Over the past few months my son (14) and my daughter (10) have both become increasingly interested in the computer. They are both very much into BEBO and MSN and my son is using the computer more and more for his schoolwork. This is now causing no end of hassle! as I too enjoy using the computer frequently and believe it or not so does my hubby! We now find ourselves hovering while someone is on the computer and when that person happens to move it's a mad dash to see who can reach the chair first!
As neither of the kids had asked for anything specific for their Christmas just "surprises" we decided to buy them each a laptop. We just wanted basic models at a reasonable price, nothing at all fancy for their first computer. After scouring many shops and the internet and being completely bamboozled by technical information and sales pitches we decided to opt for the Fujitsu Siemens ESPRIMO Mobile V5535 from Staples at £299.99.
I will give you the following technical information, which may be useful to someone but I personally really don't understand at all. I'd prefer to spend more time telling you about the actual performance of the laptop.
Technical Information
System
Type - Notebook Built-in Devices - Stereo speakers, wireless LAN aerial Dimensions - w 36cm x d 26cm x h 3.9cm Weight - 2.7kg Processor - Intel Celeron M 530 / 1.73 GHz Data Bus Speed - 533 MHz Chipset Type - SIS M672 Cache Memory - L2 Cache 1 MB Ram - 1 GB / 2 GB (max) DDR II SDRAM - 667 MHz Storage Controller - Serial ATA Storage - 80 GB - Serial ATA 150 - 5400 rpm Optical Storage - DVD + RW (+R double layer) / DVD - RAM - integrated Display Type - 15.4" TFT active matrix Max Resolution - 1280 x 800 (WXGA) Widescreen Display
Packaging
Well packaged with polystyrene to hold neatly in place in a brown box, along with the laptop came the power cable, instruction booklet and 2 back-up discs.
First Impressions
My first impressions were good. This is a really nice looking laptop with a black base and a dark silver/grey lid. It has 4 little rubeer feet on the base to stop is sliding about during use. It is easy to open with a sliding catch at the front. On the left hand side of the laptop there are connections for the power supply, the internet (if you don't have a wireless connection and an external monitor if required. To the front are connections for a microphone and also headphones and to the right are 3 USB ports. The keyboard is black and the screen is great being 15.4" and widescreen.
Set-up
Set-up was really easy, although took a bit longer than the suggested 20 minutes, I would say overall set-up probably took about 1 hour. Once plugged into the power the instructions for set-up appeared step by step on the laptop screen and were very easy to follow. We already have wireless broadband and again connection to the internet was also very easy, the only information I needed was a reference number from my router.
Performance
These laptops have basically been on every day since Christmas for about 4 - 5 hours per day and to date have performed very well. My daughter uses her laptop for storing her photographs, so far she has over 700 stored on her computer, the internet and playing games. Performance is very good, internet connection is good with good speed. My son uses his laptop for storing music, he has over 30 albums stored on his laptop, which he listens to all the time, he also stores photographs and also enjoys the internet. I have had no complaints from either and certainly have not experienced any problems at all.
Battery life is probably not very good for someone planning to travel with their laptop as we have only really managed to get 1 hour from a fully charged battery, but again these laptops were not bought from travelling so again suit the purpose they were bought for.
The kids love the keyboards and both find typing with them very easy, although I personally don't like the keyboard, I find the keys too close together, but I am a medical secretary and type all day using a desktop, so it's just not what I'm used to.
The touchpad mouse took a bit of getting used to but the kids and myself all find it very easy to use and navigate around the screen, the kids now even prefer this kind of mouse.
Software
This laptop comes with Windows Vista Home Basic pre-installed this is the only complaint I would have with this laptop. It hasn't really caused too many problems but as the name would suggest it is VERY basic. Although the laptop comes with a DVD rewriter with Vista Basic you can only copy DVDs, you can't watch them through your laptop. This was a bit disappointing for the kids as the large screen is a great size for watching a DVD in bed but we were able to download a driver from the internet for a couple of pounds, which now allows them to watch DVDs through their laptops. Another problem we encountered with Windows Vista Basic is that with it being a new system some hardware won't work with it. My daughter got a digital camera for her Christmas and although all the software is installed on the computer it won't let you upload photos from it, as it will only work with Windows 2000 - XP.
Overall Views
I would definitely recommend this computer for a first time computer for an older child, teenager or even an adult just starting out. It is very easy to use, looks good, has a good-sized screen and performs very well. Great value for money but I would probably recommend upgrading to Windows Vista Premium, although we have managed to download all the extras we needed very easily from the internet all for a couple of pounds.
Thanks for reading and I hope it has been helpful.
Excellent review! Fully informative and nicely sectioned. It's an E from me, which I will place later. Electra.
lozzy_lou178 08.01.2008 17:46
"We now find ourselves hovering while someone is on the computer and when that person happens to move it's a mad dash to see who can reach the chair first". This sounds just like my house! Great review, very detailed and simple, without going into the nitty gritty bit that I never understand!!
astrababe 08.01.2008 00:33
A very helpful review. Probably what my kids would be looking for too but having Vista pre-installed would annoy me too as I prefer XP.
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Advantages: Good middle range laptop for work or leisure. Reasonably priced. Disadvantages: It is not for gaming and is not fast enough for more modern games.
Advantages: Good middle range laptop for work or leisure. Reasonably priced. Disadvantages: It is not for gaming and is not fast enough for more modern games.
Jan 7th, 2008
exceptional by (8%):
very helpful by (92%):
