Glad I didn't buy a Dell
Written: Feb 13 '03 (Updated Feb 13 '03)
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Pros: Affordable, Reliable, Tough.
Cons: Needs more Peripheral ports and Infrared
The Bottom Line: The Solo 1450 is a good Laptop for Non-experts.
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| kd5czf's Full Review: Gateway Solo 1450 PC Notebook |
When I started college, I discovered that my major required a laptop that met certain minimum specifications. The school's website listed several computer manufacturers that were recommended by our ITS department. Gateway was not listed as one of them. I used the internet and priced several systems and the lowest price I could get was a 1.2Ghz Dell for $1850 WITH the Student's discount. One day I just decided to stop in the Gateway store and give them a try. The salesman let me use his computer to get on the Dell website and show him exactly what he had to beat. That he did, he matched all of the Dell's equipment and software, and for $200 less than a Dell, I got a larger harddrive and a 1.7Ghz processor.
My Gateway Solo 1450 arrived in less than a week exactly as I had equipped it. I find the keyboard to be easy to use and all of the keys are exactly where they should be - unlike many other laptops where various keys are thrown about wherever there is space. The touchpad is easy to use and one of the best balanced ones I have ever laid fingers on. The screen arrived with a dead pixel, but it is small enough that I have not bothered replacing it.
When I ordered the computer, I also ordered the Student edition of Microsoft Works. When it had not arrived after a month, I went and talked to the same salesman who I bought the computer from and he shipped me another copy by UPS overnight.
The computer is pretty reliable and has never died - even the night before a paper is due. Some programs that are incompatable with Win XP can destabilize the system and cause problems, but you can actually "roll back" the computer to the day before you installed that program and fix the problem.
It is also durable. I wouldn't recommend testing this, but one day I found my laptop keyboard swimming in Sweet tea. It was dripping out of the vents in the bottom of the laptop. So I turned it on it's side and let it drip dry. The next day, the keys were sticky, but the computer worked fine.
I cannot complain about battery life because this is my first laptop. It lasts about two and a half hours on a full charge. If you really need more than that, I recommend buying a second battery - they are easy enough to change out.
Overall I consider my experience to be a good one. The laptop is nice and portable, but is lacking a few ports and infrared. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't change much.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1650
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 15 inches
RAM: 256
Internal Storage: DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 13-20
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Epinions.com ID:
kd5czf
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Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 1 member
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