Laptop reviews: the Gateway ID49C08u and the Acer Aspire TimelineX AS1830T-68U118

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Today we'll examine two laptops in the $850 to $900 range: the Gateway ID49C08u and the Acer Aspire TimelineX AS1830T-68U118. Do they have what it takes to suit your needs? Keep reading.

The Gateway ID49C08u is a 14-inch laptop with a thin frame, good performance, and a standard set of features. It sells for $849 and comes with a one-year warranty on parts and labor.

In its $849 configuration, the Gateway ID49C08u comes with a 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5-M450 processor with 3 MB of L3 cache.  The i5-M450 processor and its multiple cores offer very good performance and allow you to run various tasks simultaneously without trouble. Internet surfing, media editing, gaming, and more pose virtually no problem for the ID49C08u. Extra multitasking help is provided by 4 GB of DDR3 SDRAM. 

The ID49C08u's 500 GB hard drive offers a decent amount of storage space for all of your data. Graphics support is impressive, with a Nvidia GeForce GT330M card that will switch automatically with an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD card when the situation calls for it. The Nvidia card is good enough that you can play higher-end games on the laptop. 

Although the graphics switching technology is said to help with battery life, the ID49C08u's six-cell battery is said to provide around six hours of usage on a full charge. Keep in mind that this number will go down if you perform more intense tasks, such as watching videos or gaming. For the operating system, Gateway pre-installed Microsoft Windows Home 7 Premium Edition 64-bit.

Additional features begin with a DVD drive for watching movies and listening to CDs. Integrated 802.11n Wi-Fi is on board to provide the ability to connect to the fastest wireless networks available. A media card reader is included in case you need to transfer data quickly with other devices, such as digital cameras or cell phones. There is also an integrated webcam and microphone for video chatting.  One negative mark in the features department is the lack of Bluetooth. At an $849 price point, the inclusion of Bluetooth can be expected.

The ID49C08u's design is very portable thanks to the thinness of the laptop. It measures 13.5 inches wide by 9.6 inches deep by 1 inch thick and weighs 4.8 pounds. It has a clean color scheme that combines silver on the lid and keyboard/touch pad area with a black frame around the display. The 14-inch LED-backlit display has an HD resolution of 1,366 x 768. The display is average, but good enough for most computing tasks. The integrated speakers are also average, but offer enough volume that you do not need headphones while watching movies.

The keyboard employs wide, flat keys that are comfortable to type with. Above the keyboard are some dedicated buttons for Wi-Fi and other functions, as well as a touch-sensitive bar with media controls. The keyboard also has dedicated buttons for social networking features and volume. 

The touch pad is poorly designed and glows blue when activated, although that can be toggled off. It has a glossy finish that does not respond well to the touch, and its multi-touch behavior is also poor. It also lacks actual buttons and opts for touch-sensitive areas that do not provide good feedback.

Connectivity is satisfactory. The right side houses three USB ports and the DVD drive. The left side houses an Ethernet port, a VGA port, a HDMI port, another USB port, and microphone and headphone jacks.

Although not perfect, the Gateway ID49C08u is a worthwhile laptop for casual users who want a bit of gaming performance as well. Its thin design is a plus, and while its touch pad is poor, the rest of the design and features make it worth a look when shopping for a new, slim laptop.

Next: Acer Aspire TimelineX AS1830T-68U118 >>
 

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