't bad either. On average, the battery will last 3.25 hours while on the internet. That's somewhere around average for a laptop of its caliber.

The whole laptop was designed a glossy black color. It looks great It's very professional looking.

Price-wise it goes up and down, but as i said before and i say it again Amazon has the best prices

Cons

It's a great deal already, but wish Acer would've added more RAM. Currently, it has 4 GB of RAM, however I prefer to be on the safer side with around 6 GB of RAM. This can be upgraded for less than $20.00 yourself and it's extremely easy to install. It requires removing a few screws and inserting the ram into the empty slot.

i recommend this laptop to all..............

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It took a few minutes to work out windows 8, but once I did I couldn't be happier with this computer. It is so lightweight, the bottom of the computer doesn't get hot, and I love the number pad next to the keyboard. I would recommend this to anyone.

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Pros: Good computer. Cons: annoying keyboard. Hate windows 8. Wish it had an ssd drive instead of the old IDE.

Honest reviews on Acer Aspire E1-571-6837 15.6-Inch Laptop (Glossy Black)

This notebook offer all the bells and whistle for a good price. Must update memory for greater performance. Deliver was on-time Thanks

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Would be five stars if it came with Windows 7. Now I have to ship it to myself and correct that before giving it to my friend. I needed a laptop with an SSD, but they were all prohibitively expensive. Why do manufacturers charge $250 more for a $90 SSD?

I bought this + a $30 4 gig crucial sodimm and a $100 120GB SSD, Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe MX, and a $6 external enclosure. For $600 I ended up with a laptop better than any sub $1000 I was able to find plus a bonus external 500 gig hard drive. Excellent value.

Buy Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 14" Core i5 500GB Notebook

Customer Ratings:

Great little laptop that does most things well. It's not going to be a good gaming laptop due to the relatively underpowered integrated Intel 3D graphics, somewhat slow HDD, and small screen, but for general web surfing, streaming video playback, "light" gaming (i.e. Flash games), non-intensive photo editing (Photoshop Elements), and drawing in Inkscape (if you can stand the small screen), it's more than adequate.

I purchased my unit at 0ffi¢e Depot during the Black Friday sale week. In the course of my research, I found this identical unit was available direct from Lenovo's website during the summer for a price under 450 with various coupons.

And just really quick, my list of negatives with this unit (which may not be negatives to you, depending...) and rational behind my 4-star rating:

no option for a lighted keyboard or keyboard downlight

no option for higher resolution screen

no numeric keypad, not even in the traditional laptop sense of pressing Fn+NumLock to switch the right side of the alpha-keyboard into numeric mode (this is a feature I used occasionally).

no option for a BluRay drive

no USB 3.0 -not that I have a need for this yet, but it's a standard feature on many competing laptops

I liked this laptop so much, I purchased two E420 units (identical 1141-A24 models) and gave one to my dad, who has been using a well-worn IBM T-43 ThinkPad I handed down to him. I had a chance to compare the old school workhorse side-by-side with the E420 and made the following general observations:

The anti-reflective qualities of the matte-finish screens is comparable, but the E420 is brighter by a wide margin

The T43 had an "old school" 4:3 aspect ratio, vs. the wide screen 16:9 of the E420. This results in a narrower but taller screen for the older computer, but with a denser resolution (1400x1050) and more "room" vertically on the desktop. For most web surfing, photo editing and drawing, this older 4:3 is still the preferable aspect ratio.

The E420 is about ¾" wider than the T43, despite the T43 having a "bigger" 14.1-inch screen (this, again due to the aspect ratio)

Whereas the T43 had a parallel port, modem, PCMCIA slot and a PS2 Mouse Port, the E420 boasts an SD card reader, Bluetooth 3.0, 4 USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, eSATA, and a 34mm ExpressCard port. Similar features include fingerprint reader, TouchPoint controller, VGA-out, DVD-RW, and an Ethernet port.

Build quality still leans in favor of the old T43, but the E420 is no slouch. The T43 was nearly around ¾ pound heavier, but the body was slightly thinner and the screen more rigid. The E420 body feels "hollow" because it's just not as densely packed, and probably doesn't have the substantial metal subframe of the T43. However, the E420 is far and away stiffer and more rigid than my 2-year old Lenovo value-line G530, which has a flexy screen and feels "squishy" (like the bottom is pressing in) when I grip it.

The E420 has a larger touchpad and a keyboard that's closer to a real PC keyboard, not the "chiclet" style keys with minimal movement that the T43 features.

The E420's Boot time is 35 seconds to the logon screen, and with a quick finger swipe over the fingerprint reader (this one works quickly and reliably!), it's fully booted and ready to use in under a minute. The Windows Experience Index registers at 5.7, singling out the hard disc as the bottleneck in the system speed, followed by the RAM read/write speeds. So a fast SSD would only marginally improve the overall WEI score, and couldn't make too much of an improvement to the boot times.

The screen bright screen is great in the window-lit room I primarily use, and viewing angles are very good side-to-side. There is a sweet spot in the tilt that inverts quickly if not adjusted just so. Yet I find it acceptable for close-in viewing. Sound quality is decent, though not audiophile quality -nothing worse than your average clock radio.

Lenovo has placed most of the system functions (screen brightness, volume, web cam on/off, etc.) to the top-row function keys, then went one step further: they made the function key require a two-key press to activate (for example, instead of hitting F5 to refresh or F11 for full screen, I now have to press Fn-F5 or Fn-F11), but the auxiliary commands are now single-key press (press JUST F5 for the web cam). It's a little something to get used to, and it's a situation where a keyboard backlight would have been appreciated in darker settings to help me find my way.

All ports to the sides of the body, with the exception of the RJ45 jack. Thank goodness, no audio ports sticking out of the front edge. If you opt for the optional 9-cell battery, it would protrude out the rear by about an inch. And no more confusing the headphone port for the mic port: this computer uses a single integrated "smart" port, though I suppose it requires a new single plug (or USB) headset for my Skype calls.

I am using this laptop successfully with HP's Wi-Fi Mobile Mouse, which requires Windows 7 + an up-to-date network chipset, and doesn't require any port-sucking USB dongles.

The computer comes a little bit bloated with Lenovo's software, most of which is good, some of which is unnecessary. Fortunately, my biggest headache, Norton Anti-Virus, was easily removable via ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS. The others you'll have to pick through depending on what Lenovo features you'll find valuable. Lenovo even saw fit to ship this unit with Google Chrome installed, which manages to make an appearance before Microsoft's Internet Explorer has a chance to pop up. However, in my case, it was Chrome v12 (current version is 15), and it wouldn't automatically upgrade itself. I had to uninstall Chrome and download a clean version of the current software.

A rundown of the included Lenovo software, most of which is optional to keep installed and/or use:

A quick boot utility that speeds boot times

An auto-lock feature that, if no inputs are sensed after a user-determined amount of time, turns on the web cam and looks for a face. If none is detected, it password locks the laptop.

An orientation sensing utility that allows the user to turn the unit sideways to read PDFs and other documents, automatically rotating those docs to fit the portrait view.

A recovery utility to burn a recovery disc from the hard drive's recovery partition.

The fingerprint reader software, which on this unit works reliably, usually on the first swipe, and is quick.

Last thing worth mentioning: if you want a number pad and can stand an extra ~1½ in width, a version of the 15.5-inch E520 model has exactly the same spec (actually, with a faster 2430M processor) for almost exactly the same price. You'll get the num pad, but you'll still be stuck with the stock 1366x768 resolution, with no 1600x900 option available on Lenovo's website).

For a computer I use daily for web surfing, video watching, some light Inkscape drawing, Photoshop Elements editing, and lightweight gaming, the E420 fits the bill in terms of price, value/quality, and speed/functionality. It's by no means cutting edge, it certainly isn't the best looking nor the smallest/lightest of the bunch, but it's designed to be carried around and used in any number of tasks with a minimum of headache. Five to six hour battery life is to be expected (unless under heavy video playback), and 9 hours are achievable with an upgrade to the extended 9-cell battery.

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Compared to my 3 year old Acer 5515 this is a rocketship.

As configured the WEI is 5.9, the HDD and memory are the bottlenecks.

Keyboard is amazing, the touchpad is also great. The trackpoint, thaat is new to me and I am still working on it.

Startup from fully off to any webpage is less than 1 minute.

From sleep it is just seconds.

The ThinkVantage Utilities are nice, makes updating very easy.

I will be increasing the memory to max, and am considering a SSD for future installation.

I dont replace computers that often, every 2 to 3 years, I fully expect this to last that long.

I would, and have, reccomend this to anyone.

Best Deals for Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 14" Core i5 500GB Notebook

Was able to find this particular configuration at a brick and mortar store with a much cheaper price than offered here. The laptop has a clean look. It's not the keyboard I know and love from my work T400, but the nubbin is right where it should be and I love it! Good battery, good WiFi, quiet fan, and great start-up time. Good little machine that easily out performs my wife's bigger and supposedly better spec'd HP from last year.

If you can find the Core i5 model, go for it.

Honest reviews on Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 14" Core i5 500GB Notebook

Just as the title says my motherboard died after about 4 months of owning this laptop. Lenovo had me ship the laptop out for repair, and took 4 weeks to finally ship it back. They refused to be flexible with delivery and tried to ship it while I was on vacation. Instead of leaving it for a family member to pick up later, Lenovo refused to change the shipping options and had it shipped back to themselves. After contacting Lenovo support again I won't expect to be able to try this whole shipping disaster again for another 2 weeks. From new to completely dead in 4 months is simply not OK. Six weeks turn-around time on a completely dead laptop is simply not OK. Since IBM stopped manufacturing Lenovo, quality has gone severely downhill.

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Update June 2012: The computer died for a THIRD time... same problem... even though it had been used twice since arriving from being repaired. Lenovo kept claiming it only had been repaired once (and sometimes never) and that a replacement wasn't an option. They also kept claiming that my year-long warranty expired (after only eight months... several weeks of which they had the laptop in their facilities) and made me pay for an extended warranty to receive any service even though I provided a receipt and registered it when I bought it. After weeks of waiting and submitting proof that I had the computer repaired before for the same problem, they relented in sending a new computer... though it took so long they sent a different model.

Update March 2012: The computer did suddenly die again exactly as it did before in early January. After going through weeks of trouble trying to get it fixed, it was finally fixed again. I had to escalate the problem to get it repaired however. It wasn't easy. I've actually had to replace the computer since this one is gone more than with me and I need to get work done.

Update November 2011: Lenovo did finally fix and ship the laptop back to me three weeks earlier than the 'earliest' possible date, but it was still gone for weeks. In order to push the repair through to this earlier time I had to call nearly daily (waiting on hold for an average of 30 minutes each time) as well as send numerous e-mails. They didn't automatically do anything to speed up the process and I'm not sure if the computer will suddenly die again at any minute, so I still recommend looking at a Toshiba instead.

Update October 2011: The motherboard suddenly and completely died while safely resting in its bag (to the point I can't recover data without taking the machine apart and collecting the hard drive, which voids the warranty). Lenovo has been quick to get a repair box out, but after quoting two days and promising six, they now won't tell me when I will see it back. I've demoted the rating because a dead motherboard after less than two months is really sad, especially because I've been ultra-careful with it and it happened while it was turned off and unplugged between uses. Having a repair on a new laptop take several weeks longer than I've owned it is unacceptable.

-

Original Review in September 2011:

This is a great sturdy and agile laptop for the price. It includes features not easily found such as a non-glossy screen and fingerprint reader. The hard drive while smaller than others in the same price range is much faster, which is more important when you are multitasking. It is not extremely heavy and the screen is big enough to get things done while remaining portable. A big glossy screen may be great for watching movies, but this laptop wins if you are just trying to get work done.

I have been using this computer to run word processors, engineering applications, and browse the web all at the same time without trouble. I have also installed a Linux partition and it runs dual boot easily.

The computer does have extra features for when you are not working. The fingerprint reader works great and is very convenient. The webcam and mic work well and I thought the speakers were louder and clearer than other laptops I looked at in the same price range.

Reading other reviews I wondered about the wifi. I've found the wifi works great for me in all kinds of places (home, school, restaurants... secure and open) and I've had no issues all at in Windows. If you load Linux, you need to make sure to turn on the wifi and get the settings correct.

That being said, there are minor issues (that I didn't feel were big enough to rate lower based on my usage). One is that the huge touchpad is great and aligned well, but it interferes with the keyboard and you must change your settings to turn it off while you type. Another is that there are no hard drive lights it would have been nice if the read dot of "Think Pad" on the keyboard did this rather than just stay on. The battery didn't hold a charge well at first, but a few full discharges and recharges fixed that. The DVD-combo drive is extremely loud and I definitely wouldn't be able to enjoy playing a video with it because it would be impossible to hear. However for the few times I use these drives, it isn't a huge deal. The power cord to the transformer comes out easily unless you plug it in REALLY tight. Lastly, the function key is placed where I expect to find the left "Ctrl" key, which is annoying when I'm trying to use shortcuts to copy and paste. I'm probably going to change the keyboard layout (in the operating systems) soon in order to deal with this.

Pros:

Non-glossy screen for working in well-it areas

Windows starts up super fast and has great features for students and professionals

Fingerprint reader works great

Speakers are clear and loud

Fast spinning hard drive

Sturdy construction

Good size for carrying around in a backpack

Cons:

No hard drive working light

DVD drive is very loud

Function key is placed where the Control key should be

Points to keep in mind:

Wifi needs to be tweaked in Linux (works great in Windows out-of-the-box)

Touchpad settings much be adjusted to avoid problems when you type

Battery must be cycled when new to hold a charge well

You need to plug the cord into the transformer REALLY well for them to stay connected

Overall, I recommend this laptop for anyone looking for a computer mostly for serious work. If you will be playing videos (especially from a DVD), then this probably isn't what you are looking for.

Lenovo ThinkPad SL510 Laptop Notebook (2847-9UU) Intel Core 2 Duo Reviews

Customer Ratings:

I recently acquired a slightly upgraded version of this laptop and I have to say, I am highly impressed with the Lenovo quality. And I'm an IT guy.

For those that don't know, Lenovo (a Chinese company) purchased the PC business from IBM, including the product names (one with business clout is the ThinkPad line).

When it comes to building a robust machine that's capable of taking the kind of beating a business professional doles out on a machine, the ThinkPad line always stood for high quality and high expectations. Thankfully those expectations continue to be met by Lenovo in the ThinkPad line.

Pros mostly unique to Lenovo's systems:

Powered USB port; you can plug in any device that can be charged via USB into the computer (the yellow USB port) and it will charge even if the laptop is powered off. You won't need to pack every wall wart with you when you travel anymore!

Textured touch pad; when you're working in darker locations, this helps you easily locate the touchpad

Fn and Ctrl keys can be swapped via the BIOS; Lenovo has positioned the Fn key used to switch to external displays, change screen brightness and so on, where you'd normally find the CTRL key on the left part of the keyboard so you can swap the function of the two keys in the BIOS

Robust recovery options

Useful bundled software; password vault used to store passwords in an encrypted file, connection manager makes connecting to wired and wireless networks easier, excellent power control (let's you see a ton of info that straight Windows 7 doesn't show, such as how much power the machine is currently using)

LED light on screen to illuminate the keyboard (though there is a con; see below)

ThinkVantage button; press the button during boot up and it takes you to system restore which can restore files, just the OS or completely reset the system to it's factory installed configuration (which nukes local files, so backup before running that option if you have files you don't want to lose!). You can also access driver updates for your machine directly from Lenovo with this button as well (yeah, like I said, I'm an IT guy!)

Bundled software. Being an IT guy I HATE most company's bundled software. Not so with Lenovo, as everything on this machine, with few exceptions, is worth keeping and using.

USA based support. Purchase a Dell, speak to someone in India. Purchase a Lenovo ThinkPad, speak to someone in Atlanta, Georgia. And no, I'm not dismissing the capability of India based support, but we all know it is sometimes difficult to understand Indian speakers.

Cons:

The textured touchpad, when used for extended periods, may make your finger uncomfortable

The LED light for keyboard illumination works, but not nearly was well as the backlit Dell keyboards

As configured this system is Windows 7 32 bit; I recommend 64 bit only these days especially if you ever want to upgrade past 4 GB of RAM (something else I'd recommend). If you want Win7 64 bit, you can purchase the 64 bit restore CDs from Lenovo's customer service (WHICH IS USA BASED!) for ~$50.

2 GB RAM is adequate but should be 4 GB at least for a Win 7 machine to really shine

Case design. One thing that never seems to change from ThinkPad model to ThinkPad model is the design of the laptop itself; a ThinkPad LOOKS like a ThinkPad, even if it was built 5 years ago. This is good or bad, depending on what you're looking for.

Working where I do, I have the luxury of directly comparing this Lenovo laptop w/ the Dell E-series. When comparing the 2 side by side, it's amazing how much better built the ThinkPad is. Sound quality from the speakers on the ThinkPad is so much nicer than the Dell E6410. The screen is brighter and cleared. The E6410, if dropped on a corner of the laptop, would be shattered and destroyed. The ThinkPad? Maybe pop the bezel back in place and you're back up and running.

And let's talk about heat dissipation. If you plan on using your laptop as a LAPtop, don't even consider the Dell E-series. It is scorcher. You will sweat with it on your lap. And don't even think about leaving it running on a table with varnish. It WILL melt the varnish if left to sit long enough. Always put it on a place mat or something else. Then you have this ThinkPad. I've left it running diagnostics over night, on a table and guess what? It was STILL cool to the touch. There is a very slight warmth but not something you'll notice in general use.

Overall I feel Lenovo builds a vastly superior product for business users than the other 2 of the big three (Dell, HP and Lenovo). Neither of the other manufacturer's laptops have the feel of a high build quality and design. They are OK, but if you're looking for the perfect business laptop to travel around with you, and not just pretty eye candy to show off your prestige, buy the ThinkPad, even at a slightly higher price point than Dell or HP. You will appreciate it in the long run, as this is a machine that will last for a couple years longer than your warranty runs, unlike the Dell and HPs of the same class. And a Dell you'll be lucky to have last more than 3 years.

Even using my company's Dell employee purchase plan and the higher discount it affords, I chose a Lenovo and will do so for as long as Lenovo continues to build one of the best designed, robust and well thought out laptops for business users.

Highly recommended (the ThinkPad line, not necessarily this build). For this particular laptop, call Lenovo and spend $50 on the Windows 7 64 bit restore discs.

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Pro

I like this laptop , does not have warm problem. this is the best part.

The battery life is excellent, very resistant, excellent display.

Cons

But, i dont like the keyboard, the Fn key and Ctrl key are inverted.

And look like than the drivers for trackpad has some bug.

Best Deals for Lenovo ThinkPad SL510 Laptop Notebook (2847-9UU) Intel Core 2 Duo

I have had this laptop for 3 years now. In the meantime, I maxed the RAM to 8GB and Hardrive to 1 TB. It is very powerful and sturdy laptop. THe design allows it to be roughed and it keep on powering through. I run a lot of large spreadsheets and have not been disappointed. I also do music and video editing on the side. It is slower than anything with an i3 processor but it is very logically setup and designed. I use the red trackpad on the road and a wireless mouse on the desk. Battery life has gone down to an hour now, but I would only trade this for another Lenovo Thinkpad. It may not have all the fancy features, but it is a workhorse.

Honest reviews on Lenovo ThinkPad SL510 Laptop Notebook (2847-9UU) Intel Core 2 Duo

I ordered a SL510 -received it damaged. Returned and got another. This one would not connect to wi-fi. Called many times with no help. Returned for repair THREE times and still did not work for more than a couple days at a time. Got my son to do a temp. fix but the unit still keeps dropping the Wi-Fi connection and shuts down on me at any time it feels like. (Lenovo said it did all it could and I now had the unit beyond warranty.)

I had an IBM Thinkpad that was great, but the Lenovo is a piece of garbage. I'll never buy a Lenovo product again!

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Lenovo ships from China and while you wait and wait for delivery the price will drop. Lenovo's price match offers to pay you the difference if you submit an identical Lenovo quote within a certain number of days. Lots of luck making the quote and your order identical. ANY discrepancy will result in denial of the entire refund and you will not be told that there is a discrepancy in time for you to resubmit. This will happen even if you were told by a Lenovo agent on submission that you should receive a refund of the difference in price! This behavior will be cited as Lenovo Policy. The PC itself is not worth the bother of dealing with Lenovo and its policy.

Reviews of Dell Inspiron i15RV-6193BLK 15.6-Inch Touchscreen Laptop (Black

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $499.99
Sale Price: $439.99
Today's Bonus: 12% Off

I bought this laptop with the expectation to just do work. I have had the time of my life with the travel aspect of the "windows" file. The touch screen works perfectly and so far, no issues. I absolutely adore my laptop especially since it arrived on time and brand new.

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Has a slight learning curve when going to Windows 8. But the touchscreen is what it was made for.

I use it for school and it does everything I need.

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I am not a computer wiz...but over the evening and this morning...I have figured out most everything....I am clumsy with the touch screen...but have that down now. It is fast....everything works...installed a trail of Microsoft Office...that all worked.....love the fact that I have been able to import photos from facebook into a photo file....for a little over 400 dollars I am very very happy. The only drawback is that ebay was already installed as an app...and it seemed to pop up constantly.....I like e-bay but was not interested in dealing with it as I was setting up the computer.

I had a MAC before...never quite got used to the lack of compatibility......this is going to be very nice and I am likely going to order one for my office computer too..since it needs to be replaced

the space bar is noisy..not sure why that is irritating but it is...if you need a functional, uptodate lap top for a modest price this seems to do the trick

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Anybody can learn how to use this product. The screen tells you and shows you everything. Good price and good buy!

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I've had my laptop for a few days now and I love the touch screen. It's been a little confusing trying to figure out things but I think I've getting it. Just a few more things to figure out but it's a nice laptop for a inexpensive price.

Buy ASUS U36SD-DH51 13.3-Inch Thin and Light Laptop (Black)

Customer Ratings:

I purchased this laptop after reading thousands of reviews. I wanted something light (7h), small and powerful (>intel i5). I was considering other options like Acer S3, asus UX31, sony vaio SB/SA series and Toshiba Portege R835.

S3I am not a fan of Acer and it came with the SDD which I found too small.

UX31It is really good and nice but it has less connectors and was too expensive. Not sure if it can be upgraded.

VaioI was about to buy it, but it was thicker and heavier and the battery was not so good. It had the option of the docking station though.

R835I read it had issues with fan noises and with excessive heating. But it was lighter than U36sd and had a cd-rom drive.

Finally I decided to go for the Asus u36SD + an hybrid SSD/HDD Seagate Momentus XTSeagate Momentus XT 500 GB 2.5 Inch Solid State Hybrid Drive ST95005620AS .

This machine as it stands is very good. It is light, long battery (8:30h in saving bat mode, but if you use video media it is near 4:30h), and powerful. The only downside is the HDD that comes originally, it is a 5600rpm and for my taste it is too slow. I wanted a faster HDD, but SDD are too small in storage size or too expensive. So, I went for an hybrid SSD/HDD (Seagate momentus).

Changing the HDD is not difficult if you are a bit skilled and there are many tutorial videos on youtube that show you how to do it. You have to open the computer because the hatch under the laptop only gives access to the RAM memory. But, as I say, it is not difficult and the change is really worth. The speed increase is very noticeable from the very first moment.

The laptop is very quite, no issues with fan noises or excess of heat. The keyboard is chiclet style and very comfortable. Also the mouse is multitouch and works very good.

Clearly the down side of the computer is the screen. It is not the best screen in the world. It is shiny LCD but it is not the worse either (toshiba is worse). If you compare it with a MacBook Air... it is just a quite bad screen. If you are gonna use the laptop mainly outdoors, just buy a Mac Air or UX31 which also has a really good screen. However, for normal use indoors and seldom times outdoors it is ok. Actually, I don't think that working with a 13" screen is nice, so I just plug it to a desktop screen and it works great for me. But, as I said, if I need to use inside it is good and and enough. In addition, ASUS provides an utility that makes colors more vivid and a better contrast.

Just a note, I use it inside and have the brightness at 50-60%.

Note: it has a 2 year worldwide warranty not 1 year as it is stated in the specifications.

It comes with 4gb of RAM in one slot. I bought and extra 4gb last week, and the difference in normal use performance almost did not change. However, to handle heavy tasks it is now better. But a regular user does not need the 8gb. 4 is enough.

All in all, I am delighted with the laptop and I do recommend it specially if you combine with a 7200rpm HDD or an hybrid one, even an SSD.

I give it 4 stars because I consider that 5 stars is perfection and this item is still improvable, i.e. screen and HDD. For all the rest it is perfect.

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I've been using this U36SD-DH51 for the last couple weeks, and I love it. It is thin, light and fast. The battery life for regular stuff like web browsing, even with the screen brightness up, is about 7 hours (though I fully expect that to wane as the battery ages). The case and the keyboard feel solid, and typing is comfortable.

I replaced the stock hard drive with an Intel 520 Series 120 GB Solid-State Drive in about 20 minutes without any problems (search the web for "how to open an ASUS u36"). The laptop went from moderately fast to ludicrous speed.

I bought this laptop for the discrete graphics, so that I could test and debug CUDA software from the coffee shop instead of my office. The GT520M won't be winning any speed contests, but if you need NVidia graphics in a lightweight laptop, it's a great buy. If you don't need discrete graphics but want the speed of an SSD, then look for "ultrabooks" or their ilk -there are quite a few out now.

Best Deals for ASUS U36SD-DH51 13.3-Inch Thin and Light Laptop (Black)

I got the equivalent U36SD-A1. I love the construction and speed of this computer. It is a little heavier than an Ultrabook or Macbook-air. But, you get the benefit of a fully powered i5 even running at 3.0GHz well ventilated. I think this is the way to go. The ultrabook doesn't make a lot of sense to me when it is only running at 1.7GHz. I can really run anything I want on this little dynamite with great response. It is even better after I put in a Sandy Force SSD.

Honest reviews on ASUS U36SD-DH51 13.3-Inch Thin and Light Laptop (Black)

I have previously owned an ASUS ultra thin and light notebook before this one, so I can personally say that I am very satisfied with their build quality. Build quality is top notch. However, this particular model U36S does not allow you to exchange hard drives easily because there are NO accessible compartment at the bottom!

I bought with a crappy 640GB drive and wanted to exchange it for an Intel 320 SSD, no luck. There are many user comments on the web stating the same problem.

I am too worried about the warranty and messing up the notebook to go thru the painful dissasembly. This is the only CON i can think of. Everything else is great.

This is still a 5 star product in my eye becuase of the great build quality.

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I love the design the compact and lightweight material... the only thing i didn't like was windows 7, it made the machine kinda slow.

i upgraded to windows 8 and its so fast and reliable....

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had some issues with iphoto at first but now everything is working perfectly. I love my new mac. thank you so much!

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This computer does everything that I had expected it to do. And it's easy to use . I would recommend it to a friend.

Best Deals for Apple Macbook 13" (MB062LL/A) 2.16ghz 2.5gb Ram 160gb Hd Snow

I was wanting to try out the Mac computers and see what all the hype was about. I thought this would be a good little intro computer and though it works I was disappointed with it on the overall. Web pages are slow, there was no iphoto or imovie, very bare bones. The lack of a card reader and not picking up my iphone were also disappointing.

I haven't given up on apple but really prefer the windows at least in comparison to this computer.