14" powerhouse beats my desktop by leaps and bounds.
925866
I bought this laptop for my son for Christmas. Zero dislikes for this product. Acer bundles it's own backup imaging software with it, plus a. Lot of useful utilities. Did not come over bloated with pre-installed software. This 1GB nvidia graphics dedicated is great for quite a few new and old games. My son runs Minecraft on it mostly, but it will run a lot more. The laptop also has built in intel graphics and you have the option to use either graphics chip with all your programs. Good size hard drive, upgradable to 8GB RAM, i5 dual core processor, plus a multitude of peripheral connectivity including HDMI out. My son is running his with dual display using laptop screen plus a 24" monitor, Razor Tron mouse, Razor Lycosa keyboard, and we added a 1TB external drive to image his system monthly to. The look and feel on this is outstanding. My only complaint is when I went to upgrade my desktop computer, I wanted one for myself and they have been sold out on this model. I really wanted one! Bought an outstanding Acer netbook instead. I have been using Acer portables for 6 years now without issue.
975785
MY COMPUTER IS BIG, FAST, BEAUTIFUL, GREAT. THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO ON IT. I LOVE THE TOUCH SCREEN. MY NEW LOVE
1020223
The results turned out much better than I thought they would.  It's not a toy.
+ Full blown Windows XP rather than Linux.  I can run just about any of my programs.  Sure the processer is slower than my dual core, but that's an expected payoff.
+ 160G hard drive - plenty of storage space for when I'm on the road.
+ Great battery life.  My first three full-to-empty charges lasted around the advertised 5.5 hours.  I would imagine that the smaller SDD have better battery life; however I needed the larger hard drive.  Plus, it looks like the 160G is the only version with the 6 cell battery.
+ Screen is nice and bright.  Even on lowest brightness it is very readable.
+ After about 30 minutes, I was used to the small keyboard.  Not an issue.
+ VGA output for on-site presentations.
+ Lightweight - Actually, it's a featherweight when compared to my standard laptop (15.4"). Two could fit in the same space.
+ Build quality appears to be high.
- No bluetooth - solved with a USB adaptor.  Not a significant issue.
- High gloss case results in fingerprints.  Not a big deal.
4463461
WOW - now I have 2 x 27+ inch monitors connected as well as keyboard, mouse & external drive
2951282
I purchased this desktop replacement computer to have a mobile station for running software demonstrations in virtual and pseudo-environments. The machine is a workhorse. Admittedly, larger than most notebooks/laptops, although the dimensions are noted clearly in the sellers description. My experience with the overall performance have been very positive. If I had to cite a couple of minor negatives they would be this; its large, and if you add NVMe, which you should, the small plastic trays need to be purchased separately. Other than those small (picky) items, I have been very satisfied with this purchase and would suggest it to a friend.
3166268
CPU: it's not dual-core, but it is Hyper-Threaded (remember that?), so there is some multitasking capability.  It's fully capable for anything you'd want to do on a netbook.  My work laptop is only 2 years old and and the Wind is only slightly noticeably under that in terms of lag etc.

Memory: 1 GB is just fine for XP, but I'm recoring mine with Vista so I definitely had to go for the upgrade.  An extra 1GB is ridiculously cheap ($15), and it's a very easy install--just don't get squeamish about taking the entire bottom off of the thing.  Could certainly have been easier but still only took <5 minutes to do, and it worked perfectly the first time (no BIOS tweaking required).

Graphics: It's a low resolution, but it looks perfectly fine and for most purposes, it's just great.  Also remember that the screen itself is smaller than a normal notebook's, so proporitionally, it's just the real estate you want.  If low resolution is the major factor holding you back, do what I did--size some of your most-used app windows on your current machine to 1024x600 (I used MS Paint and created a blank pic at this reso, then just dragged windows around).  You may be surprised at what you can still get done.  I wouldn't want to play WOW or something on it, but then that's not what you're buying it for.

Weight, Battery, Form Factor, etc: Ridiculously slick and tiny, but the keys are still very usable, even for long periods of time.  Keys do feel a little cheap to begin with but they can definitely take the punshment.  Can't speak to battery life yet but from what I've heard on the forums, the 6-cell is definitely worth it.

Connectivity: Wireless worked perfectly and swiftly immediately.  This is a first for me.  It's brilliant.  USB mice work perfectly too.

Versatility: You can upgrade the memory (see above), replace the HDD with a standard 2.5" (so once SSDs come down in price you can make it shock-proof and speedy, or you can spring for that half-terabyte for all your movies on the go), replace the OS (fairly straightforward actually), and plug tons of stuff into it.  It's damn near perfect.

Screen: Ultra, ultra bright.  Brighter than any laptop I've used, actually.  Even in daylight it's fully usable.

Geeky: Updating the BIOS is easier than with any other machine I've done that on.  However, I did scout around for a "within-Windows" version of the installer.  Took five minutes and worked perfectly.  It's nice to see a company offer one-button overclocking too.

Recommendations:
--Update the BIOS when you get it.  Google for the installer I found so you just download, double-click, and reboot; no funky floppies or bootable USB sticks.
--I'm using this for work on the go, so I also bought a screen privacy shield from 3M and it works great.  You just have to cut it down for the netbook-sized screen.
--If you're replacing WinXP with Vista, spring for the extra GB of memory of course, but also pick up an ultra-fast 4 GB SDHC card and stick it in the card reader.  Tell Vista to use it for ReadyBoost and voila, you've got yourself extra performance.  SanDisk Extreme is the brand I've seen recommended.  This will pretty much max out your Wind in terms of performance tweaks from what I've researched.
417067
I have purchased approx 60 of these units for my employer and I could not be happier with them!  i5 with 8GB ram and a 500GB HD.  That is nothing to complain about.  I will easily be able to swap out the spinning-rust drives for SSD in a pinch for additional performance in a couple of year.  The awesome thing about these is the on-board graphics processor will handle 3 monitors right out of the box!!!  2 use Display Port and 1 will use VGA.  I would certainly recommend this as an excellent workstation.
123944
I bought this laptop back in August for $299.00.  WOW!  I can't begin to tell you how thrilled I am with it.  The screen is clear and vibrant, the processor is fast and it's amazing what 4gig of ram can do.  I love the restore feature and the fingerprint scanner.  It's light and easily portable, the chicklet keys give it that updated modern feel.  It's just so much computer for the money.  I'm thrilled.
1917909
My only real complaint is that my palm will sometimes swipe the edge of the touch pad and open up the stupid charms bar in Win8.  Other than that, this machine is BEAST.  Touchscreen is uber responsive.  Programs open and close quickly.  The keyboard is great.  I even like the facial recognition software that comes preinstalled on it.  I've not been this pleased with a computer in a VERY long time.  I'd like to upgrade the video RAM as it's lagged on me on a couple of games, but after I turned down the settings it worked great.

It is a LARGE machine though.  I probably wouldn't buy it with traveling in mind.  With that said, the battery can hold up to the challenge of being on the road with about 6 hours of moderate use before it dies.
958065
I've been using desktop PC's for many years, with occassional exposure to Macs throughout college.  I work as a software engineer developing Java applications on a UNIX platform.  Several of my coworkers develop exclusively on their 17-inch Powerbooks and have been raving about the user-centered design.  They eventually got through to me and I purchased the 12-inch Powerbook model.

To begin with, it's extremely solid and compact.  The aluminum case seems resilient to scratches and can probably take a bit of abuse (I've only had mine for a week, I'll give it time).  The display is clear and crisp, a pleasure to look at.  I use a 19-inch LCD for my desktop, and switching to my 12-inch Powerbook display causes me no grief.

I purchased my model from a local retailer and added 512MB of RAM, which I strongly recommend since 256MB is ridiculously low for modern OS' and applications.  The system is very responsive and handles the load I put on it (web browser, iTunes, etc.) well.  MacOS is a pleasure to work with.

The size of the notebook is great.  I can tote it around the house (Airport Extreme gets incredible reception) without feeling like I'm lugging a 10 pound dumbbell - the Powerbook weighs under 5 pounds.  And with energy savings enabled I get over 4 hours battery usage.

--Update after 6 months
I'm still loving my PowerBook, but have developed one issue that's become a big concern.  The display hinges are over-tightened and may be suceptible to mechanical failure.  I've ordered a "Glide Kit" from RadTech to condition to the hinges to prevent breakage.  It's something you may want to consider doing, too, should you purchase this outstanding machine.
4728549
Considering this is priced in the range of a netbook, I wasn't expecting much.  But for $300 dollars, I think acer has created a masterpiece.

The performance is fantastic.  It can handle multiple tasks very well.  It can handle photoshop and league of legends, although not as fast as a performance computer, but I wasn't expecting a powerhouse for $300.

Basically, I got an almost powerhouse at the price of a piece of crap, so I am very happy.

To those complaining about video, this laptop can not run 1080p content, just like any other laptop whose maximum resolution is 720p.  This laptop handles 720p beautifully and there is no reason to watch a 1080p video on a 15" screen to begin with.

The wireless is also very fast, not sure what others are complaining about on that front, I think they may just be having issues with window 7's network configuration tools.

My only complaint is that being an apple laptop user in the past, this feels cheap.  But hey, if they sacrificed body in favor of performance, I am all for it.

Pros:
Amazing performance for $300
Tons of HDD space
Runs somewhat demanding games
Streams 720p beautifully
The keyboard is amazing (the second best I have used outside of my Razer Black Widow)
Excellent battery life
4GB ram instead of the 1 or 2 GB competitors offer

Cons:
Cheap casing
Sluggish processor
3586508
This 2 in 1 computer is an amazing computer, especially considering the price.  Others have found problems with the response of the touch pad but I have not.  However, I find it more convenient to use a mouse when not using it as a tablet.  With an i7 processor and 512 ssd it is as fast as my top of the line desktop.  The high resolution screen is beautiful.  The only issue I have with it is that the high res screen does not allow the menu from Photoshop to be adequately seen.  It is usable with an external monitor but still not like it should be.  I have not found a way around this, as yet, including changing the resolution of the laptop/tablet.
2801677
I have been really impressed with this new 360 touchscreen laptop from ASUS.  Notes below about the favs I love!

1)  Screen is really nice.  Vibrant colors everywhere and deep blacks.  Lots of color pop and the touchscreen is really responsive with my finger or the included ASUS pen.
2)  Powerful.  The latest gen i7 intel chip makes all my tasks super easy.  I use Photoshop and do light video editing for small film projects and this does it easily.
3)  Keyboard is great. Backlit is great for working on airplanes or in bed at night. Keys feel good too
4)  Lightweight and solid construction.
5)  Only bad thing: No place for the pen to attach to.  No big deal because I just pack it in my computer bag.
2429304
The laptop boots faster than my win 7 machine with an SSD drive! Amazing! The touch screen is responsive, and the computer is overall fast and powerful for basic functions.
4157234
Bought this beast for a couple of hundred less than a comparably equipped Dell or HP. Attractive case, great components, fast. Built-in N-WiFi (unfortunately only 2.4 GHz band, not dual-band). Huge storage (1.5 TB HD). Capable discrete graphics (I have to admit I am not a gamer) driving two 24 inch monitors (one DVI and one HDMI) beautifully. Whips through MP3 encoding. Did I mention it is whisper-quiet?

Cons: No USB 3 ports
1139283
Beautiful. I wiped Windows and installed Ubuntu 16.04. What a nice machine! The only issue I had was with virtualbox. Had to go into the bios in the security area to turn on virtualization support.

Other than that, this thing is fast, powerful, and even plays games like sims 3 without even blinking. Intel Graphics card (built in), but it's intel hd graphics.

Worth every penny.
3976003
I needed an upgrade desperately to handle all of my gaming, schooling, editing, multitasking needs.  This computer was a great choice!  The fan is extremely quite, the power is great.  I am running two monitors off of the video card with no issues.  I can run a game at the highest settings with a bit of lag, but then again, this isn't an Origin PC or anything.  I am very please with this one!