Woot : One Day, One Deal (SM)

How is this for playing movies (avi,DIVX)? Some sites says it plays fine others say it is choppy. Any experience here?

Thanks!

Hey guys, if you're thinking about buying this, DON'T do it! I bought a hp dv7 1279 refurb from woot about 5 months ago. It looked like a steal for only $650. It came with a 90 day warranty much like this one, and in 101 days, the motherboard fried. Now I'm stuck with a $650 paperweight. It would cost $400-$500 to repair it, but then it would come with ANOTHER 90 day warranty, and then what if it broke AGAIN? I'd be screwed AGAIN. So I bought a new computer and wasted $650 of my hard earned money. Don't let this happen to you, its far to great of a gamble for what? $20? Buy a new one, or just wait a month and the price could be down by $50 or so! technology advances so quickly that they'll be a much better deal out there very soon, if there isn't a better deal out there already.

btashjian wrote:in the description it claims up to a 4 hour battery life

"Up to" clarification: Between 0 and 240 minutes.

all about the crysis

Meh...I was reading this article yesterday and I'm now waiting until January to grab a netbook. The new processor is definitely worth the wait, and this is a great article explaining why. Great website for netbook news, I bookmarked it so I can figure out the latest netbooks. With so many netbooks always coming out it's pretty vital to have a recent source of information.


http://anythingnetbook.com/intel-atom-n450-netbook-cpu-expected-by-january-2010

spitboy wrote:Sorry to be a dolt but does this have WiFi connectivity to the internet?

Yes, it does. It is a great little machine. I would say that our unit's battery lasts a little more than 2 hours... It runs XP, I don't think this machine should be running Vista.

mattj7 wrote:Hey guys, if you're thinking about buying this, DON'T do it! I bought a hp dv7 1279 refurb from woot about 5 months ago. It looked like a steal for only $650. It came with a 90 day warranty much like this one, and in 101 days, the motherboard fried. Now I'm stuck with a $650 paperweight. It would cost $400-$500 to repair it, but then it would come with ANOTHER 90 day warranty, and then what if it broke AGAIN? I'd be screwed AGAIN. So I bought a new computer and wasted $650 of my hard earned money. Don't let this happen to you, its far to great of a gamble for what? $20? Buy a new one, or just wait a month and the price could be down by $50 or so! technology advances so quickly that they'll be a much better deal out there very soon, if there isn't a better deal out there already.

In your line of reasoning you would never buy ANYTHING because of course if you wait it out, in a month, or a couple of months, something better and/or cheaper will most definitely be released... I bought refurbished stuff and never regretted it.

Maybe you were unlucky but what about when you buy a new computer and after 13 months the motherboard fries? Same thing.

This is one of the newer/nicer mini laptops. Highly recommend.

Sandy106 wrote:Will this thing run Windows 7?

Yes it will run.

I reccomend an upgrade to 2GB

its cheap on fry's (the Memory)

What the heck... In for 1.

Does it come with a rabid bat?

buggsy2 wrote:Well, LOTR was half computer generated video, and poorly done at that. So for that part maybe this little guy would suffice ;)

LotR and 'poorly done' don't belong in the same sentence. Another film snob that probably thinks Stan Brakhage is the pinnacle of film.

wps52 wrote:How is this for playing movies (avi,DIVX)? Some sites says it plays fine others say it is choppy. Any experience here?

Thanks!

It'll handle DivX- and XviD-encoded content just fine. It'll occasionally struggle with H.264-encoded content, but seems to truck through fine even with the fan sounding like it's about to lift off.

curtisuxor wrote:"Three-cell battery up to 4 hours life depending on usage."

So, I am guessing like all battery-life estimations, you can cut that in half by running this @ full brightness and using WiFi.

Oh, also, these types of laptops (Atom processors) should be running a linux distro like Debian to be "non-frustratingly" usable.

http://www.leeenux.com
Just need a USB thumbdrive.

Sounds like someone doesn't know how to run Windows in the first place. Running XP on mine and it's fine.

Folks, don't think you've got to go through all of that to make it usable. It's usable out of the box.

Wouldn't it be better to just buy an ipod touch or Zune than a netbook? Limited functionality means you still need a computer to rip CDs or watch a DVD or do any computer gaming. I guess you can't run java based apps on your ipod but I don't get the netbook craze.

why acer did ya put the cheap 1.33 mhz processor
why not the n270 1.6 atom

bad deal sorry

Acer Aspire One AOD250 mentioned below is nice. For $20 more you can get the new One A-1410.

2GB ram, 250gb HD, 6cell standard battery, wireless N, 1.3ghz Celeron M instead of an atom (an 800mhz celeron = 1.6ghz atom, so at 1.3, this is far faster than a 1.6ghz atom)

If you've got the extra cash, the 1410 is the One.

Edit: The 1410 comes with Win7 Home Profession x64 also. Yup, a 64bit netbook including a full release of win 7. Cant loose at $400....

jagrime2 wrote:Wouldn't it be better to just buy an ipod touch or Zune than a netbook? Limited functionality means you still need a computer to rip CDs or watch a DVD or do any computer gaming. I guess you can't run java based apps on your ipod but I don't get the netbook craze.

I've already got a powerful, capable desktop machine for gaming and such. I've also already got a smartphone. But smartphones, awesome as they are, are small. Small screen, small power, small keyboard if any. If I want to check movie times real quick, my Palm Pre is phenomenal. Always on instant messaging? Superb. A quick e-mail source? Sure. But I can't watch streaming video on it (except Youtube, which is only mildly useful to me), run Java, use image-intensive PDFs (like gaming sourcebooks - one of the biggest things I've been wanting a netbook for is as a sort of portable GM's screen/reference library), MUD, word process, etc. A full computer that I can take on the go is its own kind of valuable.

hmmm... I was way too lazy to read all of the thread and I'm sure somebody already gave their review. Nonetheless, I recently purchased this model netbook from overstock brand new. The version I bought came with 2gb ram, 250 gb hard drive, vista home basic and 3 cell battery. Right out of the box, the netbook is extremely sluggish. After updating all of the microsoft vista updates, disabling some of the programs during start up and setting the battery on high performance, it works much better. Is it as good as a notebook/laptop? NO... not at all. Will it suffice for multi-tasking while surfing the net, running a word doc and excel? Yep. It'll do the job.
Here are a couple of things I've noticed:
1) opening the browser takes a couple of seconds. A little longer than I would like.
2) switching between apps lags.
3) battery life for the 3 cell set at high performance (shortest battery life option), wifi on, web surfing and word doc last a little over 3 hrs.
4) I've experienced 2 times the netbook blacking out. Screen went totally black like it went to sleep mode. I can hear the drive still running. But a simple restart solved the problem.

I haven't watched any movies yet, so I have no review on the quality of the screen. But I do recommend turning off any programs you do not need. Matter of fact I think I'm going to disable the McAfee and use another anti virus software because McAfee such a resource hog.

As for the performance, it's not bad at all for the price. My buddies Asus 2gb N280 1.66 is only slightly faster. I paid $280 after coupons and cashback on overstock. I hope this helps

I will no longer consider a laptop, netbook or notebook with less than 8 hours of actual use. anything less is useless.

I love Acer netbooks, but yeah, go get one new.

A refurb is not worth it at all. Especially if you want to add SquareTrade.

I love this computer, I have one now, and was really tempted to buy another. Mine has a 6 cell battery, but you can always upgrade! Mine was $400, and these are the only problems I have with it: when I first recieved it it had tons of programs loaded on it, and the speakers are on the bottom which stinks. I LOVE THIS COMPUTER! I take it with me everywhere!

jkbc wrote:It'll handle DivX- and XviD-encoded content just fine. It'll occasionally struggle with H.264-encoded content, but seems to truck through fine even with the fan sounding like it's about to lift off.

I watch netflix movies on it all the time, but my battery is higher and my processer as well. But the movies are smooth sailin!

nzabak wrote:I will no longer consider a laptop, netbook or notebook with less than 8 hours of actual use. anything less is useless.

That's kind of like saying any car which won't go 500 miles on a tank of gas is useless. Mabye you don't go on long trips, or maybe you live close to a gas station, or need more than two adults to fit in your car. Maybe some people just want a car which they don't ride in all day long to be able to turn on, get on the internet and check email and turn back off again.

Small? Really? It's one of the biggest netbooks I have seen.
And if you remove the previously downloaded applications then it is fast as anything for me.

But it's an awesome netbook, and the keyboard took only about 30 min to get used to. I would maybe get a better battery.

ChefRAZ wrote:all you have to do is help people by posting links and usful info that helps the product being understood...... and jelly donuts.

True... Although, just asking a relevant question will suffice.

diryde wrote:We have one at my house. It's perfect for leaving plugged in on your night stand. The 3-cell battery doesnt matter to me because I'm not carrying it around the house unless I want to bring it to the porcelain throneroom with me.

Doesn't matter about the lack of DVD drive and such because of the USB, you can add almost anything externally.

Sounds like you go to bed "happy"

And for the Windows 7 questions, I have a Dell Mini 10 with similar specs running Windows 7 Home Premium and it runs very well. Pre-loaded factory crapware will always slow down a system. My understanding is that in the release of Windows 7 MS is attempting to limit the amount of junk a manufacturer can load on the PC. We'll see how that goes.

joelmulder wrote:Is this RAM upgradeable beyond 1 GB on this? Is that even necessary? Should I buy this netbook or wait for one running Windows 7?

Yep I've got my upgraded to 2GB. You have to take out the 1gb dimm and replace with a 2gb dimm. It makes a big difference if you are running windows 7.

theredia wrote:Woot must've been watching Conan tonight with his bat expert. Denis Leary is deathly afraid of bats.

Is that from Conan The Barbarian or the Destroyer? I don't remember the scene...

smls25 wrote:Where can you purchase the 9 cell packs? I asked at Staples (where I bought my netbook) and was told they don't carry batteries for them.

I've seen them selling on eBay.

wps52 wrote:How is this for playing movies (avi,DIVX)? Some sites says it plays fine others say it is choppy. Any experience here?

Thanks!

I have the 10" version. It plays standard def video flawlessly. Given the tiny screen and slow speed, it won't do 720p.

I don't understand a netbook with a battery life of up to 4 hours. My 4 year old laptop can still hold 3.5 hours if I turn everything off and let it sit there (which is how this is tested I'm sure), so why can't they make the battery last longer?

If it can't go a whole school days worth of browsing then its worthless to me.

I could be wrong here, but I don't think the 1.33 ghz Atom is going to do a very good job playing back 720p on Hulu or anywhere else for that matter.

labieganski wrote:Can the battery be upgraded? And if so will that help the speed?

yes, you can buy a 6-cell battery from many sources, but it won't help the speed. it will still fall at 32 feet/second/second when you chuck it out the window. gravity is constant regardless of weight.

labieganski wrote:Can the battery be upgraded? And if so will that help the speed?

I have the 6 cell version of this and a colleauge has the 3 cell. The cells just click off the back and are interchageable.

But you would have to buy a 6 cell pack either from Acer (big $s) or maybe on ebay.

No, the larger battery will not make the unit run faster, only longer.

With 6 cells I can go about 5 hours.

Performance with XP on mine is OK. Bogs down on a lot of things but interestingly, works really well with streaming video.

sbn wrote:yes, you can buy a 6-cell battery from many sources, but it won't help the speed. it will still fall at 32 feet/second/second when you chuck it out the window. gravity is constant regardless of weight.

Ah, but the 6 cell will make it heavier without appreciably affecting aerodynamics. Yes, it will still initially accellerate at 32 ft./sec./sec., but terminal velocity will be higher with the 6 cell.

Now if you were in the vaccum of the moon, now both would hit the ground at the same time.

I have one Acer Aspire one 11.6" Netbook, and now I'm buying another one, I love it so much, and I use it so often. Very well refurbished, don't even notice it is refurbished, seems brand new.

curtisuxor wrote:
Oh, also, these types of laptops (Atom processors) should be running a linux distro like Debian to be "non-frustratingly" usable.

Not so much. GMA 500 graphics, which is the non-Intel Intel video, so no open-source driver for you!

pmcm wrote:It says 4 hours...?

I have the 9.5 inch version, with the 3 cell battery I get about 2 hours, I bought a 9 cell abttery off of ebay for $40 including shipping and I get about 8 hours, but it more than doubles the weight. I am more interested in the battery life though, and the extended batteries also lift the back of the unit for easier typing and better air flow for cooling.