Customer Reviews

Acer Aspire TimelineX AS5820T-5951 15.6-Inch HD Laptop (Black Brushed Aluminum)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Well I bought two of these and all I can say is that I am considering a third. the construction of the unit is good, all materials feel solid and well made. here are the pros and cons:

Pros:

battery life is good approximately 6.5 - 8.5 hours when surfing with wi-fi and brightness set to lowest and power saver mode is on

i3 processor is surprisingly robust especially when placed on high performance mode

15.6" HD screen is awesome in low light situations but have not tried HDMI output as yet

4 usb ports always a plus

windows 7 is the best

4 gigs of ram is perfect for the machine

laptop is thinner than all others i have seen at this price point

it stays really cool

webcam and mic are good quality especially for skype

wi-fi connects easily and signal never drops ( using an N router and it configures in seconds)

games play really well especially when you consider that it has integrated Intel HD graphics and not a discrete card

cons:

not as light as i initially thought

battery life is nowhere close to 8 hrs when not in power saver mode

screen is hard to see in direct sunlight

hard drive may be too small 320gig for some especially for a $700.00+ laptop

aluminum lid gets smudges on it which are really hard to get rid of

crapware galore

Although there are minor problems with various elements you must consider that this machine is an extended battery life laptop without a ULV processor and not a mainstream laptop. so i would recommend this laptop to anyone who is considering it as it is a buy buy buy any day.

I had been using a netbook and liked the size and battery life it provided...however, I'm in my 70's and dealing with the small font, not to mention the slow speed of the netbook, I was growing tired of the netbook in general. When I read the reviews on this laptop I ordered one right off the bat. Most impressed with the battery life (I would guess I get about 6 1/2 hours and the speed is off the map by comparison top the netbook. Granted it's much bigger but does only weigh a bit over 5 pounds...terrific computer. Lightening fast!!

I have had 3 variations of Acer Computers and good luck with all of them.

I decided to get a new laptop because my previous laptop was starting to show its age. My old laptop was an Acer and it was still very reliable overall so I decided to go with another Acer computer and I wasn't disappointed. Acer has a good reputation with me for fast, reliable computers.

The appearance is very sleek and stylish. It's ultra thin and lightweight. However it does have a wide screen resolution which may take a little while to get used to if you haven't had a computer with that kind of resolution before. (Like me) Because of the wider screen, the keyboard is wider as well which gives it room for a number pad. The rest of the keyboard and the mouse pad are off center as a result but after a day or two I was used to it.

The battery life is not an exaggeration either and even when I've had the computer turned on and plugged in for hours it still runs cool.

Other than that the computer runs super fast and the graphics are great! :D

I replaced a 17" Toshiba Windows Vista Home Premium machine with this one from Amazon, a 15.6" model, and have had few regrets. The Toshiba ran at 2.0 MHz, and this one runs at 2.26 MHz. The difference is amazing. I'm not entirely sold on Windows 7 yet, but I'm learning to like it. This keyboard feels better than the Toshiba's, and more natural. The performance of this Acer is awesome, and I have had no trouble at all in setting up programs, my preferences, etc. The 8 hour battery life is not a joke. It can literally be used all day before recharging. This machine is attractive, light-weight, and as competent as I could ask of it.

For the money, you would be hard-pressed to find a more capable laptop. I used to be a huge Toshiba fan, but having had a few problems with their support responses, I'm not so much any longer. I am now an Acer fan. Get this one.

I was searching for over a month for a laptop for back-to-school...I previously had an Acer 15.4" laptop which has lasted me 4-5 years, but the 512 RAM in it made things very frustrating, so i needed something new and faster...

This 15.6" computer has a full keyboard with num pad, unlike my slightly smaller acer. The laptop is extremely light, and also very very thin, when i first pulled it out of the box i was very surprised, but thin is good. Its basically as thin as the mac books. The best feature of this laptop for me was the 8 hr battery life...now we all know that those suggested 8 hrs is basically when it is on and you're not doing anything on it, but I've actually gotten over 6 hours of battery life on it using word processor, watching movies, surfing internet etc.

The web cam on it makes for very clear picture during skype or msn video conversations as well. I also love the HDMI output which makes connecting this laptop to my 50" plasma very easy for movie watching.

The only thing that has been annoying is that the mousepad is not centered in the middle of the laptop like my previous computer...but it appears that most laptops have the mousepad centered under the keyboard rather then centered on the computer. I will get used to this eventually

Overall, the only thing that could make this slightly better is increased hard drive...i'm not sure why acer provides 4 gb RAM, and the new I3 processor and all the other good stuff this laptop has but only a 320 gb hard drive...

Still give it 5 star rating...LOVE IT!

This is my first laptop. I got it about 2 weeks ago. Getting it started with the wireless in my house was easy, but I have not taken it anywere yet. I tried taking it oustide on a nice day, but the glare on the screen was too bad.

I love the 10 key pad, and it does not bother me that the keyboard sits a bit to the side. I have it mostly on my lap but have not noticed too much heat build up.

Battery: The battery is supposed to last for 8 hours, but just using the internet, I get about 4-5 hours out of it.

HDMI: I bought a HDMI cable and hooked up the laptop to the TV (newer model). The TV showed exactly what was on my laptop and I had no problem streaming netflix.

Webcam: I had bought a logitec webcam for my desktop and it worked great. I then used my laptop and skype to talk to my parents, who complained about the laptops webcam. The picture wasn't that great and the movements were jerky, they also did not like the mic. I pretty much told them to suck it on the webcam, but used the logitec headphones and mic and my parents were much happier that way. The sound on the laptop is ok. But, it is much better using the headphones when listening to music or watching a movie.

Touchpad: The touchpad at times is almost too sensitive, but I rather have it that way than not respond well at all. I just need to train myself to be a bit more careful and light fingered.

Windows 7: It comes with Windows 7, which I am still learning to use. When I go into the control panel I am mostly lost where anything is located and it takes some searching to find what I want.....I guess it will just take some getting used to.

In all I am pretty happy with the purchase. Again, this is my first laptop so I am not as experienced as some, but I think it is a pretty good choice. I hope it will not crap out on me in the next few months or my 4 star review will instantly drop to a 1.

This laptop has served me well in the past few months. It is lightweight and durable (from what I can tell so far... hasn't gotten damaged).

SPEED: I don't do that much with the laptop. Mostly browsing the internet, watching videos, playing music, using Word, etc. I haven't really tested it with games. The laptop has almost never felt slow. When I played Portal, it lagged between levels, but didn't lag during levels.

VIDEO: The monitor is good. It is easy to change the brightness (Fn+left or Fn+right). The laptop sometimes struggles with online video, but playing a DVD is flawless.

SOUND: The speakers are adequate, but I would recommend buying external speakers if you plan on listening to a lot of music. If you turn up the volume too much, the sound gets a little distorted. Like the brightness, changing the volume is very easy (Fn+Up or Fn+Down).

KEYBOARD: The key size is fine and I'm very happy that it has a Num Pad. I was afraid when I originally bought it that the keys would be squished because of the Num Pad, but they are not.

TOUCHPAD: The touchpad is smooth and nice. It includes pinch zooming functions, but I ended up finding them to be very annoying, so I disabled them (which was easy to do). I really like the scrolling features. Moving your finger up or down on the right side of the touchpad scrolls up and down. If you leave your finger on the pad, you can even move it in a circle, and the direction (clockwise or counter-clockwise) will determine how it scrolls.

BATTERY-LIFE: The battery-life of this laptop is superb. When I bring it to several classes in a row to take notes, it never runs out of battery. If I am not watching video and am not doing anything terribly CPU intensive, I can get 6-8 hours of battery life. If I have a lot of programs open, it get around 4.5 hours. I've never run out of battery.

PRE-INSTALLED SOFTWARE: The laptop comes with some useful software (such as Flash and Adobe Reader). However, it comes with a bunch of small trial games (such as Yatzhee). There are around 20 of these small games installed and each allows you to play it twice for free.

UBUNTU: For those of you who want to install Ubuntu (a popular Linux distribution) on this machine, beware that Ubuntu does not come with a compatible network driver. When I first installed Ubuntu, I did not have access to the Internet (while I was running Ubuntu. Windows 7 was not affected).

This laptop is lightweight and is fast. Have had no issues. Removed some of the bloatware easily. Good buy for the money.

I wanted a laptop that had good battery life and wasn't small like a netbook. This laptop is just as labeled, its thin and the battery lasts a long time but it is also pretty powerful and has been able to handle the everyday tasks that I throw at it. If your looking for a laptop that you can take around with you all day and not worry about having to plug it in this is the one you looking for.

Note: Original review follows customer service update.

-------------->>>>> 10/5/10 I did get the battery within 4 days of finally getting the "authorization." Apparently, patience pays!

Here's what I am going through to get a spare battery:

1) Register the unit with Acer

2) Email customer support to request the battery, being sure to give the serial number

3) Receive an email back asking why you need a battery

4) Tell them why and request again

5) Receive an email telling you to follow a link to fill out payment information and then email back when you have done so

6) Reply to this email asking how much the battery costs and what S&H will cost

7) Receive an email back telling you "approximately" how much

8) Follow the link to the payment info page, fill it out (including shipping address)

9) Write an email to Acer telling them you have finally submitted the payment info page

10) Receive an email from Acer asking for your shipping address and preferred method

11) Reply with the requested info...

Are you getting the picture? Holy kaka. I'm still waiting to find out what step 12 is! Why is ordering a battery a 12 Step Program?

ORIGINAL REVIEW

Solid build and, very important for grad students who have lots of lectures to review and online notes to read, a sharp, rich, crystal clear screen. Color is fantastic.

Sound is reasonable for those lectures, but my wife still needs more volume and wants to listen to tunes without headphones, so I picked up a little external speaker system.

Keyboard is excellent with minimal flex.

The four USB ports (one is a SATA/USB combo) and other connection points are sensibly located on the sides (nothing on the back).

I like the solid feel because I have to carry this in my backpack to school a few times a week. Definitely light enough, and I trust the battery enough to leave the little power brick at home. I've gotten over five hours on battery with the wireless going full blast the whole time.

ACER customer service seemed vague about the price of an extra battery, but they finally, after making me register the product, told me it would cost "around $80 plus shipping." From experience, I know having an extra battery is very handy and can extend the life of both batteries by several years.

The webcam is about average and works fine for video phone calls and class conferencing activities.

Wireless reception seems strong on campus and at home (but we have a great router).

It looks good, feels solid, displays text, video and pics brilliantly, and will probably be all my wife needs for the next five plus years.