looks pretty simple however it performs very well
The laptop looks very simple and very business like without too much jazz however it performs well.
The on board intel p6000 processor is great and very energy efficient making the battery life here great. The laptop is Perfect for all your basic laptop usage like web browsing video chatting, wrod processing and probably more.
While the keyboard is full - with numeric keypad, I rated the keyboard as a con due to the smaller than usual dedicated arrow keys. All other keys are just fine.
Highlights for me overall are:
-15.6" bright screen with full sized keyboard/dedicated numeric keypad
-Intel p6000
-battery life is good for a 15.6 inch laptop
-N wireless card
-HDMI port
Cons for me overall:
-smaller than usual dedicated arrow keys
right click and left click mouse button is combined
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Solid Purchase - Would Recommend
I've been using this laptop for about a week and overall I am very happy with this purchase. The machine is fast, the screen is looks amazing (glossy, FYI), very bright and no dead pixels. Another plus is that there was not excessive bloatware on this unit, and I only had to remove a handful of trial software, un-needed apps and desktop shortcuts to clean it up. The speakers sound good, and HDMI out is a nice option (though we're unlikely to use it). I like, too, that the outside of the case is matte, so it does not attract fingerprints.
I removed one star for two key reasons:
- The keyboard is "soft"; we're clicky-keyboard family. It's layout is fine, comfortable, etc, but it will take some time to adjust to the softness of this keyboard.
- I was unable to connect to my 5GHz wireless N network, but a few comments about this:
I have a dual-band router (Linksys WRT600N), sending both G and N speeds separately. This Acer was unable to connect to the N, but the G connection was fine. Note that my work laptop connects to the N network without issue. I think it may have to do with a newer wireless chipset in this unit because, although it only connects to G, it's reporting speeds of 130mbs (over the 54mbs 802.11G standard). Regardless, we're happy with the wireless performance and speed so far, but disappointing and frustrating it didn't "just work".
I tried contacting Acer support and though I only had the unit less that week, they stated that they did not have resources to assist me with this problem and directed me to fee-based support. Frankly, I find that a bit appalling. I happen to be fairly technical, but if you need basic support from a company, it's best to look elsewhere. This was the main reason for the star coming off.
In summary, if you need an affordable, full-featured laptop, this is a great option, but only if you're comfortable digging out of your own support holes -- Acer is not your friend post-sale. Extra props to Amazon (as always) for crediting me when the price dropped prior to my receiving the computer.
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