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Product: Acer AS1410-2285 Amazon Price: Too low to display Availability: In Stock |
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The Acer 1410 with Intel dual-core SU2300 and Windows 7 is a useful, general purpose mini-notebook. It is small and light enough to be carried around all the time, yet large and fast enough to do most ordinary work. Word processing, spreadsheets, e-mail and Web browsing are all responsive, although there have been reports of some performance limits showing HD video. These units are being delivered with 64-bit Windows and 2GB of memory. For about US$80 one can install 2×2GB of PC2-6400 memory, reselling the delivered 2×1GB of PC2-5300 memory if that proves possible. Speed becomes faster and battery life longer when using the Windows Classic theme and setting “Adjust for best performance” in Control Panel, System, Advanced system settings, under Advanced and Performance. Even with maximum power use the unit remains cool, with only slight warming near left-side ventilation exhausts.
The display provides about 135 color pixels per inch, while the human eye is capable of resolving only about 70-90 per inch. Small-size text will be unreadable without a magnifier. However, all commonly used Windows displays are readable, unaided, for a person with normal to somewhat near-sighted vision. Display software provides an option to boost text dimensions 25 percent at the expense of reducing content of application windows. A 50 percent brightness setting is adequate for indoor use and extends battery life. Even 100 percent brightness cannot overcome reflections from the glossy screen for outdoor use. Visibility angles are limited to around 30 degrees in practice, slightly more from above, and color fade begins at about 15 degrees.
The keyboard design provides full US spacing of 9 inches across a row of 12 keys. Tactile feedback is adequate for fast touch-typing. The touchpad is adequate, but its many options may confuse new users. It is best to start by visiting Control Panel, Mouse, Device Settings, Settings, and disabling all options except Buttons, setting the PalmCheck and Touch Sensitivity options to the second lightest. Later the span of options can be adjusted as familiarity with the unit grows. The touchpad software is unresponsive. Even with options disabled, the pointer movement on the display is apt to surge and freeze. Acer’s case design worsens those problems by providing poor tactile feedback for touchpad boundaries.
The WiFi interface performs creditably and connects quickly. WiFi can be disabled by a switch under the front edge to save power when it is not needed. There is also a Bluetooth switch, but the 1410 does not come with Bluetooth. The audio is adequate for typical office use, where most Windows sounds are usually disabled. Battery life in normal use is likely to be around 5 hours. The power adapter delivered provides only 30 watts, maybe because of safety issues and recalls Acer has experienced. Battery recharge time with the computer off is around 2-1/2 hours and twice that with the computer on. Windows 7 performs without the reliability problems and the annoyances of Windows Vista. There are minor functional improvements over Windows XP, nothing that adds much productivity for office use. Utilities like Notepad and Calculator have not changed function since Windows 95.
The 1410’s rich cousin, the 1810, is expected to be available in quantity by mid-November, 2009. Its SU7300 processor will be about 20 percent faster, and it will be delivered with 4GB memory and a bigger disk. For most office uses there will be no added benefit to justify a 50 percent higher price. Some customers may be attracted by around a 25 percent increase in battery capacity. Overall the Acer 1410 is a good candidate for performing typical office work in a mobile setting, but no portable computer delivers the productivity of a fast desktop computer with a large display, mouse and freestanding keyboard.
Some reservations: Acer’s documentation is unsatisfactory, only available on delivered machines, not on the Web. It consists of a “quick guide” to a category of machines, in this case both 1410 and 1810 models, equivalent to five typewritten pages, and a “generic guide” to the Aspire family, mainly on proprietary software, written in a CYA style and in a British dialect of English. As an example of the low-grade advice, it recommends carrying a spare battery but nowhere specifies appropriate batteries, or for that matter, specifies any other replacement parts or product options. In the case of the 1410, this can be disastrous, because the same 1410 model number was used by Acer for an earlier portable computer, which requires different batteries. The battery is Acer part number UM09E31, but as of October, 2009, there was no source for that battery. Acer’s warranty requires a lawyer to decipher, saying to contact a “Call Center” but providing no telephone number.
I agree with the previous reviewer: I chose this model with the SU2300 because of the additional performance associated with the dual core CPU. Since I consider anything less than 13″ a netbook (such as this) I had no need for a 250GB hard drive the other model came with. The version I am reviewing is BLACK in color.
The Pros of this model:
-Windows 7 Home Premium runs, in my opinion, faster than XP would. Fantastic!
-AERO runs great
-The beefy graphics card and HDMI-out works great for watching HD movies on HULU or Youtube and putting them on a big screen TV with HDMI
-2GB RAM!
-Decent webcam
-Draft N wireless
-Nice sized and sturdy keyboard
-Lightweight and the size of an 8×11 piece of paper (thicker of course)
-The battery does not stick out the back like other netbooks
The Cons:
-Speakers didn’t sound loud enough when sitting on my lap, but headphones do the trick
-Touchpad is a little square, I wish it was a bigger rectangle
-No bluetooth yet the button to turn it on and off is still there, kind of odd
-Glossy shell leaves finger prints
-Acer Pre-installed Bloatware (games, norton backup, google toolbar, MacAfee trial, etc)
-NO Windows OEM DISK! This drives me nuts if you ever need to reinstall but I think Acer has some backup partition (Alt+F10 or something at start up)
In all, this computer is blazing fast, has Windows home premium, great for school, or work. I have not tested the battery life yet, but I assume it goes for about 4 or 5 hours of regular use since it is 6-cell.
Ignoring colors, Acer now has two different AS1410 Windows 7 laptops at the same $400 price point: Dual Core SU2300 with 160GB hard drive and a Single Core Celeron 743 with a 250GB hard drive. I chose this model with the SU2300 because of the additional performance associated with the dual core CPU.
Pros: 3.1 lbs, compact size, 6 hour battery, SU2300 performance, keyboard, 1366×768 LED-backed display, Intel GMA4500MHD graphics, 802.11n Wi-Fi, HDMI, webcam
Cons:
- Touchpad buttons too stiff, also, left button does not always register a click
- Glossy top cover attracts fingerprints
- No dedicated volume control (have to use arrow keys)
- Glossy screen shows reflections (I would prefer a matte screen)
- No bluetooth
- No esata
- 2 GB of memory comes as 2×1GB SODIMMs so if you want to upgrade to 4GB, you have to chuck the existing memory. Note that specs on Acer’s website incorrectly indicate that the 2GB comes in a single SODIMM leaving a slot empty for upgrading.
In summary, the AS1410 could be better but for $400, it is a pretty good ultra portable laptop value. Amazon did a good job of packing it and shipping it quickly. Recommended.