Deal Seeking Mom

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

by

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?

+++++++++++++++

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

  1. Nikki

    I subscribe! I love getting your emails. The first thing I do every morning is check my email and hop on to dealseekingmom! Thanks!

  4. Bill

    I need a large screen, a minimum of a dual core and 2 GB of memory for a main laptop. But I’m also thinking of purchasing a netbook mainly as an ebook reader.

  7. Ginger

    I don’t own a laptop, I look for the price! I’d look for speed and storage since I tend to save everything.

  12. Rebecca Hall

    I am looking to have a laptop so that I can have it be portable around the house with wi-fi. I have to go to the back of the house in a separate room to access it, which is not convenient with a two year old. I would love to have one that is light weight as you have described.

  13. Jill L

    I need one that can travel with me on trips. I don’t need a lot of bells and whistles as it won’t be to take the place of my desktop. Love that this one has a right angled cord. We have had problems with our Dell’s cord too.

  16. Kristen

    The most important features are the battery life and the price. I don’t want something too expensive but I also want it to be of good quality. And battery life is important bc if I’m in the middle of doing something and can’t plug it in right away then I don’t want to lose what I was doing. Great giveaway =)

  19. Gloria

    I would love the portability of a lap top. I’ve always had a desk top and would love to win this lap top.

  20. Debbie L

    When I’m looking for a laptop, the most important feature is the price. I don’t need a fancy one with lots of doo dads just your basic, inexpensive ( or free) model will do.

  21. Stacy

    Battery life is pretty important. What’s the use of having a laptop if you can’t use it for very long because the battery is dead?

  27. Stephanie

    Price has to be first but after replacing my laptop with netbook I’m also learning that RAM is incredibly important. I can always increase my storage space with USB drives but RAM is something I need the laptop to have up and speedy right out of the box. This one looks amazing! What a fantastic giveaway.

  30. Stacie

    I have been an e-mail subscriber for six months, since shortly after I entered the world of couponing. I have learned a lot about couponing from this site, and have really loved the savings. Since six of my seven children are still at home, it is often difficult for me to get computer time. I either have to kick someone off the desktop, or just wait for the computer to become available. So, while all of the features mentioned sound great to me, at this point what I am looking for in a laptop is portability and availability.