What manufacturer made the netbook?

-  Acer:

 2 

-  Asus:

 4 

-  Dell:

 0

-  Hewlett Packard:

 3 

How long did you use the machine for?

-  Less than a week:

 2 

-  Between one week and a month:

 6 

-  More than a month:

 1 

Overall, how sasified were you with the machine

-  Unsatisfied - wouldn't use it or use it myself (1):

1 

-  Quite satisfied - would use it occasionally (2):

2 

-  Satisfied - would recommend it (3):

3 

-  Very satisfied - would strongly recommend it & use it myself (4):

3 

Average: 2.89

How much memory does it have (RAM)?

-  256MB:

 0

-  512MB:

 3 

-  1GB:

 4 

-  2GB:

 1 

-  More than 2GB:

 0

-  Don't know:

 1 

Is its main storage a hard disk or solid state drive (SSD)?

-  Hard disk:

 6 

-  Solid State Drive:

 3 

What is the capacity of its main storage hard disk (HDD) or (solid state drive) SSD?

-  < 2GB SSD:

 0

-  2GB SSD:

 0

-  4GB SSD:

 1 

-  8GB SSD:

 2 

-  16GB SSD:

 0

-  > 16GB SSD:

 0

-  < 80GB HDD:

 1 

-  80GB HDD:

 1 

-  120GB HDD:

 4 

-  160GB HDD:

 0

-  > 160GB HDD:

 0

What is its principal operating system?

-  Windows XP:

 5 

-  Windows Vista:

 1 

-  Linux Suse:

 0

-  Linux Xandros:

 1 

-  Linux Linpus:

 1 

-  Linux (other):

 1 

-  Apple OS:

 0

Which of the following software tools did it come with (out of the box)?

-  Microsoft Office Works:

 3 

-  Open Office:

 3 

-  Internet Explorer:

 5 

-  Firefox:

 3 

Which Processor did it have?

-  Intel Atom:

 6 

-  Via:

 3 

Did it have an extended battery?

-  Yes:

 2 

-  No:

 7 

How long was the battery life in normal use?

-  1 hour:

 0

-  Between 1-2 hours:

 2 

-  Between 2-3 hours:

 2 

-  Between 3-4 hours:

 2 

-  Between 4-5 hours:

 2 

-  More than 5 hours:

 1 

What was the Display Screen Size?

-  7 inch:

 1 

-  8.9 inch:

 6 

-  10 inch:

 2 

What screen resolutions did you use?

-  Don't know/unsure:

 0

-  800 x 480:

 2 

-  1024 x 600:

 8 

-  1280 x 768:

 0

-  Also used with an external display:

 1 

Please give any other comments about the screen resolution
e.g. how practical it was, use with external displays, etc.

-  

Didn't use with an external display

-  

The screen was a good size too use. Would have liked a slightly higher resolution than the 1024 x 600 and could have used 1024 x 768 though this did slightly squash the desktop.

-  

Screen was a little small and the resolution was disappointing.

-  

Switch on keyboard to alter screen resolution
1024 768 scrolled screen a little
On-line TV worked well

-  

The screen res started with 800x600 but with some fiddling I managed to add 1024x600 to use.

-  

Bit too small...

-  

The screen resolution on one model I tried I think was 1280x800 but on a second one I could only manage to get 1024x600.

-  

Easy to read text, video was very good (better than my laptop), sometimes it could be a problem only seeing part of a document or web page.
I used the netbook with projectors and a 22" monitor and the display was as good as using an ordinary laptop.

-  

Clear screen. Good quality graphics

Please rate the quality of sound from the laptop without extra speakers
(i.e. from its built-in speakers):

-  Not good quality - poor sound (1):

 0

-  Acceptable quality for personal use (2):

5 

-  Similar good quality to my existing laptop (3):

3 

-  Exceptional quality, crystal clear sound (4):

1 

Average: 2.56

Please give further details on the sound quality if required
what it would be appropriate to use it for

-  

OK for watching video/TV

-  

I played it through a hifi and it was significantly quieter than my N95 mobile phone.

-  

There were many options for altering the sound with a graphic equalizer and various environments. Choosing the right one was important for getting a decent sound for music.

What speed were you able to achieve with the wireless connection?

-  Less than 24Mbs:

 0

-  Between 24-56Mps:

 8 

-  Greater than 56Mbs:

 1 

Which external I/O ports were available?

-  VGA:

 8 

-  1 x USB:

 0

-  2 x USB:

 3 

-  3 x USB:

 5 

-  Microphone:

 8 

-  Audio Speakers:

 8 

-  Line in:

 4 

-  RJ-45:

 8 

-  Card Reader:

 8 

How did you find the size of the keyboard?

-  Too small:

 2 

-  Adequate:

 2 

-  Just the right size for my use:

 5 

Which built-in devices were installed?

-  Web Camera:

 9 

-  Stereo Speakers:

 8 

-  Microphone:

 9 

-  Wireless Aerial:

 9 

-  Bluetooth Aerial:

 5 

 Which of the following BucksGfL services did you access using this netbook?
please tick all that apply

-  BucksGfL Webmail:

 3 

-  School Moodle:

 7 

-  BucksGfL Moodle:

 7 

-  BucksGfL Connect:

 2 

-  BucksGfL Support Site (Atomwide):

 0

-  None of the above:

 2 

 Please give any comments about your experience of accessing BucksGfL services using this netbook:

-  

All was fine.

-  

The webcam did not function with Adobe Connect as there is no plugin for it for Linux, only for Windows.

-  

No Problems
Worked fine

-  

Webcam wouldn\'t work through Flash under Linux (nor would microphone), so video and audio broadcasting not possible.

-  

Seemed fine at home and work.

 Indicate who you feel this machine is suited to:
Please tick all that apply

-  Foundation Pupils:

 4 

-  Foundation Staff:

 4 

-  KS1 Pupils:

 6 

-  KS2 Pupils:

 6 

-  Primary Staff:

 7 

-  KS3 Students:

 6 

-  KS4 Students:

 6 

-  KS5 Students:

 6 

-  Secondary Staff:

 6 

-  LSAs/TAs:

 6 

 Were there any significant problems with your use of the machine?
Please be clear which were down to you not being familiar with the system, and which were due to the system not working or failing

-  

Suse Linux is awful! I could not get the WEP key to be saved despite much fiddling. The screen display was flickery at times when using Firefox.

-  

Due to the shrink wrapped nature of the OS, upgrading anything is difficult - for example it\'s difficult to upgrade to Firefox 3 without using a command prompt.

-  

No significant problems

-  

I had to get used to the keyboard size and layout, but soon learnt to type as fast as on a normal keyboard.

-  

No.

-  

None.

-  

Needs to have extended battery as the battery life was inadequate.

-  

None

-  

No apart from the webcam not working with Adobe Connect under Linux.

Please give any other comments

-  

Black case difficult to keep clean.

-  

Case and screen finger marked easily
Ran well with Firefox
Skype
On-line TV

-  

Upgrading apps such as Firefox, OpenOffice or Pidgin to the latest version is not easy on this netbook due to it being Linux.

-  

It\'s an excellent, impressively capable machine with a quick boot-up time and amazing battery life (with an extended battery) due to the lack of HDD. An excellent tool for \"just\" web surfing and office apps, thanks to Firefox and OpenOffice. Google Docs work great as well!

-  

Very durable machine. Heavier than some but acceptable.

-  

So far my favourite netbook with good battery life, display and keyboard size. I will definitely be recommending this.

-  

Standard battery life is poor, only 90 mins. Extended battery gets around 3.5 hours out of it. Processor is only 1.2 VIA and is a bit underpowered with Vista.

-  

I have given up using the laptop and transferred all my work to the Acer. It is much smaller and lighter to carry around, takes up less room on the desk, and carries out normal tasks, eg internet, word processing, PowerPoint, Excel (Office 2006), watching video, as well as or better than the laptop. I have not used it for Access or web page authoring.
For use over several hours it might be better to connect to a monitor, but an hour or two of use is no problem. Having amouse is also a benefit as the touchpad and buttons take getting used to and the buttons are a bit small.
The extended battery I have adds to the weight a little but means the machine lasts 5 hours without charging.
If you need something that is really portable, it is a good option.
Having a hard disk means that it needs care in handling, so, for pupils, a solid state version might be better.

-  

I did not like the machine at all. The OS is awful, difficult to update apps or install anything new, keyboard keys are a little too flat, the netbook gets rather warm when used, the battery only lasts 90 - 120 mins.

 Overall, would you recommend this machine (as used by you) to someone else?

-  Yes, without hesitation:

 3 

-  Yes, with reservations:

 5 

-  Not at all:

 1 

 What score (out of 10) would you give this model overall?

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