Are you glad you bought it ?

Discussion in 'Laptop Hardware' started by desgnr, Oct 3, 2008.

  1. desgnr

    desgnr

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    I see so many posts about the Aspire one that have a black screen & are unusable after such a short time.

    Are these units defective ?

    I really like the specs better than the Dell Mini , but i'm afraid to buy one after seeing soooooo many black screen posts.

    Can anyone give me some good advise.

    Does Acer know about this, & have a fix ?
     
    desgnr, Oct 3, 2008
    #1
  2. desgnr

    DiSK

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    Please search before making such pointless posts. The so-called "black screen", is easily repaired. Also, apparently the newest BIOS remedies this problem.

    Using the machine as Acer meant it, that is, not for you to have the advanced options, will be fine. Nothing should happen. You're taking your own risks when you activate advanced mode, install things, and attempt to do mods.
     
    DiSK, Oct 4, 2008
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  3. desgnr

    donec

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    I couldn't have said it better Disk. However! I would like to add that when you look at the number of post about the AA1 including all the hacking going on that go far beyond anything I have heard of on any other laptop/netbook you have to see how few problems there really are with the AA1 as designed.
     
    donec, Oct 4, 2008
    #3
  4. desgnr

    adriana

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    Re: Are you glad you bought it ? Yes!!!

    I have had my 6-cell for 3 weeks and could not be more pleased. Go for it!
     
    adriana, Oct 20, 2008
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  5. desgnr

    rory

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    Location:
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    excellent laptop
    in every way
    and on the modding thing, were not really going past where other netbooks have gone...
    the eee has an absolutely massive hardware modding community
    search for one guy called jkk i think and see what he has done to his eee...
    Rory
     
    rory, Oct 20, 2008
    #5
  6. desgnr

    PeterCharles

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    YES!

    I've got the XP version 'cos I want to run Windows applications, but I've got Ubuntu on a memory stick should I want that.

    Just waiting for the arrival of a slimline DVD burner, USB mouse and a case to put it all in.
     
    PeterCharles, Oct 20, 2008
    #6
  7. desgnr

    retsaw

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    I've got the 8GB SSD Linux version and I love it, the Linux version isn't for everybody, they certainly could have made a better job of it, but I haven't found too difficult to tweak the way I want. The hardware is nice, it looks good, the screen is nice and is bright enough to be used outside if you don't mind the reflections from the gloss finish, the keyboard is good as well, it doesn't feel cramped at all, and I can't fault the design of it given the space constraints.
     
    retsaw, Oct 20, 2008
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  8. desgnr

    dale

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    mine's the 8gb ssd now running in xp sp3. the performance of this is comparable to a pentium 4 3Ghz desktop. didn't encounter any problems after installing xp in fat32 format. Hangging time is negligible (ssd inherent problem)... This is my 2nd laptop but my first to come out of my own pocket..

    In one phrase- really happy! :D
     
    dale, Oct 21, 2008
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  9. desgnr

    liveccam

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    Glad for sure. I've had the machine for about 3 weeks..dual boot XP/Vista/160 gb HD/1.5 gb RAM/LG slim DVD burner. It goes to work with me every day. Works great and runs everything fine. Love it.
     
    liveccam, Oct 22, 2008
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  10. desgnr

    loil

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    I'm pretty happy with my computer but it took a lot of frustration/trial and error to get it how I wanted it (took several days to successfully install xp, and in the process it went dead as you describe but the bios fix worked fine). I think one of the more annoying design flaws is the layout of the trackpad with the buttons on the sides instead of underneath, since it means having to use both hands a lot of the time. Otherwise yeah, pretty happy with it, does what I got it for and the price was right. A few years ago an equivalent machine would have cost a fortune.
     
    loil, Oct 23, 2008
    #10
  11. desgnr

    annafil

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    Go for it! It's the best netbook on the market.. if you buy it now instead of early like some of the users here, odds are you won't have most of these issues. I bought mine before the price cut, and i'm still happy with it :)
     
    annafil, Oct 23, 2008
    #11
  12. desgnr

    jbird123

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    Location:
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    Absolutely!

    Got the "Acer Aspire One A150L / Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz / 1GB / 120GB / 8.9" / Linux / NetBook / White" from http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/58260...GB-120GB-8-9-Linux-NetBook-White/Product.html

    Got rid of linux, now dual booting XP and Vista (with another drive to store all my music etc).
    recomend it 9.9/10.

    Good points:
    • Looks soo hot
      its soo small
      and quiet
      and light
      cheap as chips
      runs very smooth (even on Vista!)
      Excellent screen
      Major bragging rights
      did i mention it looks lush?
      More things I cant think of right now...
    Bad points:
    • No CD drive (but that hasnt made a difference to me, plus you can buy USB ones)
      battery isnt its strong point (but its still a decent lifetime, plus you can get the 6 cell)

    Just get it, you wont be disappointed ;)
     
    jbird123, Oct 23, 2008
    #12
  13. desgnr

    zoogle

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    Since most people have already commented on everything that I like about the AA1, I focus most of my time on the negatives.

    Pros:
    Sexy (I've received many compliments on my white A150)
    Very usable keyboard
    Full connectivity set (3 usb, vga, multi-card reader, wireless)
    Lightweight (but dense)
    Good screen (bright and clear)
    Very affordable (I bought my 6-cell version brand new for $315 after some rebates)

    Big Cons:
    Noisy fan - this one is potentially a dealbreaker for me but I'm working on some hardware mods that will hopefully resolve the problem, the problem seems to be isolated to some A150s
    Not upgrade friendly - chassis design makes doing anything inside a chore
    Small trackpad and particularly small mouse buttons - I don't care for multitouch but I would prefer a trackpad with a different feeling texture from the chassis around it
    - the buttons are especially horrid since they are small and don't rise far enough above the trackpad to make clicking on them even remotely easy
    - unlike small/crappy keyboards, this issue is easily resolved with a separate mouse

    Small Cons:
    Poor ventilation - the vents are mostly on the bottom, which are easily covered up when its on your lap; the heatsink Acer used is designed by a complete moron since it has no heat dissipating fins
    Subpar power management - a custom power management software set would be great
    Palmrests can get toasty - wireless card under heavy activity heats up my right palmrest nicely (oh well, at least it's winter friendly)
    1.5GB RAM maximum - this goes back to the fact that 512mb is soldered onto the board. I don't think it's a big deal since adding 1GB sticks seems to heat laptops up a lot.
     
    zoogle, Oct 24, 2008
    #13
  14. desgnr

    kross1

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    I'm a user, not a techy and this little beauty is the answer to my prayers.

    I work out of 3 offices (not to mention when I travel on business) and by the end of the day, my 8lb. Compaq laptop plus power supply etc., gets pretty heavy.

    I have an old HP Journada 680 that's about 10 years old. I've had a couple of PPC's (a Casio and an ipac) but they died shortly after the warrantee was up causing me to return to the J680, which I was using up until I got the AA1 about a month and a half ago. However, these didn't really do the job since I still had to carry about 10 lb. of paper files with me and even then didn't always have the right files with me.

    Now, everything is on my 160G drive! I have it set up to connect by cable to the LAN at my main office under my "Work" account and by wireless to my network at home under my "Home" account.

    The XP operating system on the AA1 works as well as XP can work and since all of the other computers I use also run XP everthing is compatible and I didn't have to learn another operating system.

    Although I've not had any problem with it, the 3 cell battery was a concern early on. And, there were no 6 cells readily available. After some investigation and deliberation, I decided to go with an external laptop battery. The one I chose is the APC model UPB50. This is reported to give up to 4 hours operating time, which I have not exceeded to date so can't give you a definite figure but with the 2 plus hours that I get from the internal battery will provide over 6 hours total.

    My reasoning for going with the external battery is as follows:
    • - If I went with an additional 3 cell or, even the 6 cell, I would have to power down from what I was doing, turn off the unit, change the battery, then power up and get back to the same place I was. With the external battery, I just plug it into the AA1 as if plugging in the charger and the computer thinks that's what I've done, so it just continues on it's merry way with no interuption.
    • - The external battery, while plugged in will charge the internal battery. So, if I feel that the internal battery is getting a bit low, I can just plug the external battery into the unit while going from one office to another and increase the charge on the internal battery.
    • - This unit comes with an assortment of adapters and can be used with practically any laptop using 16 or 19 volts, which includes my old Compaq.
    • - The price is only slightly higher than what the 6 cell battery is going for, I paid $129.00 CAD.
    • - And finally, it only weighs 1 lb.

    Since buying my AA1 on 23 Sep 08 it's been my main access to both my home network and to my work network. I've had no problems as many have noted on this bulleting board: my fan is quiet; the Wifi works well; and I haven't experienced the black screen of death.

    To answer the initial question, YES! I'm glad I bought it.
     
    kross1, Nov 7, 2008
    #14
  15. desgnr

    jamesb72

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    I have the 8Gb Linpus version, and its fantastic, I love the keyboard, which is so much better than other netbooks I looked at, size/battery life are fantastic, and I love the fact linpus boots in 15 seconds, and it does everything I need.

    In my view, the people who aren't please should have checked specs before buying, as either they bought Linpus version and hate linux (duh), or want a full blown laptop but were too cheap to shell out for one.

    Re black screen and other problems, for every person who posts a problem there will be hundreds of AA1's which work perfectly - they just won't post on forums about it !
     
    jamesb72, Nov 7, 2008
    #15
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