I chose this laptop because it was one of the cheapest I had found with a good specification. Also with Acer there was the option of an extended warranty (which I didn't take but had been thinking about it).
I bought a laptop because I needed my own computer for uni work. I have found the laptop to be very easy to use and does everything I need it to do. It is easy to use on the move as it is not too heavy.
I have had no problems with this and mine is nearly 6 months old and has been used quite a lot.
I like the 15" screen as it makes quite a difference to a 14.1" screen however it does make it look quite a bit larger than other laptops.
It has 3 USB ports. There is a USB port at the front (don't use a memory stick in this port as you knock it whilst typing!) and USB ports on the side.
The CD-RW is fairly quick. There is a DVD reader but no writer. There is no floppy drive. This had made no difference to me as I have a USB memory stick. The floppy drive seems a bit weak but it's been fine. I don't know how this compares to other laptops though.
I have used this laptop with dial-up internet and it worked very well.
The keyboard is very easy to use as the keys aren't squashed together. You only need to press the keys lightly which is good. The touchpad is very easy to use. It took me a while to get used to after only ever using a mouse. However you need to be careful as if you press the touchpad it acts like a click of a mouse. This can either be very useful or extremely irritating. I found I would knock it whilst typing an essay, highlight a whole area of text, press another key and it would wipe away large chunks of text. However, there is a touchpad disable option to stop you doing this, but then you have to re-enable it everytime you need to move the cursor.
It came with some software including Norton Antivirus (I have found this to be very annoying as it constantly says it needs to be updated by connecting to the internet. This is fine if you are often online, but I don't use the internet with this computer). It also came with Window XP with is excellent in my opinion. However it doesn't come with any software packages such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, you will have to buy these separately. also comes with CD burning software.
Major downside is it can be quite noisy in my opinion. Not sure what the sound is (could be a fan as that is what it sounds like). This is fine when at home or alone, but not great when in a quiet place!
In my opinion this is suitable for home office use, school work. It's not really designed for multimedia activities.
Finally, I like the colour is nice because it is metallic gray!
This retails for around £530 on the Acer website or Comet do a slightly less spec. one for £450 in the shop or £390 is you buy offline. Well worth the money in my opinion, but it is difficult to rate how good it is because it depends on what you want to use it for. It is perfect for what I do. My cousin has just spent £1000 on a Sony laptop and I don't think he even knows how to use a computer - for him I think that is a complete waste of money and he would be better having what I've got.
More details
Memory / capacity
Good
Ease of use
Easy
Range of Extra Features
Satisfactory
Instruction manual
Satisfactory
Manufacturer Support
Satisfactory
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