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"Looks like a great deal!!" on by Neversky
Pros: Great Desktop Replacement, Fast 2GHZ Pentium M Sonoma, Lots of RAM and Storage Space, Everything you could want in a notebook at a decent price.
Cons: 1024 x 768 screen res. is somewhat disappointing.
Summary: I will be purchasing this laptop some time in the distant future. After lots of research of different laptops. I have decided that this laptop meets all my expectations and at a price that wont break me. I'm a college student that excells in the computer realm so I need something that can handle being a desktop replacement at a reasonable price. I really liked the Toshiba Tecra M4, but at the same price as this, the Toshiba offers a slower processor a 60gb HDD, 512MB RAM, and no bluetooth. I'll update this posting once I own the laptop.
Updated
I purchased this notebook some time ago, and I must say I have no regrets at all. I use this computer at home as my main computer, in fact, I haven't used my desktop in months. I also use this computer at work and it's great for someone like me in a position where I need to have my computer available in other parts of the office. The tablet feature is wonderful. I was expecting that the text recognition would only be so-so, but after trying it out, it can recognize even the crappiest of hand writing. It even reads my signature successfully. As expected it is not always 100% accurate and sometimes will require a little bit of tweaking. As far as the overall functionality of the machine, it handles like a champ. I do a bit of gaming and it does just about as good as my desktop can do. Granted I can't crank the graphics all the way, it is pretty impressive to be able to play graphics intensive games on a notebook. Just a correction on the specs the computer is preloaded with 128 megs of VRAM not 32, and the DVD-RW is dual layer. The only big complaint I have is the hard drive is only 4200 RPM's. This means the boot time is nothing impressive, though it is not terribly bad. It's perfect for those who turn their computer on in the morning, grab a cup of coffee, then come back and crank away. Battery life is fairly impressive for all of the funcionality this machine offers. I can get 3 hours pretty easy. The screen res on this machine was one reason I almost didn't purchase it, 1024 x 768 isn't great, but for most bigger text is a good thing. For me I prefer more work area, but 1024 x 768 is good enough. I can hook up an external monitor and crank it up to 1280 x 1024 which is my prefered screen res. Overall I would give this computer an 8.5 out of 10. -
"Great Product! A real smart choice for a convertible" on by joninoj
Pros: Larger screen allows you to see more and write more
Cons: Heavy! This tablet is not made for ladies.
Summary: I reviewed a lot of tablets before I bought this one. What caught my attention in this one is the fact that it has one of the largest screens. This allows more room to write. It also means that when I collaborate with customers in tablet mode, more people can see what I'm writing.
Large screen means added weight. Before you decide to buy this one, have a feel for it first. Lift it and swing it around. See if you can carry it as a tablet for at least 10 minutes. Although I work out, I find myself switching form left arm to right arm every 5 minutes.
The securty card feature is an added bonus. Tablets attract a lot of attention. So if you're too lazy to remember complex passwords, the security card will increase security. -
"Great Tablet for techies or almost anyone!" on by markdparker
Pros: Good Specs, Solid System
Cons: Closing Latch is funky
Summary: THE GOOD
I have had my eye on a tablet PC for a long time. The problem I always had was this, I am a technical manager at a company that makes internet appliances.
This means that as a tech I need a good system, with a decent processor and a decent amount of RAM and screen real estate etc. All of the tablets I looked at were pretty weak. Small screen, small amount of RAM and a pathetic processor. This system did not suffer from the ususal spec weakness.
While a 2GHz isn't the fastest, it is at least passible for a day to day use system, the 1 Gig of RAM is definately nice, especially with 533 FSB and DDR RAM.
Since I spend a large amount of time in meetings, I have spent far too much time converting written notes into digital form. Sure I could type my notes, but since we are discussing software design etc. there is a lot of diagraming, something that cannot be typed. Over the last few weeks of using this thing, I have fallen in love with the ability to take my notes right on the screen. I figure that this ability is saving me at least .5 to 1.5 hours a day.
I use this thing in laptop mode most of the time, right now I am holding the unit on my lap and typing this review. A common problem with most of the convertible tablets has been the swivel/hinge causing the monitor to shake during typing. The swivel/hinge on this laptop does NOT have that problem. There is absolutely 0 movement of the hinge while I type this.
The performance of this system matches well with the specs. One of the things I was happy to see was that this system does not have tons of useless software loading at startup, the way that most OEM systems do. There is nothing worse than a powerful system slowed by 10 OEM installed applications. The only application I had to stop from launching was an Acer quick launch app. Kudos to Acer on that front.
THE BAD
The closing latch on this thing is my only major concern on this system. With all of the other laptop systems I have owned the latch closed automatically when the screen was closed. For some unknown reason this one does not. You have to close this one manually. Since the screen rotates the latch can come down a little out of alignment, so you have to line it up, then you have to move the latch slider over to latch the screen closed. This is true whether the screen is closed in tablet mode, or storing mode. It isn't horrible, you get used to it, but it does seem like a silly design flaw.
THE UGLY
The DVD writer is a litte slow compared to some others. But it does get the job done.
The unit is a little heavy for a tablet system, but I knew that when I bought it, so I didn't factor that into my overall score. But it should be noted for those that will hold the unit for long periods of time.
OVERALL
The way I see it, there are two types of tablet users. There are the tablet users, that will use the system as a laptop, using the keyboard for input most of the time. But will need the ability to write or draw on the screen occasionally for meetings or design etc. The other kind of tablet user will carry the tablet around making notes, etc. on the system (such as a doctor, nurse, or floor manager in a manufacturing facility.)
If you are the 1st type, where you want a laptop with occasional tablet use, this is the system for you. That is not to say that this is lacking tablet functionality, the tablet input works great. This system is just simply too heavy to cradle in your arm all day. However if you will be in a conference room like me, with a table or a lap to set the system on, it works great. If you plan to cradle the system in your arm all day, look elsewhere, this is a heavy system for that use.
I did my research on this purchase, and I am happy with my purchase. The only thing that kept me from scoring a 10 was the silly design of the closing latch on the system.
As a side note, I purchased from mpsuperstore (Marine Park), a C-Net rated store. I was extremely unhappy with their service and should have spent a little more elsewhere.Updated
My opinion has not changed. I still love this system. I have gotten used to the latch, but I do wish the pen had a teather. I am deathly afraid of using it. -
"What I was hoping for!" on by Nostromo57
Pros: Enough muscle for everyday and light enough to take with me.
Cons: Less battery life than hoped for. Screen quality doesn't match the Toshiba
Summary: Finally, a Tablet that I don't have to sync with a desktop replacement. It has plenty of muscle and RAM to accomplish whatever I throw at it (multi-sheet budgets to DV input) and still be light (barely) enough to use as a Tablet. The screen is responsive but not as bright as the Toshiba M200 I had before this. The construction is solid and the screen rocks much less (in notebook mode) than the Toshiba or the previous Acer models I have had. I paid Page Comp. $1850.00 or so (delivered) and the price/value is fantastic compared to the competition. I've had to use tech support once in about 15 days of use (tablet buttons stopped working) but after about a 15 minute hold I got an easy fix and am back in business. Likely my Logitech wireless keyboard disabled the tablet keys and I just re-installed the drivers. Buy one if you need a Tablet or convertable!!!
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"The Best Thing EVER for a Tattoo Studio !!!" on by fluntboy
Pros: BIG TOUCH SCREEN , SPOT ON STYLUS .... INDESTRUCTIBLE.
Cons: None... wish Acer still make them with C2D or Newer CPUs
Summary: This Tablet is one Tool we can Not Go with out in Our Tattoo studio, we Got 5 Units and they are the BEST thing Ever ... the Touch Screen is the Best we Ever used, yes we also got a HP TC4200 and a few Fujitsu Lifebook t4215 here too, Even Know the HP and Fujitsu got Faster cpus, But The Acer is a class of its own when it comes to doing art work .. No Need to Calibrate and the units work Flawless from New install of Widows Tablet Edition, we can do up designs and Art work effortless.. Totally Loved the C310... C'mon Acer we Need More Decent 14" tablet like these C310s !!!!
TMC314XMI TABPC PM/2.0C-1GB 100G DVDRW 14.1 XPTAB user reviews
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