Deal Seeking Mom

Back-to-School Giveaway: Acer Aspire Timeline Laptop (Valued at $899!)

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Acer Aspire Timeline Laptop Notebook

This fantastic giveaway is the last of my Back-to-School giveaways, but be sure to check out all of the current giveaways for other great prizes that are still available!

I think Moms and kids alike (or anyone else for that matter) will love this Acer Aspire Timeline Laptop. It’s part of a new category of laptops called “thin and light,” and this particular model boasts 8+ hours of battery life. I can attest to the battery life personally, as I left the house with mine on at 8:45 this morning and it’s still going strong at 3:45 in the afternoon.

After using this laptop for a week, I’m very impressed with it. Priced as low as $769.99, it rivals my far more expensive Sony Vaio in speed and definitely is far more convenient to tote around.

I just want to take a moment to share some of my favorite features from a mom’s perspective:

  • The first thing I noticed is that the power cord is formed at a right angle. I was ecstatic about this because we have an older Toshiba laptop that the kids use. Its cord just comes straight out of the back, and we’ve had to replace it 7+ times because the wires break at the base of the plug and the computer won’t charge. So yay for user-friendly power cords!
  • Keys that are easy to replace are big in my book. Yes, I purposefully popped one off just to see how easy it was to replace, and I’m happy to report that it snapped back on super easy, unlike my old Dell laptop that used to have me in tears trying to replace a key. Plus, the former transcriptionist in me loves the feel of the keys when typing. They are very smooth and give just enough resistance.
  • The long battery life is another feature I love. I mean, who wouldn’t? I can follow my kids around the house with my laptop, take it in the car, and look up a recipe while I’m cooking dinner all in one charge.
  • I can multitask with ease thanks to the Intel Core 2 Duo processor. I’m not quite techie enough to explain just how this wonderful piece of technology works, but I know that it allows me to run multiple programs at the same time without bogging down the system as a whole. This means that I can run Firefox, Tweetdeck, Paint Shop, Skype, and more without lags while working. What mom couldn’t use a little boost while multitasking? Do note that running several processing intensive programs in tandem can decrease the length of time before you need to recharge the battery.
  • This particular model has a HUGE hard drive. At 500GB, I won’t be running out of space any time soon, even with a large iTunes collection and several hundred digital photos stored on it currently. I’m not an expert, but I’ve noticed software getting larger over the years, so a large hard drive will be important for longevity.

A few things on it that I’m not crazy about:

  • No CD drive – this makes it a little difficult to install some software, but I understand the need to forgo one to keep the thin and light feel. And of course, USB CD drives are fairly inexpensive if that’s a necessity for you.
  • Touch-sensitive buttons – I wish they would have put a sticker on the computer to point out the row of touch-sensitive buttons above the keyboard. My curious toddler swiped his hand across them turning off the WiFi, and I spent a good 30 minutes trying to figure out how to turn it back on. Cool technology, but dangerous with kids around.
  • Mouse button is stiff – the mouse button is a little awkwardly placed and is slightly stiff. Maybe this is something that I just need a little time to get used too, but it’s definitely not my optimal setup.
  • Glossy screen – I’ve found that most systems come with glossy screens, but the anti-glare screen that my old Dell had was one of the only features that I loved. It makes working outside so much easier, and I enjoy taking the kids outside and letting them play while answering a few emails.

Overall none of the things that I was less than pleased with would be deal breakers when looking for a computer in this category. It may not be ideal as a complete desktop replacement laptop, but it’s perfect for a mom, dad, student, etc. who needs access to the Internet, email, word processing software and the like on the go and at home.

One very lucky Deal Seeking Mom reader will win an Acer Aspire Timeline AS3810T-6775 Laptop:

  • 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400 Processor
  • 4096MB Dual-Channel DDR3 1066MHz Memory
  • 80 GB Solid State Drive
  • Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit (SP1)
  • Over 8 Hours of Battery Life (6-Cell 5600 mAh)
  • 13.3-inch HD CineCrystal LED-backlit Display

To enter, leave a comment and tell me what features you look for in a laptop. Is portability and weight most important, or are you looking for something with high performance to replace your home desktop?

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Every reader has four methods available to enter this contest. Choose one each of any combination of method one, two, three, or four for up to a total of 4 entries!!!

Methods of entry:

1. Leave a comment. Tell me what features are most important to you when shopping for a new laptop!

2. Add Deal Seeking Mom to your blogroll or add my badge to your sidebar. Make sure to come back and leave the link to your site in a separate comment!

3. Join the new Deal Seeking Mom Forums to chat about your great finds, special coupon codes, and chances to win exclusive giveaways. Leave a separate comment letting me know you’ve joined or that you’re already a registered user!

4. Subscribe to my feed via RSS or email. You must confirm your email subscription for it to be a valid entry! Leave a separate comment letting me know you have done so. If you’re already a subscriber, simply leave a separate comment letting me know you’re already subscribed. Lovin’ my subscribers! You guys make this all possible.

Prize:
(1) Acer Aspire Timeline AS3810T-6775 (ARV $899), as described above

This giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, 9/2. I’ll use Random.org to select the winning comment. Winner will be notified by email on and listed on my Giveaway Winners page. Good luck!

While you’re in a contest entering mood, don’t forget to check out the Giveaway Gathering for a variety of contests being hosted on Deal Seeking Mom readers’ blogs!

Note: As the sponsor of this giveaway, Intel provided me with a laptop to review the latest features as well as a second laptop to give away to a Deal Seeking Mom reader.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Deanna

    The features that are most important to me when shopping for a new laptop are the battery life, memory and speed.

  3. colleen

    Hi, just registered for the forums. I would love to win this! Looks like you have a great site here!

  4. Heather

    I would love this laptop. I’m a transcriptionist, full-time mom and heading back to school full-time in the spring.

  7. Mary T.

    One feature I think is important, in a laptop, is battery life. Email is my primary mode of communication, and real-time-talk is the second one. The second feature I would look for is user friendly power cord and/or battery recharge cord. I have never owned a laptop; however, the aforementioned features would be at the top of my “must have” list.

  9. Melanie

    Well considering our current laptop has a cracked screen, anything with a full, clear view would be an improvement… but I would really like to have one that is not to heavy, keys that aren’t able to be demolished as soon as my 22 month old decides to touch the buttons for the first time, and lots of speed and memory. That is a long list but it describes all the things our current laptop does NOT have… :)

    Thanks for the awesome give away!! :)

  10. Lisa Thornton

    I look for peformance first and then portability. My desktop is wonderful, but I cannot take it with me everywhere I go. I like to be able to check emails and work information whenever I on the road. I also need a machine that is reliable, therefore I always check other consumer comments on the computer I am buying so I can avoid any lemons that may be out there.

  14. Joy

    I think the most important component in looking for a laptop is the battery life and the size of the laptop. I like a lighter weight laptop because I am not stationary with it. This is a great giveaway!!!

  15. Ashley

    I found out in July that my motherboard burned up on my notebook. I am looking for one now for all my coupons and school. They are a big help for the kids schoolwork. As long as the computer does what its supposed it do and has sufficient memory, it is a winner for me.

  16. Ashley

    I have to have a USB port on mine. I work from home for a company and I need a headset. I also would like a larger keyboard. I don’t like how some laptops have tiny keys.

  19. JoAnn Jackson

    I’ve joined “Deal Seeking Mom Forums” — to be honest I’m all new to this Forums thing – I work on PCs all day (Analyst @ Nestle) but I don’t get around on the internet sites much since I’m working on our Business Systems like SAP, AS400, etc — not much time for web surfing. Don’t really understand what a Blog is either — no one has ever explained it to me.
    Please accept this as my sweepstakes entry for the laptop. :o)

  20. JoAnn Jackson

    Laptops are great if they are light weight and if they have various mouse options, as I can’t stand that mouse thing you have to use your finger on that flat surface as my wrist normally hits the flat surface when I’m typing and the mouse then jumps around instead of staying where I was meaning to type.

  23. Leslie F.

    At this point, I’m the only one in our household without a laptop! I’d love one to travel with, and frankly just to be upstairs (desktop computer is in the basement) with the rest of the family while I surf/tweet/and check awesome blogs!

  24. Rick

    When looking for a laptop, the two most important spec’s for me are the amount of hard drive space and the amount of memory.

  28. Jen

    I need one that is durable! With two little ones at home that love the computer, it has to stand up to all sorts of stuff :) Also, speed is a must. I don’t get a lot of alone time, so when I do, it has to be able to keep up with all of my blogs!

  29. Astad

    I look for power when laptop hunting. I always seem to have four or five (or ten) programs going at once.