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Acer has changed the type of keyboard to chiclet-style in this iteration of the TimelineX laptops. This is a full size keyboard with a separate Numeric pad. The keys are comfortably spaced and have a good tactile feedback. The direction keys seem to be too small, though it is hardly a negative to be considered. Function keys double as keys to handle special functions using the "Fn" modifier key, which allows them to be used to perform tasks such as switching between displays, togglingwireless on and off, multimedia functions, etc. The main ENTER key is deliberately made larger so that you don't miss this oft used key, while the SPACEBAR is of perfect length. The touchpad supports multi-touch and has a clearly demarcated vertical scroll zone. It is intelligently placed right below the SPACEBAR, thus reducing the chances of the palm from accidentally touching it.A backlit Power button is present just above the keyboard towards the left corner, while the right
corner has two blue LED indicators to conveniently indicate thestatus of CAPS and Numeric lock. There is also the PowerSmart button, which can switch the laptop to operate in a power saving mode to maximise the battery life.
Although in this mode, the screen becomes too dim to work without straining your eyes. A 2.0 speaker system is present behind the perforated metallic strip at the centre.A multi-memory card reader slot has been provided at the front. Various LED indicators for power, hard drive activity, and Wi-Fi are present just besides this.This laptop also has a battery gauge button with an LED at the centre. This button lets you find out the battery charge status by pressing it, even when the laptop is switched off. The LED at the centre of this button glows red if the battery is low and blue when it is charged.The laptop is powered by an Intel Core i5-2410M dual-core hyperthreaded processor running at 2.30 GHz, with 2.90 GHz Turboboost. It comes with 3 GB DDR3 memory anda 500 GB 5,400 RPM hard drive. The graphics subsystem is handled by NVIDIA Optimus technology, which intelligently switches between the Intel onboard and NVIDIA GT540M graphics to manage performance and battery life.
Lenovo's IdeaPad family is intended for style-conscious users, compared with the quietly professional-looking, all-black business-oriented ThinkPad family. The unit feels reassuringly solid, without being too heavy even with the small lightweight AC adapter and its cords, you can carry this around all day without any strain or inconvenience. And the chassis feels solid; when I carefully twisted the edges, it didn't seem to bend.
The IdeaPad U260 has a magnesium-alloy shell, with "metallic brushed" and "textured patterns etched into the cover," according to Lenovo. Translation, it feels smooth but not slippery. The U260 comes in either Clementine Orange or Mocha Brown color, has rounded corners, and the top is blank except for a
small silver Lenovo logo. The inside is black except for keyboard markings and the light-up indicators. Speakers are at the top just inside the hinges nearly invisible if you don't look carefully for the grill areas.
The U260 has two USB 2.0 ports (one on each side), Ethernet, Ethernet, HDMI and VGA, audio, and a security lock slot. There's a physical Wi-Fi on/off slide switch, and a light-up indicator above the keyboard. The power button is just above the keyboard, on the middle of the left side, and lights up clearly to
confirm that power is on. There are no slots for SD cards or other media and the ports are all on the sides; the front and back are solid. Cooling vents are on the bottom towards the back.The U260 also has an integrated 0.3MP camera, at the center top, which, among other things, can be used for VeriFace
facial-recognition login, using your face instead of a keyboarded password. (Caution: VeriFace apparently can be fooled by a picture, like one displayed on
a phone.
The Aspire 5735Z has one of the new 16:9 aspect ratio displays; most notebooks have 16:10 displays, so 16:9 screens are wider than usual. The 5735Z’s panel measures 15.6” diagonally and has a 1366x768 pixels resolution (a typical 16:10 display is 15.4” diagonally and has a 1280x800 resolution). It takes some time to get used to the extra-wide 16:9 display.Only 768 pixels of vertical space mean a lot of scrolling, but it is difficult to throw up any flags here given the price point of this notebook. The extra wide resolution means working with two windows side-by-side is doable.
The 5735Z has a no-frills plastic construction and a relatively simple design. It feels surprisingly solid in the hand, and despite the all-plastic construction, generally does not flex. The 5735Z has a sound internal frame since the chassis is stiff resists flexing. The palmrests are inflexible, as are the surfaces surrounding the keyboard. The bottom of the notebook is made of thicker plastic than I expected and also does not flex. There are no squeaks or creaks while handling the notebook.
Acer Aspire 5735Z latest Notebook Specs:
15.6” WXGA glossy display (16:9 aspect ratio, 1366x768 resolution, model AUO10EC)
Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
Intel Pentium Dual-Core T3200 processor (2.0GHz/1MB L2/667MHz FSB)
2GB DDR2-667 RAM
160GB 5400RPM hard drive (Western Digital WD1600BEVT)
Intel GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics
Intel GL40 chipset
Atheros AR5B91 802.11 Draft-N wireless
DVD Super-Multi drive
Full-size keyboard w/ number pad
Weight: 5.9 lbs
Dimensions: 15.1” (W) x 9.9” (D) x 1.5” (H)
Six-cell battery (11.1V, 46Wh/4600mAh)
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