I am using this laptop currently, right now I am even typing on it I have been using this laptop for around 6 months after it was bought for my by my boyfriend who bough it off his dad for just £50 it originally started life in a school as one of their many laptops and when they updated them they were just dis-guarded. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it when I bought it and it was all wiped clean and ready to use by the time I got it. It came with Windows XP Professional already installed which is the standard operating system for this brand of laptop.
Since owning this laptop it has been brilliant I had not had a laptop before this and found it great for lying in bed till late on a night on the internet,
it is only very light weighing around just 2.8kg so not very heavy at all. It has a 15" screen and is rather slim line so doesn't take up much space either. This also makes it easy to carry around and very portable so an ideal business laptop as well. It is really easy to use and the buttons are well spaced out they keyboard buttons are not to stiff or too soft. I had no instruction manual come with this as it was second hand so I can't comment on any instruction manual these may have come with but it certainly doesn't need one as it is so easy to work especially for those who are computer literate.
This laptop computer has a wireless connectivity built in so is ready to get connected to the internet without any problems. The processor is an Intel Centrino which optimised battery life and processor speed making this laptop very practical. It also has built in stereo speakers with a left and a right channel all though these are not brilliant and even when on full volume are not very loud or good quality but you can add better speakers via the inbuilt speaker port to improve the sound volume and quality. It also has a PCMCIA slot for expanding your hardware with devises such as mobile data cards. It also has an infrared port which allows you to wirelessly connect to wireless devices such as mobile phones and printers and also has USB 2.0 which allows peripherals to be connected by this popular standard at very high speeds.
The battery life lasts around 3 hours when being used constantly, however sometimes it does not last as long not sure why might be something to do with the power management setting I do feel the battery life could be improved as the manufacturer say it should last longer they are obviously being a little optimistic with their statistics. The charger that comes with it charges the laptop really quickly his standard charger worked really well and rarely became loose un-till the lovely puppy ate it! Unfortunately it is really hard to find a good replacement cable for this laptop and all the ones we have found that fit have been no where as good as the original one and keep coming loose and getting damaged.
It also has a DVD ROM/CD RW which allows it to play DVDs and record CDs quickly and easily with the correct software. There is also a TV out connector on the back which allows you to connect it to the TV so you can watch what ever is on the screen easily ideal for watching DVDs while you are away somewhere. It also has the fire wire feature for connecting digital video cameras so you can edit videos that you have taken.
I really like the style of this laptop it is greyish black in colour with black keypad with white keys, the buttons on the top and around the mouse pad are a stylish silver. This laptop does get hot really easily probably due to the air intake being on the bottom of the computer not a very practical place for it to be really. So you have to make sure air can get to it.
I have recently managed to fill this laptop up i do however have a 10 mega pixel camera i regually upload pictures from so these probably do take up a lot of space but i feel this laptop does has room for improvement on memory/space.
Prices second hand for this laptop will vary massively I doubt you will see many sold for £50 I have looked for information on how much they are sold for but can't find any so I am guessing they are also hard to get hold of I would imagine a second hand laptop computer of this brand would be worth around £150.00
I have found this laptop very reliable occasionally the mouse will have an off day and not work very well but saying that I have spilt numerous things over it and it has not done any major harm. I have also dropped it off the bed and stuff before and it has proved to be very robust. It is used a lot and doesn't show any effects of wear what so ever. As with all Acer laptops this model comes with 12months manufacturer's warranty.
I am giving it a 5 star excellent rating as it has been nothing but excellent for me except a few little things which are probably more to do with it being a second hand older well used laptop.
I have attached pictures below of my own laptop of this brand. Excuse the crumbs and dirt!!
Pictures of Acer TravelMate 290LCi
Screen, Keypad etc
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
(+) Bodi laptop 15.6-inch screen size was quite robust (-) Dell on this product has a tendency to become 'magnet' for fingerprints and within a short time th
This Replacement Laptop AC Power Adapter/Charger for your laptop enables you to operate ... more
your notebook or charge the battery from electrical power outlets. If you are running your computer on AC power with a battery installed, the adapter charges the battery (if needed) and maintains its charge. When the system is off, the AC adapter will charge the battery and then maintain its charge.
Postage & Packaging:£3.49 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Apr 16th, 2008
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