Asus A32-M50 Battery |
Posted: June 9, 2014 |
Being a studious person, I attempted to perform research of the various model lines out there. After all was said and done, the Acer 5050 was the cheapest dual core and 64-bit machine with Vista approved graphics, part of my main future proofing criteria. I was also encouraged by a thread on NBR about the Aspire 5050-5554. Since I would typically use an external monitor when at my home desk, the smaller screen size (14.1” display) is acceptable and means less weight and bulk to carry around.The item was purchased at FutureShop for $749.99 (CDN) on December 9, 2006. The FutureShop list price was actually $799.99, but they had an online promotion that weekend for $50 off if you spent more than $500. This purchase was 5 months ago and the specific SKU configuration I got is no longer available, but the Aspire 5050 is available with new SKUs and higher configurations such as having 2GB RAM, 160 GB hard drive, etc.Much like the 5102WLMi, the 5050 features Acer’s folio design with silver plastic and black trim. With the lid closed the size of the ‘folio’ is just a bit bigger than a typical file folder. Dimensions are listed as 341(W) x 251 (D) x 35 (H) mm. I was able to purchase a slim notebook bag and I’m quite pleased with its small footprint. Unfortunately the silver plastic on top is easily scratched. But the hinges on the lid feel sturdy. So sturdy in fact, that you need to hold down the base to open the notebook. There is some flexibility with the LCD, but nothing alarming.The LCD screen is a 14.1” widescreen, with a native resolution of 1200×800 (WXGA). It is equipped with Acer’s CrsytalBrite technology (glossy). Not having much to compare to, I can say that images look good and the glossiness does make movies more vibrant. When watching movies, I am able to detect a bit of response lag when compared to my desktop setup. The horizontal viewing range is good, but I have found myself constantly adjusting the display to find the right vertical viewing angle. Applying moderate pressure to the LCD’s back produces the typical ripple pattern. The keyboard is spacious as far as netbooks go, since the Aspire One is a 9″ netbook inside the body of a 10″ model. You have the slight disadvantage of having huge screen borders, but you get some much needed keyboard real estate. The keyboard is cramped compared to a fullsize notebook, but is easy to get the hang of with enough practice. The typing surface feels strong with no keyboard flex and individual keys feel strong with no wobble. One aspect that I really enjoy about the keyboard layout is the dedicated page up and page down buttons. For scrolling through long webpages, especially with mini touchpads, page up and page down keys can provide a more accurate way of navigating a webpage or document at a fast pace.The touchpad design is slightly unique compared to other netbooks and notebooks in general, with the buttons on each side of the touch surface. The only other notebook we have seen with this layout is the HP Mini-Note 2133. The layout is a bit tricky to get used to, as you click on the hard palmrest surface, and try to scroll on the touchpad button. The surface is easily to slide your finger on and the sensitivity easily tracks your finger with light pressure. If you are able to get used to the touchpad button layout ends up not being that bad at all.
The LED backlit display on the Acer Aspire One is very bright and vibrant. The white levels are very clear, leaning towards the cooler or bluer side. Colors look excellent with the glossy screen, but at the cost of increasing screen reflections and glare. The screen might be bright enough to view outside, but with all the bright reflective surfaces outside, the screen is nearly impossible to view comfortably. Viewing angles are better than average, with a broad sweet spot. Horizontal viewing angles are excellent, to the point where you could be looking almost perpendicular to the screen and still see accurate color. Vertical viewing angles are good, but they do find their limit at +/- 15 degrees forward or back. There are approximately sixteen discrete contrast levels and while in a dimly lit room I have found the maximum setting to be too bright. There is a little bit of light leakage and it was only noticeable in a dark room.I have used the external display quite frequently in conjunction with the LCD. I have noticed that images on the external display are not as crisp and clean as my desktop output that uses an ATI Radeon 7500 graphics card. Wireless works fine, and the antenna signal is usually a few bars stronger than my desktop (PCI wireless) in the same location. The actual model or chipset of the mini-PCI card is an Atheros AR5005G. The unit is not equipped with Bluetooth or an infrared port. Customer Support I have emailed customer support on a few occasions (driver, software related) and response is slow. Other than that, I have only heard of some unpleasant things in the forums about Acer technical support. Typically a week passed before a response came. To extend the original warranty by 2-years it was $99 CDN and being a sucker for warranties, I bought it immediately. This unit was and still is clearly advertised as ’64-bit’ and I completely fell for it. The support site does not provide 64-bit drivers should you choose to use the ‘64-bit power’ as advertised by Acer. I am also disappointed that I was not allowed to choose the 64-bit version of Vista for my express upgrade. I know that suitable 64-bit drivers are out there, and I have to fish for them, but it’s still an irritation. The touchpad works well, and with some adjustment I?ve found a speed that works well for me. The buttons are a bit hard to push, and do click rather loudly compared to the keyboard ? I preferred the soft touch of the buttons on HP machines to these. In between the left and right buttons is a square scroll button for vertical and horizontal scrolling, which works well, but also clicks loudly. While typing, considerable heat can be felt on the left side of the keyboard, and the left palmrest. It is not hot or unbearable, but it is tough to ignore.The screen is a beautiful glossy WXGA Acer CrystalBrite LCD, and though reflective as all glossy screens are, the vibrancy and clarity is excellent. As said before, flexing of the screen frame does not affect the picture or display at all. The brightness has 16 settings, all of which are very useable. It is adjusted automatically by the Acer power profiles, or manually using the function key and the left/right arrows. The dimmest setting does allow more reflection of backlight so position becomes very important, and the brightest setting is almost too bright for me. It does work well however when working under bright lights or outside. My preferred brightness is usually between 6 & 10. I can find no light leakage or uneven backlighting issues, and all pixels seem to be functioning properly. It is an easy screen to use for long periods. For typing, almost any reasonable vertical viewing angle works well, and text can be read easily from well off to either side. Pictures or videos have a much more limited viewing sweet spot. Matte finish screens will give more liberal viewing angle, but the benefit of bright, vibrant colours that jump off the screen is worth it. The only improvement might be to increase the resolution to 1680×1050, as with close viewing the 1200×800 resolution does show the screen door effect somewhat. This is perhaps being overly critical however, in effort to find something to criticize on an excellent screen. Above the display is a 1.3 megapixel swivel camera, which is ok for video conference or low-res photos, but the video is quite choppy. I have no intention of using it, and would have rather it not even be there. If it has to be there, I?d prefer it be built into the frame a bit more stealthily.
The speakers are about what you would expect from a midsize notebook. They do not distort at high volumes, but they do not get all that loud and the sound lacks body. I really think it is unfair to expect great musical performance from notebook speakers ? that is what external speakers or headphones are for. In my opinion, on-board notebook speakers are for playing Windows and notification sounds, and these work just fine for that. Volume is easily adjustable using the dedicated volume buttons over the DVD drive, or by the function key and up/down arrows. If external speakers are to be hooked up, it might have been nice to have the audio jacks on the side of the notebook instead of front and center. I?m unable to test the Bluetooth or firewire, and the 3G internet connectivity won?t be useful to me. Everything else seems to work as it should, though the wireless network card can sometimes see more connections than it seems to be able to actually reach with its own signal. These are usually very weak neighbourhood signals anyway. As a testament to its practical usability, before I had my own wireless network hooked up the notebook connected to my neighbour?s unsecured network across the street and began downloading updates for Windows. I found I could surf the web quite easily on this connection ? even from my basement. The only drawback with the wireless is the switch on the front ? I wish it was a hard on-off switch instead of a sliding soft-switch. Even when turned off, sometimes profile changes or other computer actions will turn it back on ? I?d prefer to have absolute manual control with the switch. (Toshiba style) Battery The battery is an 8 cell, 71W Li-ion battery, and I have observed about 3 hours of useful life (down to 10%) with average demand on the system and wireless connected. The Balanced power plan in Vista seems to do a really good job of balancing long life with performance. When charging from empty, the battery charges at a rate of just over 1% per min, reaching 50% in just 42min, and 70% in an hour while using the notebook at the same time. It charged to 90% in 84min, and then the charge rate slows up considerably for the last 10%, taking a reasonable total of 2 hours for a full charge. I was told by the technician when I called the helpline, that the most effective way to save battery power was to turn off the wireless card and though I have not tested this fully, windows estimates well over 3 hours on the balanced plan with the wireless turned off.
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