Acer Aspire 3004 Review

Combining excellent mobile performance and high entertainment value in a single, easy to conceal unit, the new Acer Aspire 3000 offers the perfect base for both stunning home entertainment and high-powered business multimedia. Following on from the popular 1360 series. The compact Aspire 3000 is the ideal choice for work and pleasure.

Specifications

Operating System
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition

Processor and chipset
Mobile AMD Sempron™ processor with up to 256 KB L2 cache, AMD PowerNow!™ Technology and 3DNow™ Professional Technology support
SiS M760GX Chipset

Memory
256MB – DDR333 memory, upgradeable to 2 GB using dual soDIMM modules

HDD
40GB – ATA/100 Hard Disk Drive

Storage
DVD/CD-RW Combo drive

Display
15.0" XGA TFT LCD with 1024 x 768 pixel resolution, or
16.7 million colours

Graphics
SiS M760GX Integrated 3D AGP graphics with up to 128 MB of VRAM, supporting Microsoft® DirectX® 8.0
DualView™ support
MPEG-2/DVD hardware-assisted capability
Aspire CinemaVision™ video technology (Aspire Arcade)
Aspire ClearVision™ video optimisation technology (Aspire Arcade)

Multimedia
Audio system with two built-in speakers
MS-Sound compatible
Built-in microphone

Communication
56Kbps ITU V.92 data/fax software modem with international PTT certification; Wake-on-Ring ready
10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet; Wake-on-LAN ready

I/O Interfaces
3x USB 2.0 ports
1x external display (VGA) port
1x PC Card slot (Type II)
1x Modem (RJ-11) port
1x Ethernet (RJ-45) port
1x speaker/ headphone/ line-out jack
1x microphone/ line-in jack
1x DC-in jack for AC adapter

Security
Kensington lock slot
BIOS user and supervisor passwords

Power supply and battery
ACPI power management supporting Standby and Hibernation modes
29Wh Li-Ion battery pack
Up to 1.5 hours battery life
2.5 hours quick charge; 3.5 hours charge-in-use
65W AC adapter

Keyboard and special controls
88-/89-key keyboard, inverted "T" cursor layout; 2.7 mm (minimum) key travel
Touchpad with buttons and 4-way integrated scroll keys
12 function keys; four cursor keys; two Windows® keys; hotkey controls; embedded numeric keypad; international language support
Four easy-launch buttons: Internet browser, email, Acer Empowering Key, and one user-programmable button

Weight and Dimensions
364 (W) x 279 (D) x 33.9 / 38.9 (H) mm
(14.3 x 11 x 1.3 / 1.5 inches)
2.76 kg (6.08lbs.) for 15" XGA LCD model

Quality & Reliability Tests
Temperature and Humidity test
Free Drop test
Acoustics test
Weight and Pressure test
Spillage test
Shock and Vibration test
Electrostatic Discharge Immunity test
MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) test
Hinge Life test
Keyboard Switch Life test

Software
Acer eManager (including ePresentation, eSetting, ePowerManagement and eRecovery)
Acer Grid Vista
Acer Launch Manager
Acer System Recovery CD
Acer Arcade
Norton AntiVirus™
Adobe® Reader®
NTI CD-Maker™

Certifications
ACPI 1.0b
Mobile PC 2001
DMI 2.0
Wi-Fi®
Cisco Compatible Extensions (CCX)

Warranty
1 year International Travellers Warranty (ITW)

Review

Very low price; fairly lightweight case; broad keyboard; big touch pad.