Customer Reviews

Acer AS1551-4650 11.6-Inch Notebook

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

We have been using this netbook for just over a month now and we are very happy with our purchase. We had a Gateway before and it was good but it died on us so I did a tonne of research before we bought this one.

This one had everything we wanted; HDMI, dual processor, full Windows 7 etc. We think it works very fast, especially compared to our old laptop which we thought was pretty fast. The size of this one is perfect too. I wasn't keen on the 10.1 inch ones because I thought they were too small and our last one was a 15.6 inch which was a little too big to be portable.

We love the HDMI output, we hook it up to our TV to watch stuff from Hulu and Netflix. I also like how it seems to auto-adjust when you plug in the HDMI cable, we always had to fiddle with the settings on our Gateway to get it to display correctly on our TV. All in all I am glad we went with this one.

this laptop is decent...the speed is could be better but what can you expect from a laptop at this price and this little...it is I warn you a little slow in processing a few things at once...if you have one internet explorer open and open another one, it takes a few seconds to load everything up...but this is coming from me a guy who custom builts his own desktop soo...but try it out..perfect for students..faster than most netbooks...

PROs:
- its faster than most netbooks at this price range.
- battery seems to last ok, about 3-4 hrs on power saving mode.
- not heavy at all
- top of screen is mesh...no finger print identity stolen or shall i say not a finger print magnet
- thats all i can think of at this moment

CONs:
- the key pad seems to be not a regular or triditional key pad but wider in length...if you are used to
the normal key pads you will need to get use to this one beacause everything is spaced a little wider
- it does tend to get hot with only one fan blowing out the hot air on the left hand side where the
plug goes into. (major con; as it produces more heat there when charging and close to the cpu)
- dont be freaked out if the resolutions for your games are smaller not abling you to play with comfort. so
far i havent found a fix to this but the resolution changes into a traditional square like resolution,
not wide enough to fit your screen. I've tried everything i can find online but no fix.
- i dont know if you consider this a con but the screen and side of the screen scratches very easily.

thats all i could think of right now as amazon send me so many emails just to review this product...hope this helps a little and good luck...ohh and i bought mine when it was selling at $424...that was about 3 weeks ago and it was the best deal i can find after much shopping online and on the web. Also looking at and researching the benchmark the many cpu for these netbooks this one had the best cpu for the price...64 bit processor i would say this is the best for the price...i dont mean to sound bigoted but if you are just an average user and havent owned or experience a fast comp, get this laptop...its comparable to my bros 2 years old vostro 200 desktop from dell...well thats it ill leave things here...good luck on your search

Bought the computer to use at school for a class on excel and a class on microsoft access. Been using it for over a week now and I'm satisfied with my purchase and would by no means take it back or request a refund. That said, I know that the item description gives a lot of the pros and not any cons so I'll try to do my best to show where it could be stronger.

Cons:
The mouse "swirls" a little too often when I put some simple functions into excel. Could probably use to have the extra 2GB RAM slot filled. (But that's fairly cheap and easy to do).
(This should do the trick, Crucial CT25664BC1067 2GB 204-PIN PC3-8500 SODIMM DDR3 Memory Module)
The Office 2010 suite was a little hard to install because of downloading issues that could have been avoided with the use of an optical drive (i.e. DVD-ROM)

Pros:
Okay so I lied, I've gotta add some pros to this sweet little machine because honestly its just as good as I could have hoped for if not better.
The battery life is OUTSTANDING. I can be surfing/ doing homework on and off for an 8 hour day without the power cord anywhere near me. Works perfect because I can pull the computer off the charger in the morning and roam cord free all day.
Super light weight. A benefit of losing the optical drive but its all give and take.


Overall I'm really happy with the purchase and would recommend it to anyone, that is unless you're doing heavy gaming or video processing. Great little guy for on the go basics and you can't beat the price.

UPDATE:
I've had this computer for about a month now and I'm really impressed with its resilience. I haven't dropped it or anything (knock on wood) but I've left it out in the car over-night in sub-zero weather (with minimal battery life left) on multiple occasions and have always been able to pull it right out of my bag, plug it in and go to work. Even after all this stress I'm still able to go a full day on a single charge (if I remember to bring it in and charge it at night).
One month later... still VERY pleased with my purchase.

I purchased this notebook/netbook to replace an outdated ASUS netbook that was giving me trouble. This is only a secondary computer to me for when I travel. I decided to go with this particular model because it offered more RAM than most other computers its size, a dual core processor, Windows 7 premium, and had decent reviews. I purchased it for $379 from Amazon. Before even starting the computer, I upgraded the RAM to 4GB, so I cannot tell you how she does with just 2GB. Upgrading the memory was as easy as removing a panel underneath, slide in the new chip into an empty expansion port, replace the panel, and start up the computer, plus the extra 2GB memory costed me around $25. The computer starts quickly, and runs all my applications efficiently. The keyboard was larger than my previous netbook, so my hands don't feel too cramped. The HDMI port is a blessing when I want to watch free TV over the internet. My only dislikes is the touch pad pointer was kind of slow, which may be adjustable, I just didn't bother since I prefer to use a portable mouse, and I didn't see anything written in the manual about the keyboard being moisture resistent in case you spill on it, like many other notebooks, so be careful when drinking coffee next to it. Outside of that, I am very pleased with my purchase.

I've been using this netbook for about a month now and it's lived up to my expectations. I chose the Acer AS1551-4560 over the ASUS Eee PC 1015PEM-PU17-BK 10.1-Inch Netbook (Black) and also over this one: ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1215N-PU17-SL 12.1-Inch Netbook (Silver). I chose it because of the faster processor as I would be using it as my main laptop for mainly internet, office applications, and some iTunes. For about the same price, the 1015PEM gives you a slower processor, Windows Basic, less RAM, a smaller screen and scaled down keyboard. On the other hand the 1015 does give you about twice the battery life so if that's what you want out of a netbook then get that one. I mostly work with the power connected so for me not really an issue. The Asus 1215N will give you a slightly bigger screen (only .5 inch bigger diagonally), longer battery life, but a slower processor, and 32 bit windows which will limit your RAM to 3GB, and it's like $100 more. For $50 more than the 1215N you can get an Acer Timeline series which is more of a real notebook and give you long battery life to go along with it. The 1215N's dealbreaker for me however was the weak pin on the power jack that many complained about in their reviews. I live out of the country and wouldn't be able to easily return it if something happened.

Anyways, as for the Acer AS1551, most of the reviews here explain what you'll need to know. I'll just mention some stuff that might not have been mentioned...

The keyboard, it's a little different, flat wide keys with a short travel. It doesn't take long to get used to and the keys sound quality, not too tinny.

The touchpad is pretty much useless, I don't even mess with the multitouch gestures and even moving the cursor is a pain. I use an external mouse. I don't take away any stars though because most netbooks this size have a micro touchpad like this. If you've used tiny touchpads before and don't mind, then this is a non-issue for you. The only touchpad I've used (on an 11" ) that I would choose over a mouse is on the MacBook Air, but it's more than twice the price. One of the reasons the touchpad is so small is because the battery is flat, and fits above the keyboard, pushing everything south and cramping the touchpad. I prefer a flush-fitting battery to a bigger touchpad though (because I would still be using an external mouse).

The battery lasts about 4 hours or less under light to moderate use. The battery is not great, but I never work without a power supply more than 2 hours at a time. You might want more battery time on an overseas flight.

Camera is fine, but I had to update the audio drivers, because my voice was choppy on Skype. I don't know this is a problem on all of these machines. The update (on Acer's website) worked and now the mic is fine.

As for performance, it's noticeably slower than your mainstream notebook (I popped in an extra 2 GB ram into the empty slot, from Crucial, a relatively simple procedure that I had never done before. You just unscrew the back panel, and insert the new RAM module in at a 45 degree angle until it fits snug, then push it down until it locks in). My other machine is nothing special, an HP with 2.5Ghz core i3 and 4GB RAM, but it is much faster than this ACER. But for me performance is adequate and I am not using this ACER for gaming, nor would I recommend it.

So for less than $400, this netbook is a good deal. If you're looking at a smaller 10 inch netbook, the bigger screen and keyboard on the Acer AS1551 make a pretty big difference in comfort, especially if you're gonna be on it for hours at a time. The 64bit Windows is a nice touch too. If you need battery life though, you'll have to go with the smaller machine, or pay quite a bit more for an Acer Timeline series or equivalent.

hope this helps!

Sure, it has just a 11.6" display.....but, for me, this machine is much more than a netbook. The design is efficient and the build quality is tight. It feels good in your hand.....thin, solid with just the right amount of weight. (Hey...everything could be lighter, right?) The dual core cpu handles all your applications. The keyboard is a nice step up from the tiny 10 inch netbooks and the key travel is perfect. The display is gorgeous. The webcam is better than average. RAM and hard disc are generous. HDMI is there, plenty of USB ports and a card slot too. Priced right in the $380 range, you are getting a powerful little machine here. If you looking at 10-inchers with single core cpus in the $250 price point, you'll be getting a toy compared to this fine little PC.....highly recommended.

Overall impression: This notebook isn't too bad for the price. The dual processor definitely makes itself felt compared to my Atom 230 based Acer netbook that this replaces. Used mostly for flash based games in Facebook, this notebook does fairly well. Don't expect it to even run Starcraft2 without major stuttering during gameplay even at it's lowest resolution though (that's not what it's designed for, but thought it'd be worth a shot to see how it ran!).

Pros: Lightweight. Very portable. Not a fingerprint magnet. Nice textured lid. Stays relatively cool as long as you're not blocking the bottom fan port. 11.6 inch screen is more usable than my old 10.1 sized screen. Get 3-4 hours of use unless I'm doing something that really taxes the processors

Cons: Be careful about opening the bottom cover to check it's innards. Not sure what I originally did, but after opening it up to see the memory slots available and confirm the type of memory, the range of the wifi reception degraded. Had to reopen and check the wifi antenna wires to make sure nothing was in contact with each other or against metallic parts to get my signal strength back. Still waiting to see if they'll have a replacement battery for extended usage time. Miss the 7-8 hour battery time I have on old Acer netbook.

Light, small but not too small, plenty fast, decent battery life! I have no complaints with this netbook itself.
If there is anything I can think of, it is the OS. It is Windows. Yes, Windows 7 is much improved, but still, it is Windows.

Like the notebook. Its small, lightweight, good mobility.
Keyboard is average compared to other laptops I have used.
Be careful - this doesn't have CD/DVD drive.
I forgot to check for and have to buy an slim external drive.

I've had this for about a week now. It's a great computer with HDMI, 3x USB, VGA, LAN, 802.11b/g/n, audio in, and headphone/spdif. Comes with a 250GB 5000 rpm SATA HD, 1 stick 2GB DDR3. One memory slot is available so you can add memory without replacing what's already there. Just make sure the new memory is DDR3 for laptops. I have not tried the VGA, but with HDMI and lid closed the resolution is 1920 x 1200 the maximum of my TV. By itself the resolution is 1366 x 768. I plan to add a DVD drive, speakers and HTPC keyboard to make this part of entertainment center.