We've had a 17" screen Toshiba Equium P200 since 2007, running Vista. We've mainly used it for the net, movies and Microsoft Office type tasks. It's started failing us in the last year, though, including not being able to handle HD movies, so it was time to upgrade. We wanted something which could do all the same tasks, but obviously better, while also being lighter, more compact and of a reasonable price (£600 max).
Having been out of the laptop buying scene for 5 years, we got started in PC World. I'd heard that Windows 8 was designed to work best with touchscreens, but I hadn't heard of a touchscreen laptop until we saw a couple in the store. However, there was only about three different types to look at and they were either too small, too expensive or both. To be honest, I was surprised, with the recent launch of Windows 8 and with the run-up to Christmas upon us, that manufacturers hadn't rushed out a greater range of touchscreen models. Why invest in something running a touch-orientated operating system if it doesn't have the features to take full advantage of it? In fact, I've read in a few places that Windows 8 is only an improvement over Windows 7 if you do have a touchscreen.
So we got on the net and the only machine out there right now with a 15.6" touchscreen, as well as all the other usual features you'd want for home use (i3 or i5 processor, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD etc), and all at an affordable price, is this Acer. We didn't have any experience of Acer before and I'd always just thought they were a low-end budget brand, so we weren't sure initially whether it would be a wise buy. But we did some research, read other reviews and took the risk.
Well, we've had it a week now and we're not disappointed. In fact, we're delighted with it. It's a nice looking machine in matt silver. Nothing fancy, but nothing to be ashamed of either. Compared with our Toshiba, it's also very slim and light. With battery attached, it weighs in at about 2.4kg, which is about a kilo lighter than the old brick. We also like that the battery is easily detachable from the back. That means you could choose to only attach it when you need to be mobile (which would also increase its lifespan), or you could also buy a second battery to carry with you as a backup; which might be sensible if you're mobile a lot, as the battery only lasts about 3.5 hours. That's fine for our needs, but won't be for everyone.................
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