Notebook with Huge 20 Inch Screen Reviewed 307
An anonymous reader writes "Trusted reviews has a look at the Acer Aspire 9800. This massive machine has a 20.1" screen, two 120GB hard drives in a RAID 0 array, super-multi DVD burner, analogue and digital TV tuners and an Intel Core Duo dual core CPU. And at over 17lb you can even use it for weight training!"
Not only that, (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Not only that, (Score:3, Insightful)
hehehhe - so true, but everyone I know who has one of the Acer (or Asus) monster laptops falls into that (quite large) 'other' category of laptop users - those who occasionally lug a laptop between work & home & rarely (if ever) have a need to use a laptop away from AC (that outweighs the need for a cheap laptop with big hdd & screen).
For those users, I guess this laptop will be good, but I bet it will still suffer from the 'go
Re:Not only that, (Score:3, Funny)
That said, at 17lbs, it's much less the Acer Aspire as the Acer Perspire.
Maybe they can get Sure to sponsor them.
Re:Not only that, (Score:3, Funny)
Only 1680 x 1050 resolution (Score:5, Insightful)
"So let's start with that huge screen. With a widescreen aspect ratio, you're getting a native resolution of 1,680 x 1,050, which to be honest is pretty low considering the physical size. Considering that many 17in notebook screens have a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200, I can't help but find the resolution on this 20.1in display somewhat disappointing. Closer inspection gives some clue as to why the resolution is limited - quite simply, Acer has bolted one of its desktop monitors onto a notebook. Whereas most notebook screens and consequently lids are getting slimmer and slimmer, the lid on the Aspire 9800 is 30mm thick - it's therefore a safe bet that it's exactly the same panel that Acer sells in it's 20.1in desktop monitors."
Personally I have an older Dell C800 (I or something like that) with a 15" 1600x1200 screen. I value pixels more than size, so for me it's great.
1680x1050 is horrible resolution for 20" of screen space, but I guess if you value size more than pixels, then this is the laptop for you. I would guess that for some users, particularly gamers, raw pixel resolution may not be your highest priority. There's also the "mine's bigger than yours" aspect.
Frankly, I'm surprised it took this long for a company to bolt a 20" desktop screen onto a laptop base.
Oh yeah...don't forget the Holy 17 Pounds Batman! I'd be willing to bet that doesn't count the power brick. Does it come with wheels and a pull handle?
Anyway, if I had the cash burning a hole in my pocket, I'd pass this one by.
Re:Only 1680 x 1050 resolution (Score:4, Funny)
And soon after the cash did, the laptop would as well.
Re:Only 1680 x 1050 resolution (Score:5, Funny)
I did that long ago. The problem was that the CRT made the laptop a bit top heavy.
Re:Only 1680 x 1050 resolution (Score:3, Funny)
Indeed. It isn't size that matters - its what you do with it that counts.
17 lbs is heavy? (Score:3, Funny)
Hmm.... Maybe I was nuts.
Re:Only 1680 x 1050 resolution (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Only 1680 x 1050 resolution (Score:2)
More pixels on most of our modern operating systems will make you go blind reading small fonts and probably most end users use a lower resolution on-top of those amazing native resolutions to be able to read stuff(I know my mom did). Hopefully, the next round of OSs will fix this... but until then... I just think you are compensating.
Yes, 1680 x 1050 could certainly be bett
Re:Only 1680 x 1050 resolution (Score:2)
???
That's about the same resolution as the highest-quality HDTV format, and people don't seem to mind looking at that even on a 61" TV screen.
1680x1050 on a 20" LCD screen is a fine resolution.
Re:Only 1680 x 1050 resolution (Score:2)
People say that, but they rarely have a problem with the desktop displays. I've got a 20" Dell widescreen that runs at the same 1680x1050, and never once have I thought to myself "gee, this could be much higher resolution." It depends what you're doing, of course - you're not going to want insane-o resolution for gaming since you won't have a card fast enough to run it native. Actually, for most uses, the size is bet
Re:Only 1680 x 1050 resolution (Score:3, Insightful)
How about (if my conversions are correct) holy 19"x15" (x2"). That's ridiculous- not only will this thing not fit in most any laptop bag or backpack, it will barely fit in airline standard carry on luggage.
Re:Excellent Large-Screen Portable Television (Score:4, Insightful)
The short of it is this: you can't hide the porn, and you can't give it up for long. Seriously. She will find it. Be honest. Perhaps your girl needs to look within herself to see why she's threatened by a Jenna Jameson DVD.
lb? (Score:5, Informative)
Thats 7.7kgs for those of us not still using British imperial measurements
slugs (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:slugs (Score:5, Informative)
Re:lb? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:lb? (Score:5, Funny)
Jedidiah.
Re:lb? (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm sure you're not entirely serious, but "archaic" and "obsolete" are obviously incorrect, since they are in current usage in the U.S. The U.S. system cannot be wrong (except from a technical elegance point of view), and it's not primitive in any meaningful sense. That leaves "irregular," which it certainly is.
Sorry. If it were up to me, we'd have standardized on metric a long time ago, but we're too busy legislating morality. So we'll have to get back to you on that.
Re:lb? (Score:4, Funny)
That's right, ten inches in a foot. 100 inches in a yard and 1000 yards in a mile. What could possibly go wrong?
Re:lb? (Score:5, Funny)
The next Mars Rover exploring your backyard?
Re:lb? (Score:3, Funny)
obsolete [reference.com]: 2. Outmoded in design, style, or construction;
primitive [reference.com]: 2b. Being little evolved from an early ancestral type.
Oddly the US is, technically, a metric country. Some selected quotes from this page on the history of metric measurements in the US [unc.edu]:
"As a result, the U. S. has been "metric" since 1866, but only in the sense that Americans have been free sinc
Re:lb? (Score:5, Informative)
Who says Slashdot isn't educational???
Re:lb? (Score:3, Informative)
"Which weighs more -- a pound of feathers or a pound of gold?"
The obvious answer would be "Neither!" since logically a pound of x should be exactly as heavy as a pound of y. Unfortunately, there are two different (and maddeningly incompatible) standards for measuring a pound: troy and avoirdupois.
A troy pound is defined as weighing twelve ounces and (his
Re:lb? (Score:2)
That's assuming that the weight was measured at 1G . . . If I were selling laptops, I'd list their weight on Mars. Sure you could use the Moon, but no one would believe you.
But... (Score:2)
Re:lb? (Score:3, Funny)
For a limited time with our 17lb units (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:For a limited time with our 17lb units (Score:2)
Amazing (Score:4, Funny)
Battery capac... (Score:5, Funny)
And a battery capacity to power the unit for 4.5 seco...
- - -
Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Color MacBook?
Re:Battery capac... (Score:2)
OT: What would Janis Want? (Score:2)
My friends all have Acers, but I want the look.
Worked hard all my life, don't leave me forsook.
So, oh Lord, won't you buy me a Color MacBook.
Battery power (Score:5, Funny)
"but still has enough battery life to give you a full days work on the move."
What does it come with? a power plant attached?
Re:Battery power (Score:2)
Re:Battery power (Score:2)
Re:Battery power (Score:2)
Cold Fusion? (Score:2)
Re:Battery power (Score:2)
eh, nevermind. I got nothing.
Half-assed effort (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Half-assed effort (Score:2)
Re:Half-assed effort (Score:3, Informative)
ergonomic (Score:3, Interesting)
Why does nobody do this? Regular keyboards make me hurt.
It's making more and more sense now, with bigger screens and with the old 4:3 screen shape being abandoned.
I'll take a 21.5 inch (19x10) screen please, 1920x1024 (100 dpi,
Similar in weight to my x286 laptop (Score:4, Funny)
I got a beautiful x286 laptop with a couple megs ram and a 10MB drive that weighs that much :) Anyone interested?
http://psychicfreaks.com/ [psychicfreaks.com]noteBOOK? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:noteBOOK? (Score:2)
The SUV of notebooks... (Score:2)
Re:The SUV of notebooks... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:The SUV of notebooks... (Score:5, Funny)
A built in webcam and a screen that's wide?
Ninety-eight double-zero-oooooh,
9800.
Well it goes real fast with dual-core brain,
It's the super-size 'book too big for a plane,
Ninety-eight double-zero-oooooh,
9800.
380 mills deep, 490 mills wide,
7.8 kilos of Taiwanese pride,
Ninety-eight double-zero-oooooh,
9800.
Top of the line in weightlifting sports,
Knackered elbows are a matter for the courts,
Ninety-eight double-zero-oooooh,
9800.
She stuns everybody with a CrystalBrite screen,
She's a 20-inch dual-core computing machine,
Ninety-eight double-zero-oooooh,
9800.
Re:The SUV of notebooks... (Score:2)
The "SUV of notebooks" is the HUMMER(R) Laptop [hummerlaptops.com]. "Just as tough, reliable, and go-anywhere as a HUMMER vehicle, this laptop is the perfect addition to your active lifestyle! Featuring the latest in mobile technology, it's ergonomically styled, and tough enough to survive the wear and tear of every day use whether at home, in the car, or on the go!"
Re:The SUV of notebooks... (Score:2)
Re:The SUV of notebooks... (Score:2)
RAID 0? (Score:2)
This is an Eierlegende Wollmilchsau (Score:2, Insightful)
Add one more type of user to your list... (Score:4, Interesting)
I'd LOVE a monitor that size-- but I'm stuck with a puny laptop screen as long as I'm working outside our main office.
Having taken up all that desk space (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Having taken up all that desk space (Score:2)
Re:For Extreme Power Users Only?? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:For Extreme Power Users Only?? (Score:3, Funny)
Not anymore.
Jeeze! (Score:2)
Just because... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Just because... (Score:2, Funny)
Maybe this is part of a hidden agenda to get tech people in better shape? I hear they sell a 4 pound USB mouse to go with this thing...
Re:Just because... (Score:3, Funny)
Quality (Score:4, Insightful)
Having a notebook with features is great, but not when you can't use the thing or have to keep sending it in for repair due to poor design. I'm not sure that this laptop would be any more or less reliable than previous models, but I'd be careful that all those great "features" don't cause one to overlook the issues of reliability.
Re:Quality (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Quality (Score:3, Interesting)
Beware of BenQ. It's just Acer's new name for consumer electronics.
Yes, but..... (Score:5, Funny)
Big Muscles! (Score:5, Funny)
** Applies only to those reading this Slashdot article
Re:Big Muscles! (Score:2)
One good thing might come of this (Score:2)
stop dissing it. (Score:5, Insightful)
My employer bought a Dell D810 for me to use. This thing is so far from being portable it's not even funny. It's huge, heavy, a little flimsy, etc. But it's fast, has a big screen, lots of pixels, and does everything I need (except run OS X). However, when I travel, I still bring my 12" PBG4.
Re:stop dissing it. (Score:3, Insightful)
The only way this could be useful if for LAN parties (as you mentioned) - which are pretty rare anyway - and not enough of a reason not to buy a desktop which you can upgrade
Re:stop dissing it. (Score:2)
The previous reply also indicates that I'm contradicting myself, but I'm not. I consider there to be a difference between travel (business, vacation) and changing locations to solve a problem. When I travel, it's for recreation/escape or meetings/training and for that, my PBG4 is perfect. When I change locations to
Re:stop dissing it. (Score:2)
FTA:
Another issue with the keyboard is that there is such a huge expanse of chassis in front of it - for someone like me who has small hands, I end up with my forearms resting on what would otherwise be a wrist r
The weight is impressive but not a record (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:The weight is impressive but not a record (Score:2)
God, I loved that computer.
Kaypro II is even heavier (Score:2)
26 pounds. Feels twice that heavy if you move it more than a few dozen feet. It's like a tank. The metal case adds some weight over the Osborne's plastic
A few years later they added a hard drive and brought the weight up to 31 pounds.
Mobility (Score:5, Insightful)
"super-multi DVD burner" (Score:2, Funny)
ALso, what is it with R&D these days? It's like they make em work straight for a month or so, then they have an office party where they get the managers drunk:
Employee A: Lets make a 20 inch Laptop with RAID 0. And lasers.
Manager: Yeah dude that would be amaaaazing. Can I lick your balls?
server (Score:2)
Re:server (Score:2)
law suits (Score:2)
That's it? (Score:3, Funny)
Not 'nuff redundancy for me. (Score:2)
You forgot to mention it's from Intel. Again.
Coral cached (Score:2)
Raid 0??? (Score:2)
What a joke (Score:2)
Still, I was hoping for some monster resolution like 2560x1600. I'm not interested.
Perspire, not Aspire (Score:2)
If you're essentially going to make a desktop replacement like this, at least equip it with a desktop type full stroke keyboard with cursor keys so it's not a machine with all the drawbacks of a laptop and all the drawbacks of a desktop. In the late 1980s, even the cheapo PC maker Amstrad made a portable with a 102-key full stroke keyboard rather than a co
Slashdotted (Score:3, Interesting)
Back to the old "lugable computer" (Score:2)
But c'mon. It weighs as much as 6 of my current laptops. Or as much as my current laptop and a 23" cinema display....
I could add a 1TB firewire hard drive and not go too much over the weight limit. But I'd have to duct tape it all together to make it as "portable".
Too bad port replicators are things of the past. I have one for my laptop and it means when I want to be mobile I've got something that weighs 2.75 po
17 lbs... (Score:3, Funny)
Digital Tuner... (Score:2)
Re:Digital Tuner... (Score:3, Informative)
Better be good for gaming!!! (Score:2)
If not, this thing is only worthwhile if all you're trying to do is save desk space. Otherwise, you're
Resolution is fine. (Score:2)
Some people just want a reason to bitch and moan about everything.
Re:Numeric Keypad (Score:2)
My beef with the industry is that there has been room for a numeric keypad on the 17" laptops all along. On some widescreen 15.4" ones also if they really wanted to. I really hate pushing the "special" key to use the fake crooked number pad. It's one of my pet peeves.
Re:I dont think it will be usefull (Score:2)
I can't understand why anyone would need more than 640 KB of memory.