My 10" IPS Bay Trail tablet (Bingdows 8.1, 2GB RAM, 32GB) lasts about 6 hours of constant, heavy browsing/videos, but usually I go several days between charges. I only have about 12GB free. Stupid Windows 10 won't update, but I'm not sure I care enough to do it manually.
I'd hardly call Windows 10 stupid when it was your choice to buy a machine which such low storage. You could try turning off/deleting your System restore backups, disabling Virtual memory and hibernation to get additional space then upgrade... .
Thanks for the tech support, Matlock, but none of those are a problem. Windows Update was failing to update on its own even after automatically downloading the update every day for a week. To try and correct it, I forced the update via command prompt to bypass the reservation system and it downloaded the necessary W10 update again, but then refused to acknowledge that it had downloaded the update or initiate the upgrade - it simply shows as "failed" in the update history. So I downloaded the appropriate Home ISO from Microsoft to do it myself, but I just haven't gotten around to it.
It's stupid because it didn't work automatically like they said it would. It's also stupid because even when forcing it to update, it still fails. I am judging its stupidity upon the basis of its promise to be smart and painless, but being exactly the opposite. Even with the Pro ISO on my other machines, it wasn't entirely smooth. So far, I give this launch 3/10.
@nathanddrews: My Dell Venue Pro 8 won't update either (errors every time), either through the Windows Update, or through the downloader that Microsoft provided. How I got around that was to do a full factory reset, and it was able to update to Windows 10 right after. That's something you can try if you feel inclined to do so.
It's not just newer laptops; my wife's Lenovo Ideapad from 2010, with Windows 7, is completely incompatible with Windows 10. It updates using the official update tool, but once it's in 10 nothing works except wifi. It won't even run "Modern" apps (including the new Settings) without force-closing about half of the Windows processes in the Task Manager. Only then was I able to load Settings long enough to revert to Windows 7. Windows 10 rocks on my Haswell based workstation, but it's definitely not ready for every machine out there.
HP Stream 7 upgraded to Windows 10 via Windows Update fine on my end. Only managed to clear up 10Gb of space before the update started but it updated without issue. However, after the update, Windows 10 seems to be plagued with minor issues here and there, so I assume something did go wrong somewhere. Gonna install a fresh one when I find the time, but it is at least useable for now
Damn, was hoping for 10-12 hours. I want something comparable to my Nexus 7 (2013) which is getting flaky on me (ghost/missed touches, wifi hiccups, bluetooth drops). I was actually considering a Suface 3, but battery life is a bit disappointing there, too.
Honestly, I'd go with something that charges over USB, and get a portable battery. Like, my Stream 7 gets 4-6 hours usually, but with the portable battery I have (about the size of a thick phone) I can get a total of 16 hours.
(Speaking of which, there's a question: Does this need an AC adapter to charge? I suppose so, if the CPU can go to 6 W.)
The problem is, Acer. After owning 2 Acer products, I will never buy them again. Had a monitor that would randomly turn off/on. You had to unplug it and leave it unplugged for a day, then the problem went away for a few weeks, only to come back again. That was back in like 07. So, tried them again with their W700 tablet. It works, but has bubbles all over the screen. Of course, it started after the warranty ran out, so Acer won't do crap. They literally said that I would need a technical team to analyze the monitor and prove that it was a manufacturing defect. Ya, they lost my business.
Or get a portable WiFi router. Bought one a couple years ago, and believe me, if you travel, it's a Godsend! Plug wired ethernet into the router, which is powered off of a USB port (either from a power adapter plugged into the wall, or your device's USB port). So long as you set it up earlier, with a WiFi name and password, you have instant wireless internet.
I used this, recently, in a hotel room that had a pitiful free wireless connection from their router. My internet was strong, fast, and secure.
Dont see how you can use 16GB on these.. i have a venue 8 pro with 32GB and i only have 3 GB free space with clean windows 32bit install. no apps installed at all.
That's weird. I have 7GB of 32GB free on my equivalent ASUS tablet, with some software installed (although most of it is on the SD card). That's with a fully updated Windows 8.1 install.
Windows 8.1 that comes in the first dell venue 8 pro and the asus vivotab 8 is not the bing edition. Do a clean windows 10 32bit install and you will see.
It has nothing to do with "bing edition" or anything else. They introduced WIMBoot at some point with Win8.1 to free up space. A lot of low-storage devices came with WIMBoot by default. Older devices, ones with lots of storage, and anything with a HDD would not have WIMboot and thus the Windows footprint would be larger. You can always convert older setups to use WIMBoot, not sure if Win10 defaults to this or not. I would NOT use WIMBoot on a HDD at all, and it's not really necessary on a large enough drive of any variety.
I would definitely be interested to know if all fresh (NOT upgrade) Win10 installs default to WIMBoot, or if they use some criteria to determine when to use it and when not to bother.
Anyway bottom line is that in many cases 16-32GB could be enough especially with an SD card slot.
While I wasn't able to purchase it quite as cheaply as the 11" model shown, above, my old netbook (same size screen, with 160GB hdd, and 4GB ram) weighs in at around the same as this "cloudbook". Since they're saving weight by having just 16GB of flash memory, I have to assume the battery on this thing is exceptional. Otherwise, it really wouldn't be worth looking at, IMHO.
Two thoughts, concerning this type of cloud device: 1. I really wish they would go ahead and give the option for an owner to add an SSD, instead of relying on the cloud. Sorry, but for security purposes, an onboard storage device will always beat easily hackable cloud services! 2. Since it has a USB port, I believe I would purchase a small SSD for storage, and put it inside an external case. Little to no draw off the battery, and accessible for times that you don't have a WiFi connection available.
IMO SD card is the way to go on such machines. It's slower than an SSD but you typically don't really need high speed for what you'll be storing there. (Though I have to wonder if the SD card is connected on a USB 2 bus, as sometimes happens, or can be used at full speed.)
Maybe so, but with external cases running (on sale) as low as $10, and just yesterday, Newegg had a 120GB Sandisk SSD for $45, you can't really match the storage capacity with SDHC cards, for that price.
I was really hoping that the transition to 14nm processors would also come along with an upgrade in this price bracket to 64GB of local storage. I'm really disappointed to see 16GB models still entering the market and for Acer's 11.6 inch model to not offer a 64GB version. Were it not for the local storage limitations, I'd be really tempted to buy one to replace my current netbook and laptop.
The cute thing is that for $170 thing could probably run Skyrim or Bioshock perfectly playably... Provided you can find the space for the install of course!! (SD card I guess)
Based on the rest of the specifications, I think it'd have problems with Skyrim (can't speak for Bioshock) because of the 2GB RAM thing which would be partly allocated to the GPU and is probably single channel due to costs. I can't envision Skyrim running overly well even at fairly low settings.
No, there really isn't since with the windows ones you can easily install Ubuntu on there without weird hacking of BIOS or workarounds for VPN apps.
I have a chromebook 2 and no regrets, the 1080p screen is gorgeous and the portability is incredible. If they released a 1080p version of these ASUS books for an extra $100 they'd definitely have a chromebook killer.
They may already have one, if one doesn't care about the screen resolution, these are fine. The storage is adequate since SD cards will store most apps.
Maybe it's just me, but I'd love to see machines in this form factor with better specs. Bump the price up to, say $400, and throw in a 1080p screen, 128GB - 256GB of storage, 4GB ram, an 8+ hour battery... For some reason, you have to jump up to $1000 Ultrabooks to get anything remotely nice in a small for factor. Where's the midrange?
That's a nice machine there, pretty much everything I listed. To bad it's $750 with the tax and shipping, though. That's stretching it a bit for a little machine to throw in your suitcase for conferences and vacations.
What the hell is a "cloudbook"? Is that like a new generation of netbooks? I'm sick and tired of low brow companies like Acer coming up with arbitrary buzz words or phrases that nobody asked for.
Also in true Acer tradition, those specs are quite horrible, regardless of price and size. With that amount of RAM, these things will struggle on anything more than light tasks. By light, I mean having one or two internet tabs open, or an Office document open.
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lilmoe - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
Battery life?icrf - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
For a device like this, that is pretty close to the most important question.nathanddrews - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
My 10" IPS Bay Trail tablet (Bingdows 8.1, 2GB RAM, 32GB) lasts about 6 hours of constant, heavy browsing/videos, but usually I go several days between charges. I only have about 12GB free. Stupid Windows 10 won't update, but I'm not sure I care enough to do it manually.damianrobertjones - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
I'd hardly call Windows 10 stupid when it was your choice to buy a machine which such low storage. You could try turning off/deleting your System restore backups, disabling Virtual memory and hibernation to get additional space then upgrade... .nathanddrews - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
Thanks for the tech support, Matlock, but none of those are a problem. Windows Update was failing to update on its own even after automatically downloading the update every day for a week. To try and correct it, I forced the update via command prompt to bypass the reservation system and it downloaded the necessary W10 update again, but then refused to acknowledge that it had downloaded the update or initiate the upgrade - it simply shows as "failed" in the update history. So I downloaded the appropriate Home ISO from Microsoft to do it myself, but I just haven't gotten around to it.It's stupid because it didn't work automatically like they said it would. It's also stupid because even when forcing it to update, it still fails. I am judging its stupidity upon the basis of its promise to be smart and painless, but being exactly the opposite. Even with the Pro ISO on my other machines, it wasn't entirely smooth. So far, I give this launch 3/10.
menting - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
@nathanddrews: My Dell Venue Pro 8 won't update either (errors every time), either through the Windows Update, or through the downloader that Microsoft provided. How I got around that was to do a full factory reset, and it was able to update to Windows 10 right after. That's something you can try if you feel inclined to do so.nathanddrews - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
Thanks @menting - if the Home ISO doesn't work, I'll try that, but I think I'm going to wait until after the October update.kaidenshi - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
It's not just newer laptops; my wife's Lenovo Ideapad from 2010, with Windows 7, is completely incompatible with Windows 10. It updates using the official update tool, but once it's in 10 nothing works except wifi. It won't even run "Modern" apps (including the new Settings) without force-closing about half of the Windows processes in the Task Manager. Only then was I able to load Settings long enough to revert to Windows 7. Windows 10 rocks on my Haswell based workstation, but it's definitely not ready for every machine out there.eriri-el - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
HP Stream 7 upgraded to Windows 10 via Windows Update fine on my end. Only managed to clear up 10Gb of space before the update started but it updated without issue. However, after the update, Windows 10 seems to be plagued with minor issues here and there, so I assume something did go wrong somewhere. Gonna install a fresh one when I find the time, but it is at least useable for nowBrett Howse - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
Sorry it was late last night and somehow I missed that. Battery Wh isn't listed but I added the battery life and SD Card slot to the table.lilmoe - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
It's OK. Thanks for the update.lilmoe - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
BTW, a quick question;Does that Celeron chip support connected standby?
icrf - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
Damn, was hoping for 10-12 hours. I want something comparable to my Nexus 7 (2013) which is getting flaky on me (ghost/missed touches, wifi hiccups, bluetooth drops). I was actually considering a Suface 3, but battery life is a bit disappointing there, too.mkozakewich - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
Honestly, I'd go with something that charges over USB, and get a portable battery. Like, my Stream 7 gets 4-6 hours usually, but with the portable battery I have (about the size of a thick phone) I can get a total of 16 hours.(Speaking of which, there's a question: Does this need an AC adapter to charge? I suppose so, if the CPU can go to 6 W.)
Cryio - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
Finally, decent low priced laptops are a reality.shadarlo - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
Exactly what I was thinking. For basic purpose slideshow laptops / web browsing / log-in terminals / etc these are actually pretty cool.khanikun - Wednesday, August 5, 2015 - link
The problem is, Acer. After owning 2 Acer products, I will never buy them again. Had a monitor that would randomly turn off/on. You had to unplug it and leave it unplugged for a day, then the problem went away for a few weeks, only to come back again. That was back in like 07. So, tried them again with their W700 tablet. It works, but has bubbles all over the screen. Of course, it started after the warranty ran out, so Acer won't do crap. They literally said that I would need a technical team to analyze the monitor and prove that it was a manufacturing defect. Ya, they lost my business.Morawka - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
wish it had Ethernet.. need a cheap device for CCNA field worksmorebuds - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
Just get a cheap ethernet adapter and you're good to gomarvdmartian - Thursday, August 6, 2015 - link
Or get a portable WiFi router. Bought one a couple years ago, and believe me, if you travel, it's a Godsend!Plug wired ethernet into the router, which is powered off of a USB port (either from a power adapter plugged into the wall, or your device's USB port). So long as you set it up earlier, with a WiFi name and password, you have instant wireless internet.
I used this, recently, in a hotel room that had a pitiful free wireless connection from their router. My internet was strong, fast, and secure.
Morawka - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
Dont see how you can use 16GB on these.. i have a venue 8 pro with 32GB and i only have 3 GB free space with clean windows 32bit install. no apps installed at all.SaolDan - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
Windows 10 32bit on my dell venue 8 takes about 10 GB. i think the 32bit is the "bing edition"ET - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
That's weird. I have 7GB of 32GB free on my equivalent ASUS tablet, with some software installed (although most of it is on the SD card). That's with a fully updated Windows 8.1 install.SaolDan - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
Windows 8.1 that comes in the first dell venue 8 pro and the asus vivotab 8 is not the bing edition. Do a clean windows 10 32bit install and you will see.Alexvrb - Wednesday, August 5, 2015 - link
It has nothing to do with "bing edition" or anything else. They introduced WIMBoot at some point with Win8.1 to free up space. A lot of low-storage devices came with WIMBoot by default. Older devices, ones with lots of storage, and anything with a HDD would not have WIMboot and thus the Windows footprint would be larger. You can always convert older setups to use WIMBoot, not sure if Win10 defaults to this or not. I would NOT use WIMBoot on a HDD at all, and it's not really necessary on a large enough drive of any variety.I would definitely be interested to know if all fresh (NOT upgrade) Win10 installs default to WIMBoot, or if they use some criteria to determine when to use it and when not to bother.
Anyway bottom line is that in many cases 16-32GB could be enough especially with an SD card slot.
SaolDan - Thursday, August 6, 2015 - link
What AlexVRB said. :)menting - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
I had 15G left on my Venue 8 Pro 32GB after a clean Win10 install.marvdmartian - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
While I wasn't able to purchase it quite as cheaply as the 11" model shown, above, my old netbook (same size screen, with 160GB hdd, and 4GB ram) weighs in at around the same as this "cloudbook". Since they're saving weight by having just 16GB of flash memory, I have to assume the battery on this thing is exceptional. Otherwise, it really wouldn't be worth looking at, IMHO.Two thoughts, concerning this type of cloud device:
1. I really wish they would go ahead and give the option for an owner to add an SSD, instead of relying on the cloud. Sorry, but for security purposes, an onboard storage device will always beat easily hackable cloud services!
2. Since it has a USB port, I believe I would purchase a small SSD for storage, and put it inside an external case. Little to no draw off the battery, and accessible for times that you don't have a WiFi connection available.
ET - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
IMO SD card is the way to go on such machines. It's slower than an SSD but you typically don't really need high speed for what you'll be storing there. (Though I have to wonder if the SD card is connected on a USB 2 bus, as sometimes happens, or can be used at full speed.)marvdmartian - Wednesday, August 5, 2015 - link
Maybe so, but with external cases running (on sale) as low as $10, and just yesterday, Newegg had a 120GB Sandisk SSD for $45, you can't really match the storage capacity with SDHC cards, for that price.BrokenCrayons - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
I was really hoping that the transition to 14nm processors would also come along with an upgrade in this price bracket to 64GB of local storage. I'm really disappointed to see 16GB models still entering the market and for Acer's 11.6 inch model to not offer a 64GB version. Were it not for the local storage limitations, I'd be really tempted to buy one to replace my current netbook and laptop.MrSpadge - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
I'd rather hope for SD card slots to get around the storage limitations than 14 nm CPUs.chris00780 - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
Is the RAM soldered on?Brett Howse - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
Pretty much any laptop that is 0.7" thick has soldered on memory.Jon Tseng - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
14nm Airmont with 12 EUs?The cute thing is that for $170 thing could probably run Skyrim or Bioshock perfectly playably... Provided you can find the space for the install of course!! (SD card I guess)
BrokenCrayons - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
Based on the rest of the specifications, I think it'd have problems with Skyrim (can't speak for Bioshock) because of the 2GB RAM thing which would be partly allocated to the GPU and is probably single channel due to costs. I can't envision Skyrim running overly well even at fairly low settings.damianrobertjones - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
16GB storage?! That'll hurt after awhile.Has anyone noticed that various review sites MISSING off the hard drive details for Chromebooks?
bleh0 - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
With small Windows notebook coming down to prices like this is there any reason to purchase a chromebook?webdoctors - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
No, there really isn't since with the windows ones you can easily install Ubuntu on there without weird hacking of BIOS or workarounds for VPN apps.I have a chromebook 2 and no regrets, the 1080p screen is gorgeous and the portability is incredible. If they released a 1080p version of these ASUS books for an extra $100 they'd definitely have a chromebook killer.
They may already have one, if one doesn't care about the screen resolution, these are fine. The storage is adequate since SD cards will store most apps.
Mr Perfect - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
Maybe it's just me, but I'd love to see machines in this form factor with better specs. Bump the price up to, say $400, and throw in a 1080p screen, 128GB - 256GB of storage, 4GB ram, an 8+ hour battery... For some reason, you have to jump up to $1000 Ultrabooks to get anything remotely nice in a small for factor. Where's the midrange?iamlilysdad - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
Asus UX305Mr Perfect - Wednesday, August 5, 2015 - link
That's a nice machine there, pretty much everything I listed. To bad it's $750 with the tax and shipping, though. That's stretching it a bit for a little machine to throw in your suitcase for conferences and vacations.icut3 - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
smooth play with 1080p video?Dark_Archonis - Wednesday, August 5, 2015 - link
What the hell is a "cloudbook"? Is that like a new generation of netbooks?I'm sick and tired of low brow companies like Acer coming up with arbitrary buzz words or phrases that nobody asked for.
Also in true Acer tradition, those specs are quite horrible, regardless of price and size. With that amount of RAM, these things will struggle on anything more than light tasks. By light, I mean having one or two internet tabs open, or an Office document open.
cjb110 - Thursday, August 6, 2015 - link
Having just got a ChromeBook with 4Gb of RAM, I'm little unsure a 2Gb Windows machine will be any use at all?