bls1 wrote: Will the 0.3MP webcam make for a perfectly lousy image for the folks across the country they're speaking with?

0.3 MP is 640x480 pixels - the same as a standard definition television. In my opinion, standard definition TV quality is plenty for video chats. I'd be more concerned about the optics quality than the megapixels.

feenomenal9 wrote:Meh.

LOL>>>>LOL>>>>LOL

Had a couple Asus products with the same experience. The reason they are cheap is because they are junk. You definitely get what you pay for wit these. Better to go with a better name refurb.

holein5 wrote:If it says ASUS on it, don't buy it. I bought a 6 core system from them here on Woot. NOTHING but headaches. It never worked from day 1. I sent it back at least 4 times before I could GE one that would even BOOT UP! Stay away from these. Check out the comments at www.asus-sucks.com to hear some of the horror stories.

holein5 wrote:If it says ASUS on it, don't buy it. I bought a 6 core system from them here on Woot. NOTHING but headaches. It never worked from day 1. I sent it back at least 4 times before I could GE one that would even BOOT UP! Stay away from these. Check out the comments at www.asus-sucks.com to hear some of the horror stories.

I agree wholeheartedly. I made the mistake of buying a asus laptop and it is with a doubt the worst laptop I've ever owned. Factory support is no help. Within the first year the keyboard starting crapping out, I have to hit the space bar extra hard or it won't work. The screen started to flicker after that. The screen flicker was a known problem that asus admitted to but refused to fix. They wont even sell you a replacement part to fix it yourself, their attitude is go buy a new computer! Sure just run out and spend another $1100 on another one of their crap machines, not!

I'd totally be getting this if I hadn't just bought a fantastic ASUS laptop. This is a steal, especially with a blazing-fast i5 processor! My previous ASUS laptop lasted all 4 years of college, despite my abuse (running Call of Duty in Hi-res and running demanding programs like photoshop!).

I have a model similar to this; it packs an i7 and discrete graphics. Decent setup, feels flimsy but business laptops with limited specs are about the only ones that don't these days. But then again if you're able to skip the graphics you might as well go for a biz laptop--much better quality than anything targeted at consumers. Ditto on the bloatware, all the software "trials" are borderline adware but the same can be said of HP, Dell, etc.

The battery on mine lasts maybe 2.5 hours on regular use, or 40 minutes playing Supreme Commander at 35,000 feet.

megrid wrote:I made the mistake of buying a asus laptop and it is with a doubt the worst laptop I've ever owned.

Clearly you have never owned an HP laptop.

The placement of the power connection on this laptop is just stupid.

Asus is a great company that makes it's share of junk like everyone else. Their motherboards, Routers, Tablets, videocards, displays etc, and high end computers are some of the best on the market- but their budget stuff is hit and miss like everyone else. Bottom line is you get what you pay for. If you are going to sell an I5 laptop for $400, you need to skimp on other areas to retain a profit- that means the keyboard, chassis, QC and other items that are not market points will suffer.

gak0090 wrote:Bottom line is you get what you pay for.

So why comparison shop ever? If you "get what you pay for" then shopping is unnecessary. And Woot is unnecessary since "you get what you pay for".

Just go to the nearest store, and pay what they tell you the cost (value) is.

escalante wrote:So why comparison shop ever? If you "get what you pay for" then shopping is unnecessary. And Woot is unnecessary since "you get what you pay for".

Just go to the nearest store, and pay what they tell you the cost (value) is.

The point is to be aware through research and reviews what you are buying. Today there is a refurb Acer A500 for sale at Red tag for $229. I know the value of this, I have done the research- I know it's a great product and this is a good price vs other pricing for the same exact thing that is $100 more. The other day I bought a windows 7 slate (EXOPC) for $200 after reading extensive reviews about it. After it arrived, and I played with it for about an hour, I went and bought another one. Trust me- there are times when I think I see a good deal and go in blind- but those are hit and miss. I can't complain about it though, because when a price seems too good to be true, sometimes it is. Some of these budget laptops might last years for some people, that just park them on the dining room table, and just do occasional surfing, emailing whatever. You take the same laptop and throw it around in a backpack, spill stuff in it,keep it parked on a pillow not allowing any airflow into the vents, bump and move it while the HD is spinning - its not going to last like a higher end model. You should be aware of what your buy with what purpose it's serving- and don't complain if you take a chance on something cheap and it doesn't pan out. Specs can be deceiving. A great example is Archos stuff- if you read the specs it seems too good to be true for the price, and once you own one you'll understand why. Sorry about the rant-

I'm tired of all this refurb crap with 90 days warranty. I refuse to buy something a company won't stand behind for at least a year. Offering a square trade warranty is a joke in my opinion.

will this work on the tv? and is it HDMI?

gak0090 wrote:The point is to be aware through research and reviews what you are buying. Today there is a refurb Acer A500 for sale at Red tag for $229. I know the value of this, I have done the research- I know it's a great product and this is a good price vs other pricing for the same exact thing that is $100 more. The other day I bought a windows 7 slate (EXOPC) for $200 after reading extensive reviews about it. After it arrived, and I played with it for about an hour, I went and bought another one. Trust me- there are times when I think I see a good deal and go in blind- but those are hit and miss. I can't complain about it though, because when a price seems too good to be true, sometimes it is. Some of these budget laptops might last years for some people, that just park them on the dining room table, and just do occasional surfing, emailing whatever. You take the same laptop and throw it around in a backpack, spill stuff in it,keep it parked on a pillow not allowing any airflow into the vents, bump and move it while the HD is spinning - its not going to last like a higher end model. You should be aware of what your buy with what purpose it's serving- and don't complain if you take a chance on something cheap and it doesn't pan out. Specs can be deceiving. A great example is Archos stuff- if you read the specs it seems too good to be true for the price, and once you own one you'll understand why. Sorry about the rant-

Thanks, we all need to hear the truth.

eddiemunsterv wrote:Had a couple Asus products with the same experience. The reason they are cheap is because they are junk. You definitely get what you pay for wit these. Better to go with a better name refurb.

So by analogy, if one were to buy a Chevy Volt and it turned out to be a lemon, then all Chevy's are to be considered crap?

gak0090 wrote: The other day I bought a windows 7 slate (EXOPC) for $200 after reading extensive reviews about it. After it arrived, and I played with it for about an hour, I went and bought another one.

Since you seem pleased with that slate, what model was it or is there only one EXOPC model? Isn't it basically a Atom powered tablet using Win7? TIA

hits18 wrote:will this work on the tv? and is it HDMI?

Yes. And yes, via the HDMI output connector.

russwjohns wrote:Since you seem pleased with that slate, what model was it or is there only one EXOPC model? Isn't it basically a Atom powered tablet using Win7? TIA

Yes this is what I bought http://liliputing.com/2011/01/exopc-windows-7-slate-computer-review.html. I thought it was going to be a total dog with that atom processor, but after I got it I was pretty impressed. I like the way that Exopc uses their touch layer much better than the way windows 8 uses their metro. Their apps for their overlay aren't really that extensive or developed because they don't have the vast number of contributors like IOS of Android have. I like how this switches back and forth between the touch overlay and windows 7 without castrating you on the windows desktop side like Windows 8 does. I bought it at secondipity, and within 2 days of receiving mine were all sold out. A wireless mini keyboard/mouse ans tablet stand and you have yourself a netbook that you can easily convert back and forth to a tablet. Hardware was solid feeling. Like I said before, I was so impressed that I bought a second one after playing with it awhile- soon after that they were all sold out.

russwjohns wrote:Since you seem pleased with that slate, what model was it or is there only one EXOPC model? Isn't it basically a Atom powered tablet using Win7? TIA

Secondipity had posted it at 239, then I updated the price to 199 on deals woot. Not long after that they all sold out
http://deals.woot.com/deals/search?q=exopc

gak0090 wrote:Yes this is what I bought http://liliputing.com/2011/01/exopc-windows-7-slate-computer-review.html. I thought it was going to be a total dog with that atom processor, but after I got it I was pretty impressed. I like the way that Exopc uses their touch layer much better than the way windows 8 uses their metro. Their apps for their overlay aren't really that extensive or developed because they don't have the vast number of contributors like IOS of Android have. I like how this switches back and forth between the touch overlay and windows 7 without castrating you on the windows desktop side like Windows 8 does. I bought it at secondipity, and within 2 days of receiving mine were all sold out. A wireless mini keyboard/mouse ans tablet stand and you have yourself a netbook that you can easily convert back and forth to a tablet. Hardware was solid feeling. Like I said before, I was so impressed that I bought a second one after playing with it awhile- soon after that they were all sold out.

Tks 4 nfo

I'd rather pay $400 for this with the i5 chip and board than having a bunch of "perks" on a useless board for the same price. As a web developer on a budget, I'm buying this for mobile work purposes. I have a desktop for gaming and intensive graphics work. This is a deal to me.

Finally received this item on 8/23.

Surprise!
1.) It came with a 5200 MAh, 56Wh 6-cell battery!

2.) The keyboard has nice raised bumps on the home keys and the keys are wider apart than on most similar sized notebooks.

3.) It came with a single 4gb of Elpida sodimm thereby leaving a vacant ram socket open, unlike a lot of other notebooks - hmm apple.

On neg side, Aluminum case feels like plastic. HD has no Diag or Recovery partition (I'd like ability to burn recovery discs when I need to do so). No Quick Setup Guide. Where are toggle keys for WiFi and Sleep?

Overall, seems nice. Too bad for nay sayers critical of battery size

mtcwannabe wrote:The placement of the power connection on this laptop is just stupid.

Yep. Just like MacBooks, Acer, and others with AC socketed on left side of notebooks.