December 13th, 2009 | 
Author: Based in Taiwan, Acer is a computer company. They are the second largest computer manufacturer in the world. In the rankings, they are after Hewlett Packard and just a little before Dell. The company is best known for it’s laptops, especially the Aspire and Ferrari series. Though they are currently the bestselling manufacturer in the world, there just a couple of things you need to consider before you decide to buy any Acer laptops.
These machines appear to be well-built on the outside. That is first thing you should know. On the inside, however, it is a different story. Their machinery is known to be flimsy. This is especially true of the cooling fans inside. It only takes one drop and the machine is pretty much ruined. It is advised that you get this checked into as soon as possibleto avoid terrible problems later on.
Another problem with Acer is their repair policy. Unlike most major companies, Acer doesn’t like to send their parts to stores so that their computers can be fixed under warranty by the place of purchase. Instead, customers are expected to pay close to five hundred dollars to have their PC shipped out. That does not even cover the cost of the repairs.
Wireless Internet may pose as a problem if you are not using a high end Internet service provider or good router. Acer has a built in Internet connection manager that interferes greatly with your connectivity. Be wary of that at all times.
Yet, there is a certain appeal to the Acer brand. They are cherished by some of their customers for the low price, and high quality merchandise. Acer boasts the most popular line of laptops behind Dell by a wide margin. Their Aspire series is geared towards the casual user while Ferrari is considered to be the business counterpart. No matter what you brand you go with, it is advised you go with caution.
There are few good qualities about the Acer brand. The Aspire series is for those who are on a budget. This line of laptops was designed with the college student budget in mind. They have a good amount of memory, and are sleek in design. This and their general cost appeal to those who need a cheap laptop that will run efficiently.
Probably the best thing about Acer is that they do tend to run very well. If they are probably cared for, they last well past the normal laptop life span. Web browsing, if using a high quality service, runs quickly.
Purchasing Acer Laptops for yourself or loved one can be a bit hectic if you go in unprepared. They have amazing quality products. Just make sure that you know what you are getting into before purchase.
Andrew Johnson is an expert in computer consumables. If you want more information about varieties of Acer laptops or are searching for a reputable computer retailer please visit http://www.ebuyer.com
Posted in Hardware | 
Tags: Acer, Acer laptop, Acer laptops, computers, electronics, Hardware, laptop, laptops
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I’ve had the Acer 1410 for a week now and am delighted with the purchase. It has several significant advantages over the now-standard Netbooks: processor, keyboard, and memory capacity, which I’ll address in Pros. In the Cons I’ll mention a couple of minor things and one major one.
Pros: (1) Processor. The Core Solo is a 64-bit platform, unlike the Atom that is found in most of the netbooks. This means that you can run a 64-bit operating system such as 64-bit Linux or Windows7, which in turn will allow you to utilize the maximum 4 GB that the 1410 will hold. More of that in a moment. It is also, depending on the benchmark, between 3 and 6 times as fast as the Atom in normal-usage processing. Note: a multi-core version of this is due for release next year; if processing power is a factor in purchase that might be worth waiting for. For everything I’ve done so far the machine seems quite a bit faster than a colleague’s netbook.
(2) Keyboard. It really is a full-size keyboard. I find it easier to touch-type on than the reduced-size keyboards typical of the 9-inch netbooks. Like them, however, it has no dedicated Home and End keys. The touchpad is flush with the keyboard and it takes a little adjustment to feel the ridge where the touchpad ends. Good, positive-feeling buttons below in the “normal” laptop configuration.
(3) Memory Capacity. It’s 4 GB, which is double most of the netbooks and four times that of some. Minimizing disk access not only gives a performance increase but prolongs battery life. My machine shipped with a single 2 GB stick – I bought the extra stick from Amazon and installation was a snap – about five minutes with a single screwdriver. Noticeable performance increase.
Cons: (1) Case is shiny and quite attractive, but it’s a fingerprint magnet. Very noticeable, but a very minor annoyance.
(2) Screen is not matte – this is both good and bad. It allows the display extra brightness, which is nice for these old eyes, but it also allows glare if there is a bright light behind the user. Not so minor annoyance if it can’t be adjusted, which it usually can.
(3) The installed trialware. This has nothing to do with the hardware and everything to do with Acer marketing. Shame on them. When first plugged into the Internet and turned on, the box was set to automatically download (a) 29 Windows updates (mine shipped with Vista Home Premium), (b) a McAfee virus signature update AND an engine update, (c) the Acer registration, (d) an update for a disk encryption program named MyWinLocker. Disk light was solid blue for over a half-hour. Terrible first impression. Warning: do NOT try to interrupt the MyWinLocker update (don’t even do it) because it does not break cleanly and the de-installation program no longer works if you interrupt the update. Hooks everywhere in the Registry. Total mess. You get, in addition, a 60-day trial of Microsoft Office and what appeared to be SQL 2005. On a netbook? And an Acer games suite as well, And some communications shareware. And…etc, etc, etc.
I put up with that for a day and then opted to slick the drive (250 GB, which for a netbook is on the large side) and install 64-bit Win7. What a relief! Very crisp response, brilliant graphics, and now it’s everything Acer designed it to be. I can’t stress enough how shipping it loaded down with Vista and bloatware hurt the initial impression. Caution – although the 32-bit driver for the advanced features (multi-finger functions) worked fine with 32-bit Win7 it does not under the 64-bit version. Presumably this will be corrected shortly. It seemed a small sacrifice.
Overall impression – it’s exactly what it’s supposed to be, a step up from a standard netbook that handles more memory, bigger keyboard, and a faster processor, but not necessarily a replacement for a fully-powered laptop. Longer battery life than the latter. It’s a straight tradeoff. I’m delighted with the purchase.
My next project will be replacing the hard drive with a solid-state one. Great performance numbers on the latter and it should increase battery life still further.