Customer Reviews

ACER 11.6 2GB/160/WIN 7 PREMIUM/6CELL/RED - LX.SAB02.013

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This system is an excellent combination of portability and power! Check out this line if like me, you've found netbooks wanting.

After migrating from my full-size notebook, all 7lbs of Core 2 goodness, to an Atom based netbook, the tradeoffs for size were cramping my style. My typing slowed, my eyes hated it, and it just wasn't responsive enough. Worse, the 2GB maximum RAM limitation meant running my virtual machines were out of the question. The experience left me discouraged and I fully expected to become one of the last victims of a $1500 ultra-portable.

In contrast, this thing is fast, it has a full-size keyboard, much more useful screen, drives a larger external display (VGA or HDMI(!)), can have 4GB RAM, and has twice the battery life if you don't thrash it. (my previous netbook only had the 3-cell battery). It's all wrapped in a package that appears to most people the same size as the little 10" versions. I can't tell the weight difference if I'm not holding them both at the same time. And the price! The Black Friday discount was minimal but now that I've used it and can compare, I'd gladly re-buy this one at retail. This thing is the netbook for those who can't quite squeeze down to the little N270/280 boxes. Whereas the Atoms feel like a cute attempt at a notebook, running a "sort-of" mobile processor, this thing feels like a real system, but it's small and cheap.

Pros (vs Atom-based netbook)
- See above - speed, screen size, speed, keyboard, RAM, speed, etc.
- Dual-core headroom.
- Touchpad is 50% larger and buttons are separate vs. D250 rocker style.
- The additional indicator lights are always a good thing. Power, charge, bluetooth wifi, HD, Numlock, capslock.
- The integrated video can drive a huge external monitor.
- Windows 7 Home, 64-bit version
- Gb Ethernet.
- N draft WiFi.

Cons & quibbles:
- I prefer matte screens, but this isn't bad for glossy.
- Red color - others were another $50.
- HD mounting and connector are a kludge. HD secured by pressure between pads and external cover. No real lock. Uses ribbon cable adapter to match its 90 degree rotation to board. It isn't going anywhere, but it's a big contrast to the D250's very clean HD mount.
- Keys are completely flat, as is their action. I'm getting used to it.
- Too little space between keys makes it easy to touch-type the wrong keys. It's tough to feel the boundaries.
- Windows COA sticker on bottom was applied slightly off-center and the edges keep peeling.
- Default settings for touchpad make it very easy to accidentally "tap" when typing, sending cursor into the weeds or sometimes doing big unintended edits.
- Power plug (computer end) & socket seem fragile.
- Case material seems a bit fragile. Not a ThinkPad.
- Very slightly noisier than Atom systems. Most noticeable when the fan cycles on and off repeatedly while running something processor intensive.
- WiFi slide-switch fragile & action uncertain.
- No built-in Bluetooth on this model though it does have the BT slide-switch and indicator. Inside, next to the Intel 1000 WiFi card, you can see pads on circuit board where BT socket option might have gone.
- I know I'll wish it had a 4th USB port.

If you're looking for something both smnall AND functional give this thing a try.

(Thank you Acer!)

My wife and I recently took a trip to Costa Rica.

Before I continue I would like to sidebar...
If you are planning a trip to Costa Rica, check out the blog she wrote on it, Tips when Traveling to Arenal Costa Rica (find it by Googling "ACER Aspire 1410 Review- Laptop Power with Netbook Size", go to this review shown in the results, and then clicking on the link provided in this same paragraph). I think it should have been titled "Every single thing you need to know when Traveling to Arenal Costa Rica"
End of sidebar...

We flew on an airline that only allowed a single carry on bag, which had to be less than 22 lbs. That meant my laptop went, or our camera equipment went. With no TV in the first hotel for 4 days, we decided to look for a Netbook.

After doing an average amount of research, I decide to go with the ACER Aspire 1410.

PROS:
* Very light weight.
* Battery power has not let me down yet.
* I have loaded all the Microsoft Express version of Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008 Express. That is enough for demos, for travel programming fun, and looking at book examples. No issues with performance and I still have not upgrade to 4 GB of RAM.
* Loaded all of Office 2007 and have no performance complaints.
* Screen has a great resolution
* Keyboard has bigger keys than my normal size laptop.
* Has the full version of Windows 7 64 bit installed unlike other Netbooks I was looking at, which have the starter version. It is performing great!!!
* Screen is slightly bigger than a normal netbook, which is just enough to get away from the feeling that I am watch a movie on my phone, like other netbooks gave me.
* Price, you just can't beat it.
* Perfect for games. Easy to pass around.

CONS:
* Volumn is a little low. Overcame that with a set of external speakers (Logitech V20 Notebook Speakers (Black) )
* Windows Media Player plays slow. I don't think I can blame the laptop for than though, since VLC plays everything just fine.

All in all I highly recommend this little thing!!!

Some shots of it are included in the images on this product page. I have included a side by side with my 17 inch laptop, and some shots of code and windows media player to give you an idea of screen real estate. The shots are not that great with respect to showing off the clarity of the screen, but they give you an idea of what fits on it.

I purchased this after weighing the pros and cons of the big-screen 7 pounders and the tiny screen 2+ pounders. I liked the horsepower of the bigger units but did not want to lug a boat anchor around all of the time. Once I looked at the true netbooks I quickly realized that (for me) the 9" screens and small keyboards were just too tiny to do functional word processing and spreadheet manipulation. Plus, I am not a big fan of the Atom processors. But to each their own.

I settled on this because it has a reasonably powered Celeron dual-core processor and the 11+ inch widescreen. At just over 3 pounds this is the perfect compromise for me. I did not upgrade beyond the provided 2GB of RAM. The installed and included Win7 runs very smoothly. I installed MS Office 2007 and was pleasantly surprised at how peppy everything felt. The flat keys on the full-size keyboard took a bit of getting used to since I normally use keyboards with the scalloped indentations. Battery life has been prety close to what is stated. I know I have used it for at least 5 hours on one charge.

Since this has no CD/DVD drive, I did find it necessary to buy an external drive. I bought one for about $75 (probably could get one cheaper but I needed it for a trip). If you need one, I recommend a drive that draws power directly from the notebook.

I also bought the 12" Targus notebook sleeve--the one with the external pocket. The AC adapter for the notebook and my wireless optical notebook mouse will both fit in there. The notebook fits perfectly into the main pouch.

All in all, a great little machine.

I love this little laptop. It plays movies, great battery power, and Windows 7 is a hit. You may have to update the network driver is using a linksys router. i had problems connecting my wireless until the update. Besides that is a great buy. I ordered 4gb's of RAM too. Very fast.

I have the dual core version with 250GB HD and 4GB of installed ram.

Have had this for several months now and still totally love it. Absolutely no complaints at all so far. Great screen, great keyboard, decent speed, awesome battery life. It is the perfect size and is slim sleek and light. The wifi seems strong and has connected reliably to every network I have tried.

The only con is the lack of built in bluetooth.

Unfortunately they have discontinued this model. The replacement model is not dual core, but does have ATI graphics though.

Bought this for my wife. Paid $399 plus a few dollars for shipping. The setup and data transfer from my old notebook was painless and almost automatic. My friend has an Atom based netbook and there is no comparison. The Acer is fast, lightweight has a great screen and wonderful battery life. Only issue I had was that the microphone didn't work but I was offered a replacement unit. After several days getting it setup exactly the way I wanted it, I was not willing to replace it. I purchased a small external mike for $10 and all is well now for video chats with my family and friends. When I am ready for a new laptop, I plan to purchase this unit for myself.

I've loved having my netbook. I love the color and the simpleness of it. I've not had any problems with it. The camera is clear and the voice and speech is very clear. It performs great and does almost everything my old laptop did. The three USB ports are very handy as well as the HDMI port. The only draw back to having a netbook is not having access to CD/DVD drive. External drives are available but when you are spoiled to having it as part of the computer it does become a small inconvenience.

I brought this laptop on Black Friday last year and thought that this will be the laptop to get. For the price for an high end netbook, you get a notebook that is truly ultraportable with good battery life. It is definitely better than a netbook because it has wireless N and hdmi output. This has a full sized keyboard but the keys are flat. The processor is a speedy intel su2300. It is a better processor than the celeron 743 or the core2 solo su3500 because it is a dual core and has all the power management features as well as support for VT technology. You should choose this notebook with this process despite of its celeron name. It doesn't have bluetooth though despite it has a switch to enable bluetooth. My guess is that it is for the acer 1810's have bluetooth enabled with a slightly better processor and bigger hard drive. The notebook doesn't include a dvd burner, but most of the time you don't need it so why carry that extra weight?

The Acer 1410 is a great little laptop at a good price. After deciding to get a netbook I did a lot of research on the different brands to decide which one to get. The Acer 1410 met all my needs; better performance than your average netbook, larger screen and resolution, light weight and good battery life. The Acer offers all this while still maintaining a similar price to your average netbook.

My final decision came down to between the Acer 1410 and the HP mini 311 with Nvidia ION. I chose the Acer because it has a better processor and I don't plan to use this laptop to do any gaming. So far I have no complaints, the Acer 1410 has met all my expectations.

I purchased this as a gift to my son. He says that, although it cost more than others, he can understand why I encouraged him to choose this one. He loves it.