BoxWave Capacitive iPad Stylus (Jet Black) Review. While capacitive touch screens are great, one flaw is the inability to use a stylus. Not anymore! BoxWave's Capacitive Stylus allows you to use your iPad without ever touching the screen with your finger. Perfect for the ladies out there who have their nails done, or for those who don't want to take their gloves off during a cold day. The Capacitive Stylus is conveniently sized, and designed like a pen to fit just about anywhere....

 "Best stylus for the iPad" 2010-07-02
By Jason M. Stone (Falls Church, VA USA)

So, it seems like the iPad stylus getting all the attention and adoration is the Pogo Sketch Stylus. Having just spent a week using it, I can honestly say it's a piece of crap. The tip is overly soft and flops back and forth while you write. It also requires that you press entirely too hard before the iPad senses it. I now take all my meeting notes on my iPad, and the Pogo Sketch was too thin which, combined with the amount of pressure required, makes longer note-taking sessions actually a bit painful.



So, at my co-worker's suggestion, I ordered the BoxWave stylus. It's a thousand times better. The tip is more firm and rounded, so it doesn't move while using it. It feels more like a real pen, instead of a bad paintbrush. I suppose it costs a few bucks more, but it's worth it. Going from the Pogo Sketch to the BoxWave was like going from a Toyota Yaris to an Audi R8.



Actually, that's insulting to the Toyota...

 "Game changer" 2010-07-18
By Andy

I used the pogo stylus for two months before I lost it. Looking at the reviews on Amazon, I decided to check out the boxwave. Paired with penultimate, the best sketchbook and note taking app on the iPad, I no longer use pen and paper. It's that good. The tip on boxwave is far more responsive and the body of the pen feels substantial. Apple should adopt this as an official accessory for the iPad.

 "Better than Pogo stylus" 2010-07-31
By Masud Haq (Houston, TX United States)

I had bought the Pogo Stylus and within a day the clip broke off. A couple of weeks later I ordered this Boxwave stylus from Amazon and it turned out to be significantly better and actually usable without fatiguing my hand. The key differences are:



1. The Pogo tip is soft like a sponge so it moves back and forth (often I thought the tip would fall off) and it requires too much pressure on the iPad. The Boxwave tip is a firmer and smoother material and is rounded; it does not require as much pressure for the iPad to consistently recognize it. The tip also does not move around when writing. Great for drawing and handwriting recognition.



2. The Pogo stylus is too thin so it is very difficult to use for extended periods especially with the extra pressure it requires; the hand get fatigued quickly. I stopped using the Pogo after the first couple of days. The Boxwave is the right thickness and weight so on the iPad it feels like using a pencil or a pen.



3. The plastic clip on the Pogo broke off the first day. The Boxwave has a stronger metal clip.



4. The Boxwave stylus has a removable, short lanyard that attaches the pen to the headphone jack of the iPad so you don't lose it. (but you do have to pull it out to use because the lanyard is not long enough). The Pogo stylus has no lanyard.



The Boxwave stylus is definitely worth the extra money and it comes in four different colors.

 "Awesome product" 2010-08-02
By Derek S. Furman (Honolulu, HI)

I purchased this stylus to use with my Ipad and wasn't sure how well it would work. After receiving it and testing it out, I was amazed how well it worked with my Notepad app. I now have a way to take my class notes digitally which saves paper and is super convenient. This pen is built well, and I think it will last a long time. Again, if you need a stylus for writing on your Ipad, this one is your best bet. I have big hands and have no problem using it. It's the perfect size, not too big and not too small.

 "Best Stylus So Far" 2010-07-31
By vikrtain (Los Angeles)

I bought this stylus for the sole purpose of writing notes and actually "writing" via one of the many note taking apps out there (my favorite is Ghostwriter). This is the best stylus so far. I feared the worst when I ordered it because previous versions I used had a more sticky, rubber tip and the pen did not glide smoothly. This one does. Its response is quick and I've had no trouble resting my hand on the ipad itself while writing. My ONLY complaint (and it almost lost a star for this), is the size. Could somebody (preferably BoxWave) please make a FULL SIZE stylus so it feels like a real pen in my hands??? Having said that, even though it isn't quite long enough, it still fits okay, will do for now and does the job really, really well (and I have big hands). I ordered through Amazon and it arrived within about 4 days.

PlayStation 3 160 GB Review. With the PlayStation 3 160GB system, you get free PlayStation Network membership, built-in Wi-Fi and 160GB of hard disk drive storage for games, music, videos and photos. And every PS3 system comes with a built-in Blu-ray player to give you pristine picture quality and the best high-definition viewing experience available. Whether it’s gaming, Blu-ray movies, music or online services, experience it all with the PlayStation 3 system....

 "Fun for the Whole Family:" 2010-08-21
By WorshipMeister

Let me give a little bit of background before diving into a review. When the original NES came out, I was hooked. I didn't think anything could be better than Super Mario Bros. Then there was the Sega Genesis...and as I entered college, the original Playstation. Wow!



After college I settled down, got married, had children, and stopped playing games for a while. Just 2 years ago I picked up a wii "for the family" and have enjoyed it since. Mario Galaxy 2 looks great and is a great deal of fun to play...and there are other great games on the wii as well. For the record, I'd never played a PS2, PS3 or Xbox.



Don't get me wrong, the wii is great. There are a number of wii exclusives that I love. But I was still wanting something with some better graphics/games and thus began my research between xbox and ps3. Both are great systems! This was going to be harder than I thought. In the end, I felt like the game selection for the PS3 slightly outweighed that of the xbox for the family. The PS3 has LittleBigPlanet and Ratchet and Clank, as well as Uncharted/Metal Gear/etc. And while the xbox has some great exclusives as well, I was leaning toward the PS3.



When I saw that the PS3 slim increased the hard drive from 120gb to 160gb I finally bit the bullet. I was wanting to get a blu-ray player sometime so I figured I'd just get the ps3. Just set it up last night. Set-up was a breeze and the graphics, wow, they truly are stunning. As I said, the wii is great and I'll continue to play and enjoy wii-exclusive games, but compared to xbox/ps3 graphics, there really is no comparison. I'm really looking forward to NHL 11 and Gran Turismo 5 (as the wii is lacking in these types of games).



Overall, I'm thrilled with the PS3. I'm looking forward to getting my music and other media files loaded onto it and finally beginning the world of blu-ray movies and advanced gaming. While I do wish I could load files to it from a device formatted to something other than FAT, it's certainly not a deal-breaker. The PS3 works as it should, set-up is simple, has free online, great exclusive games, and so much more. Whether or not it's the right choice for you is up for you to decide. The Xbox is also a great system, but I'm happy with my final decision.



Note: Extras you may need:

- Extra controller, PS3 blu-ray remote control, and an hdmi or set of component cables depending on your video capabilities.

 "Best entertainment out there" 2010-08-27
By V. Tran

I've been happy with my PS3 since launch, and this new slim is extremely quiet and even more reliable. The games are some of the best I've played, and with PS Move and 3D coming, it makes even better. Add to that, it's a great blu-ray player, can stream content from your PC, has built in Wi-Fi on every version available, the PS3 is a great console for everyone.

 "Nothing better than the Ps3" 2010-09-18
By TavoAbarca

All I can say as a video game fanatic is that with this console you will be dealing with the best video game experience and (in my opinion) the best tittles in video games, PS3 was allso the first blue ray player ever made so its not just a great console but a great if not the best blue ray player that you can have. In addition its true that the play station network is not the best network out there but its not that bad and I have never experienced any problems with online gaming.

In short conclution all I can say is... if you are looking for a video game console you will definetly need to have the PS3 in mind and remember you are getting a great blue ray player to.

 "the best video console..." 2010-09-20
By Daniel de la vega

Excellent video game console, filled all my expectations, without a doubt recommend it widely, and better now with 160GB ... fun for hours ... really is the best option.

 "Solid System" 2010-09-18
By Chuck

Finally picked one up due to finally nearing the release date of Gran Turismo 5. I am thoroughly impressed, the PS3 definitely has a lot of functionality. It could pass off as a home theater PC all by itself.

Apple TV - MC572LL/A NEWEST MODEL Review. The sleek new Apple TV has been completely retuned for your entertainment. It’s 80 percent smaller than the previous generation — even with a built-in power supply. Which makes it perfect for sitting neatly on a widescreen TV stand or squeezing into a crowded media cabinet. Not only does the new Apple TV have an amazingly small footprint, it’s also incredibly energy efficient. It stays cool without a fan, so it’s never noisy. And when it’s not filling your living room with drama, romance, and comedy, it uses less power than a night-light....

 "Video Review: Apple TV, so much for so little" 2010-10-10
By D. Bowman (LA, CA)

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R18DCQTG9T6VTO This is an amazing compliment to your home theater.

So many features, yet so simple to use.

My 7 year old son has it all figured out.



I hope you enjoy the video.

Let me know what you think.

 "Apple TV - Good Now, Potential to be Great" 2010-10-15
By Just Another Geek (Simi Valley, CA, USA)

I am not an Apple Afficianodo. I don't wear jeans and black turtlenecks in reverence to Steve Jobs. I don't hang out at the Apple Store and covet becoming a "genius"; however, I have to give credit where credit is due. The last few products Apple has brought out - the iPod, iPhone, iPad - have been incredible and changed the consumer electronics and media / software landscape. Apple TV is now positioned to do the same, but it will take some more time to fully realize the potential of this device.



Apple TV effectively allows you to stream whatever is on your iTunes to your TV and home theater system. Moreover, it has built in support for Netflix, You Tube and a few other internet based media content providers. The picture quality and performance for these services are worth the price of admission. There is significant potential to advance the platform - just give it some time.



System Overview: My Apple TV is plugged into a 60 inch Samsung 1080p LED HDTV via HDMI (video) and a Yamaha Home Theater Receiver via Toslink optical cable (audio). I have AT&T Uverse with their 802.11g Residential Gateway (combination of DSL modem and wireless router) with their Elite DSL service (6 MB per second). iTunes runs on a Dell Desktop with 4GB of memory, Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 500 GB Hard Drive operating on Windows Vista (64 bit) and secured with Norton 360 (firewall, antivirus, etc.). The network handles the Desktop, 2 iPhones, a Blackberry, an iPad, the Apple TV, 4 Laptops, a wireless Printer and a networked wired printer. The Computer / Residential Gateway are in the Den and the TV / Home Theater / Apple TV are in the family room. The two rooms are about 100 feet apart and are separated by five walls.



Set Up: Easy as pie. It took five minutes to plug in the HDMI cable, the optical cable, the power outlet and then adding it to the wireless network. Sharing iTunes from my desktop to Apple TV took another 20 minutes, since I had to download the new version of iTunes and restart my computer and Apple TV. Apple really makes it easy - I didn't have to make any adjustments to my firewall settings to share iTunes on the desktop with Apple TV. I also downloaded the Apple Remote on my iPhone and iPad, which took another 5 minutes.



User Interface: Apple's secret sauce is the simplicity of their products. Apple TV is no different. The menu is very simple - Movies, TV, Internet, Computer and Settings. Movies and TV are for renting content directly from iTunes within Apple TV. Internet gives you access to Netflix, You Tube, etc. Computer gives you access to iTunes on your computer. Settings allows you to change the various Apple TV options. The remote control is Apple's usual model of minimalist efficiency, with a menu button, a play / pause button and an iPod like controller. The supplied remote works well with Apple TV, but is a bit cumbersome when one has to enter data (e.g., e-mail addresses, search on YouTube or Netflix). A much better solution is downloading Apple Remote on your iPhone or iPad. It basically turns the iPhone or iPad into a big touch pad that allows you to use gestures to control the Apple TV (e.g., swipe left, swipe right, double click, etc.). Moreover, it automatically provides a keyboard when one is asked for text input (e.g., for search). Apple remote is free on the App Store.



Netflix Streaming / Video Quality: Setting up Netflix was quick - basically just enter your e-mail address / password and you're ready to go. I watched some TV from BBC, a foreign flick and Iron Man. Each program loaded quickly - less than 30 seconds. Picture quality was good to great, depending on the source material. Picture quality was comparable to DVD for SD material(perhaps slightly better), but slightly less sharp than upconverted DVD or blue-ray. HD Programming looked like the HD on-demand programming through uVerse. There was enough of a buffer that there was no jittering, pixelation or stuttering on the streaming to the TV. Sound quality on the stream was good - I don't think they stream in 5.1, so the video stream doesn't leverage the subwoofer. Considering that I'm running a heavily taxed wireless system on 802.11g with a 100 foot distance between Apple TV and the Gateway, the picture quality and streaming performance are impressive. Having this quality of Netflix compatibility is worth the price of admission by itself.



iTunes Streaming: I streamed some music from my Playlists from the Computer. Sound quality is good, but not great. My Yamaha CD Player sounds better, but it can only hold 5 cds. Having access to my entire library is very useful, so you lose sound quality but gain convenience. iTunes streams not only the music, but also the cover art. After a few minutes, Apple TV switches into screensaver mode and starts transmitting pictures to the TV along with the music. I also streamed some videos from my computer and the streaming was again flawless. One of the issues with Apple TV is that it only supports the Apple video standards, i.e., MP4. I had some DIVX files that I converted over to MP4 by using DVD Fab and imported them into iTunes. So if you have a library of AVI, Divx, Xvid, etc., this will require conversion of those files in order to stream from your computer.



iTunes from within Apple TV: There is access to an iTunes store within Apple TV as well. They have a different pricing structure, in that TV shows and movies are available for rent only. They have a limited number of titles at this point - primarily BBC, ABC (since Steve Jobs sits on their Board) and Fox. CBS and NBC are not on Apple TV. Movie selection is decent - they have all the latest movies. The Apple TV selection can be easily increased by just downloading the content you want from iTunes on your desktop and then streaming it to Apple TV.



YouTube Streaming: Surprisingly good. The HQ / HD You Tube pieces look remarkably crisp on the TV. The older content that was meant to watch on a small window on your computer looked a little pixelated, but acceptable.



Apple has built a great platform with a lot of potential. With what is available right now - Apple TV is a pretty impressive value at $99. It is worth it just for the Netflix streaming and integration with iTunes. Since Apple TV is actually built on the same hardware (at least the processing chip) as the iPhone and iPad and has the same operating system, I wouldn't be surprised if there are "apps" that will eventually make it to Apple TV to further enhance Apple TV (e.g., ABC Streaming, Games, Amazon on Demand, etc.). There is supposed to be an upgrade to the operating system with a new version of Airplay that comes out in November, 2010. This will allow you to stream from an iPad or iPod to the Apple TV as well.



I looked at other streaming devices (e.g., Roku, using my Panasonic Blue Ray for Netflix, etc.) and none of them had the simplicity and reliabilty that the Apple TV offers. The Wi Fi "stick" for my Blue Ray player is $80 anyway and the Netflix integration isn't anywhere nearly as robust as Apple TV. UVerse also has music and picture streaming built in using Microsoft Media Center - however, it required some network configuration and it crashes quite often. I didn't purchase a Roku, but a friend of mine has had a number of issues with streaming performance. At under $100, the Apple TV is competitively priced with other streaming options. Now just bring on the "apps".

 "Great Media Player" 2010-10-11
By Jinsoo Kim (San Diego)

I got this little box on last Friday and I could setup everything in 30 min. It's typical apple product which gives you very intuitive usage model with limitation.



It requires only 3 connections. Power and HDMI cable. Optical cable is optional if you are fine with your TV's speakers. Since Video connection is HDMI, video quality is superb. I really like the clean and well refined UI screen. It's not fixed screen. It changes depending on your contents. Whenever I browse through menu, upper section of screen shows snapshot of what I can choose and it updates very quickly when you add new contents.



It has built in wireless LAN so, you don't need internet cable though it has port if you want. The wireless seems better than mobile device since it could play Youtube pretty smoothly where iPad couldn't play very well. It detects available AP automatically and detects what type of security is used. Just type in password then you are good to go.



This device comes with following features.



1. Playing Movie and TV shows you can purchase or rent from iTune store

2. Playing Netflix, Youtube and Flicker

3. Playing your own contents

4. Playing internet radio

5. Playing photo slide shows



#1 is very easy if your wallet is ready. Just click and browse movies then click to play.



#2 is also very easy if you have netflix account. Just type ID and password then you have full access.



#3 is super easy if you are familiar with iTune on desktop. Apple doesn't find all movies automatically. It doesn't make UI super complicated to support everything. Apple TV uses Home Sharing feature and grab whatever you have in your iTune library. So the only supported video format is Mpeg4/h.264. If you have videos purchased from iTune store, those are already mp4. so you don't need to do anything. If you have lots of videos in other format, you will need to convert the format. There are some tools available on the market so it won't be very difficult. Once you add your contents, it appears on apple TV instantly. Though all movies are seen on same screen in iTune SW, it's possible to define category. Then Apple TV shows category such as Comedy, Drama and so on. When you scroll through categories, left screen shows snapshot of movies you have.



#4 it plays audio pretty well as well though there's one annoying bug. If you have songs and didn't mark in iTune, you can't play using Apple TV. You need to mark songs to play. I hope this is fixed in software update soon.



#5 I like photo slide show very much. You can define the style of slide shows and you can decide if you want to add background music or not. If you have your friends or relatives coming, this feature is very nice to share your great moments.



What I like about this device is typical Apple's intuitive UI. It's super easy to use. No complicated long list of hierarchy. I haven't read manual at all. And also, it supports most of the video contents you will need such as netflix and youtube. I use AT&T Uverse so I know how IPTV works but Apple TV works much better. In the first day of use, I changed my plan from U200 to U-family to save some bucks and pay for Netflix.



Video quality is also very nice. I have lots of low quality video with lots of artifact. Those are still visible but post processing smoothes out those. For high quality video, screen is super crisp and bright.



Also box is so small that it's hardly seen. I put close to my Harman Kardon receiver and apple TV fits very well. And it's also very easy to move around the rooms. I bought several HDMI cables so that I can move between living room, master bed rooms and others. Power consumption is so little that you don't need to bother to turn off all the time. It actually doesn't have power button.



There's some possibility of upgrade. This device has built in strong processor, A4 to handle video decoding. Everything is implemented using software meaning, it can be easily expanded. I am not sure what's Apple's strategy but this device might have great potential. This device is too strong for the media player.



The catch of all above feature is very good internet connection and faster desktop. If you have good internet connections, you won't notice much lags. When you play movies that are stored in your desktop, the lag depends on how fast your PC is. So, Apple TV is not standalone device. It smartly uses infra structure that are common in many of household these days. In my case, I upgraded internet speed since Netflix uses about 1.5Mbps.



Though what Apple TV provides is nothing new and all can be done by PC or similar boxes, it just makes perfect with $99. I think it's great addition to your media system.

 "Awesome product." 2010-10-12
By Niter (Philadelphia, PA)

Got this to stream music and video to my TV instead of using the crappy PS3 streaming capabilities. Was looking at them for the past few months and when the new model was announced I decided to wait for it, I do not need an Hard Drive since I have a NAS server dedicated to iTunes library so this was the perfect fit.



It took a bit over 5 minutes from when I open the package left by UPS to when I started streaming content from iTunes. Make sure you have your WEP key readily available if you are running the box wireless.



The menu are simple, clean and not cluttered (Sony please do take a hint from this) the fonts are crisp and clear make it easy to read from far away. Setup is quick and guided, the only bugger is the onscreen keyboard layout which is not in the familiar "QWERTY" but in alphabetical order, and typing with the small (but wonderful) remote can be quite a chore if you have long user names and passwords.



The box picked up my iTunes library without me going to look for it and show the music content with no issues. Videos not so much, the box only supports MP4 and H.264 so I had to convert some of my videos to be able to play them from it but is not a big a deal, can be easily done through Quick Time (save as->Apple TV), directly through iTunes (select video file, advanced->Apple TV) or third party software which is recommended especially if you have multiple files. There a couple of freeware programs that allow you to queue multiple video and convert them automatically, your presence is not required once the job is started.



So after converting a few videos went back upstairs and tested the steaming....I was blown away, this unit was supposed to replace the PS3 which I was using to stream my media, well let me tell you it does the job wonderfully. Tested with different movie resolution ranging from plain SD to 720p HD and the frame rate is constant through a wireless network. The unit is right next to my PS3 (so the signal is not different) which always had issues when playing movies, stop and go, delayed control reaction, audio going out of sync (had to pause/stop and resume to fix).



Video quality is outstanding, it produces minimal artifacts on either SD or HD content visible mostly in dark scene or if the background is mostly of a single color. I haven't notice any lag on the frames or the remote (obviously there is a 2 secs delay when restarted from pause).



Definitely recommend the purchase if you are looking for a cheap, small foot-print, easy to use and practical media streaming device. Next step is to get a couple more...one per TV.....





Fast forward almost one week.....My iTunes library starts to get crowded...and so far I haven't had any kind of issues with the streaming of video content. Just takes a few hours to convert all the content to be available on the Apple TV, other than that is a joy to turn on the TV and have all my movies and show at the touch of a button without going crazy looking for them or hoping that the PS3 is in the right mood to stream the whole thing without glitches.



Just ordered the second one for downstairs which should be here on Thursday, right on time for the weekend....

 "Wonderful little black box from an actual owner!!!" 2010-10-02
By JohnRN

I must say this little black box is just stupendous!!! This is my first Apple TV, I had always been hesitant about them but decided at $99 now with Netflix streaming I just couldn't pass it up. Setup was a breeze, it was so easy to learn, really didn't have to learn it having used other Apple products it was easy to figure out fast.



The picture quality in Netflix was really nice. There was no stuttering of the stream, the audio was just fine. I found the menu really nice. I was able to browse for new movies, rate films seen, add films to my instant que, and it gave me suggestions as well. VERY FUNCTIONAL.



There were quite a few free TV shows such as Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives (ABC shows) in addition to the $0.99 ones.



Browsing my movies on my Mac Mini media server was just a breeze. Connected it too my iTunes account, it instantly found my iTunes and thus all my media. Movies played quickly and at standard def. they looked just as good as they always have.



I have not tried any HD videos on it yet so I can't comment on that.



For those that are concerned about storage capacity etc, it has 8GB of Samsung flash memory storage per the tear down by iFixit, as well as 256MB of RAM, the A4 used is the same as in the iPad. It was also found that it runs iOS, it has been jailbroken but it is not yet available to the public. It is also capable of decoding 1080p content, so there is hope for that for those of you who are concerned with that.

3 Pack of Universal Touch Screen Stylus Pen (Red + Black + Silver) Review. Keep a PDA stylus on hand so you're always ready to jot a note or tap the touch screen without using your finger....

 "iTouch Stylus Pen" 2009-09-12
By M. Wightman

For reaching those peskly small areas on your iPod Touch screen, the Universal Touch Screen Stylus Pen does the trick! They are comfortable in the hand and helps to make some of those tasks easier on the iPod Touch. If you have trouble with fingers that don't quite work the way you wish, then this is another reason to consider purchasing these pens.Silver Universal Touch Screen Stylus Pen for Apple Iphone 1st Gen, 3G 2nd Gen, Ipod Touch

 "Very nice stylus but to thick for my case" 2009-08-24
By Neil (Texas)

This is a very nice stylus with a soft rubber tip. They work great on my Instinct and with the rubber tip there is no fear of scratching the screen. My only "issue" is that the stylus are to thick to fit into the stylus pocket on the stock Instinct case... but the size does make the stylus much more easier to control so you're more accurate with them. I'm glad I ordered the three pack because I can just keep one at work, one in the car, and one at home.

 "Iphone Stylus" 2010-01-31
By James Mccbe (Dallas, TX)

I bought this not sure would it work but it is great. The service I received was also great. I got product in a timely manner which is important to me.

 "Touch Screen Stylus" 2010-04-28
By Smiles54490 (Oklahoma)

This stylus is not only perfect for those small areas, but for the entire screen! I bought mine for typing and playing solitare. It works perfectly! I found it to be of good quality and it easily attaches to the side of my GTMax Leather Flip case with its attached clip. Excellent buy!

 "Works well for I-Pod Touch" 2010-01-27
By Michael A. Kreller (Kansas)

Great price for a three pack of styli. Arrived as advertised. One for me, one for her, and one extra. These are well worth the price. Very good company to work with.

Acer Aspire AS5251-1805 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Review. Acer Aspire AS5251-1805 Notebook comes with these specs: AMD V-Series Processor V120, Windows 7 Home Premium, 15.6-inch HD Widescreen CineCrystal LCD Display, AMD M880G Chipset, 3072 MB DDR3 1066MHz Memory, ATI Radeon HD 4250 Graphics with 256 MB of Dedicated System Memory, 8X DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive, 250 GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive, Built-In HD Webcam (1280 x 1024), Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader, High Definition Audio Support, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi CERTIFIED, 3 - USB 2.0 Ports, 1 - HDMI Port, 6-cell Li-ion Battery (4400 mAh), Up to 3 hours 20 minutes of battery life, 5.74 lbs. |2.6 kg (system unit only), AC Power Adapter, AC Power Cord, Wireless Setup Card, Registration/ Limited Warranty Card, McAfee Internet Security Suite Trial (60-day insert)....

 "A Great Purchase" 2010-08-16
By foamyhead

With a price tag of a netbook, this fully-fledged notebook is a steal. I purchased this notebook as a desktop replacement, and so far it has been a pleasure to use. The 15.6 inch display is very bright, which makes text and images a pleasure to view on the laptop. The build quality on the notebook is top notch. Nothing on the laptop feels cheap, and is what you would expect from a mid-range product. One feature I particularly liked about this product is that Acer opted for a non-glossy finish on the lid of the laptop. I can easily handle the notebook without worrying about greasy fingerprints covering my computer. The large keyboard with the much needed number pad makes typing a breeze.



I have no qualms on the other features of the laptop. The inclusion of HDMI and gigabit ethernet is a big plus. Wireless works flawlessly on the laptop. I can easily connect to the wifi network in the house. Sound quality on the Acer is better than I expected. Obviously, sound on the laptop lacks bass, but otherwise sounds great. The processing power of the Acer isn't anything to boast about, but is more than adequate for common activities such as web browsing, viewing movies, writing papers.



Pros:

-Nice design and build quality

-Value

-Plenty of features

-Keyboard



Cons:

-A tad bit on the heavy side

-Battery may be lacking for prolonged usage away from power source

 "Quality on the cheap" 2010-08-24
By Real For Reel (Santa Barbara, CA)

Looks and feels like a high quality computer. I went from a Windows XP machine to a 13" $1200 MacBook Pro. While I like the Apple, I wanted to see how Windows 7 compared. This Acer laptop incorporates the latest and best design. The non-shiny cover is great. The screen is sharp, not as sharp as the Apple, but who would expect it to be. It compares favorably however with just about any PC laptop whatever the price. I'm amazed at how well the speakers sound - I'm not exaggerating when I say they are as good if not better than the Apple. The keyboard, as others have mentioned, is amazing too. For overall value, looks, build, features - the only thing that's missing is Bluetooth and a Firewire port - this laptop is worth almost twice the price. Another plus is that the Wi-Fi sensitivity range is as good as it gets. One last thing - the WebCam camera is 1.3 pixels, which was a pleasant surprise. It takes crisp snapshots. This isn't mentioned in the promo, possibly because it would reveal that side-by-side, the features of this laptop are as complete as their laptops which state the WebCam pixels, and are marketed at much higher prices.

 "A great steal." 2010-08-30
By Proud Father of 3 (NJ, USA)

Great, fully functional laptop at a good price ($379 as Aug 2010)

Procs

-Great features at a excellent price:

* integrated webcam; 250GB; Windows 7; impressive DVD writer; 3G RAM

* lots of ports; full-size keyword and functional touchpad.

* all available for < $380;

* new laptop with good warranty;

* comparable laptops from [...]; [...], [...], [...] and

and a few other sites were priced at a higher cost;

* great, prompt help: i called at 11pm EST about an incorrect password and got free help right away.

-No bloat-ware to remove

-it matches the performance of an HP laptop bought > $600 about 1 yr ago!

-MS office 2010 and Skype are my primary software tools: they ran without any issues.



Cons:

- Improved webcam quality would be nice; webcam usage in a dimly-lit room shows lots of dark background. Not an issue in a well-lit room. The workaround fix is to turn up the dimmer!



I like it so much that I told lots of friends: so far, we have bought 5 laptops over 2 weeks.

Love it, love it, love it.

 "Excellent Laptop for the Money" 2010-08-19
By RayP

We decided to upgrade an old Dell Latitude D520 with this new widescreen Acer Aspire for use in the kitchen. What a difference! The 15.6" screen provides a sharp and well color balanced display. Even though the CPU is single-core it is still speedy. Tedious to have to remove the bloatware but not unique to Acer.



The machine is well constructed and the keyboard with numeric keypad as well as the touchpad are exceptionally well done. We like the fact the outside of the lid is not glossy piano black so doesn't show fingerprints. Webcam is also a nice bonus and the audio is acceptable.



Considering we paid $379 in Amazon's Lightning Deal and recycled the Dell for $105 we are very pleased to have paid just $274 for the brand new laptop.



It's early days but no cons so far.

 "Runs SIMS3 so your kid won't bother you" 2010-08-24
By Bradford Parks (Fashionable Ferndale, Michigan)

In case you are considering this as an entry-level PC for your tween daughter so she can watch movies and play SIMS3, but are worried if it has enough graphics punch to play SIMS3, rest assured it does. We got this for my daughter's BD and it works just great, and she has been playing SIMS3 ever since with no trouble. It also has an HDMI out, unlike the Toshiba we purchased for ourselves. I'm fairly certain we're going to return the Toshiba and get this, which has a bigger screen and HDMI out. I'm not sure how it woudl do on some shoot-em-up game, but it works great for the basics, and is a great price.